A regular feature on our website is the Talent Radar Team of the Week with the best young players compiled into an XI from across Europe’s top six leagues. You can read this for all details on Talent Radar, who is eligible under it and what else we publish within this feature.
[Eligibility: As of 1st June 2015 – 21 years old and below for outfield players // 22 years old and below for goalkeepers]
Jan Oblak // Atletico Madrid // 22 // Goalkeeper: Last week, Oblak made the ToTW on the back of 2 clean sheets in a week. He retains his place in the side by repeating the feat this week as well, making it 4 clean sheets in a row, and 1 goal conceded in his last 5 appearances. Atletico are basing their title challenge on the strong foundation of their defence, and Oblak is proving to be the rock on which Simeone is building this challenge.
Joao Cancelo// Valencia // 21 // Right Back: The attacking right sided Portugese player made his mark in midweek, as Valencia laid waste to Eibar with a magnificent 4-0 win. Cancelo started in the full back position, and made constant runs down the right wing. He managed to pick up a goal and an assist as well.
Matthias Ginter // Borussia Dortmund // 22 // Center Back: The versatile defender once again finds a spot in the Team of the Week courtesy an assured performance at the heart of the Dortmund defence. Reeling from the dramatic loss to Liverpool in the Europa League, Dortmund made short work of the visiting Stuttgart side. While Henrikh Mkhitaryan may have grabbed the headlines, Ginter was solid as he made 4 interceptions and 8 clearances in the game.
Alessio Romagnoli // AC Milan // 21 // Centre Back: While Milan did pick up a loss over the weekend after a fairly shoddy performance, they picked up a draw in midweek against Carpi. Romagnoli put in a defining performance in that game, winning 7 aerial duels, and keeping the opposition at bay for long periods. His positioning and strength have improved over the course of this year, with competition at the top table really shaping him up. This can only bode well for a Milan side that is looking to reclaim some of its past glories.
Baba Rahman // Chelsea // 21 // Left Back: Baba has not had the easiest start to life in the Premier League. While the Mourinho era saw him benched in favour of Azpilicueta at left back too often, he’s sometimes let himself down with his performances under Hiddink. He’ll be a much happier man after Saturday though, after putting in a very steady performance against Bournemouth. He made 4 tackles, and 3 interceptions, putting in a defensive performance that we haven’t seen from him often enough.
Talent Radar Player Rankings 2015-16
Success // Granada // 20 // Right Winger: The Nigerian U20 international has been a regular for Granada this season, and has done well to establish himself in La Liga. Success is sure to have a promising career ahead of him if he continues in the same vein that he has. A great performance this weekend that has virtually relegated Levante saw him get on the scoresheet once, and set up a teammate too.
Mahmoud Dahoud // Borussia Monchengladbach // 20 // Central Midfielder: Gladbach’s bid for Champions League qualification continued as they overcame Hoffenheim 3-1 at home. At the forefront of the win was exciting young midfielder, Mahmoud Dahoud. Dahoud provided the attacking impetus for the home side as he got himself on the scoresheet and assisted another.
Julian Brandt // Leverkusen // 19 // Left Winger: Roger Schmidt has kept Leverkusen upwardly mobile despite all the heat he’s had to take, and his talented young squad has a role to play in the growth. This week it was Brandt in association with Bellarabi and Chicharito that took the team to a 2-3 win away from home. Brandt picked up an assist, and scored a goal too, proving to be the difference maker for his side.
Kelechi Iheanacho // Manchester City // 19 // Striker: The blue half of Manchester may be dreaming of European glory ahead of their showdown against Real Madrid, but they can ill afford to take their foot off the pedal in the Premier League. With Manchester United breathing down their necks, City needed a result and they got just that. Iheanacho got himself on the scoresheet twice in the 4-0 victory and showed just why he’s so highly rated.
Paulo Dybala // Juventus // 22 // Striker: Juventus may have sealed yet another Serie A title but this one has been far less plain sailing compared to some of their previous conquests. After a horrific start, Juve went on an extended scintillating run with Dybala more often than not playing a big part. It was no different in the mid-week fixture against Lazio as the striker scored twice to take Juventus within touching distance to the title.
Paco Alcacer // Valencia // 22 // Striker: It’s been a great week for Alcacer, as the Spain striker has scored 4 goals, including a hattrick in midweek. In fact, Alcacer could have scored 4 in that game, but missed a penalty. He scored another one in the 2-2 draw at Getafe over the weekend. Alcacer will have his sights set on a berth in the Spain team for the upcoming Euros, and for good reason. He’s probably been the most consistent Spanish striker in the last 2 seasons, and he’s still just 22.
Read all our Talent Radar Team of the Week articles here
