Potential Young Stars, Revised

A few days ago I made a post with players that have the potential to have huge breakout years this upcoming season. To expand on that post I came up with a data sheet with all their past data from pass completion percentage to average match rating. I also added a few names onto the list that weren't in the post. To see the original post go here: http://theinformsoccer.blogspot.com/2013/06/potential-20132014-season-breakout-stars.html

Player Name	Pass Success	Shots on goal	Clean Sheets	Avg Match Rtg	Tackles Won	Dribbles Completed	World Class Potential
Thiago Alcantara	91.9	0.8	N/A	7.25	1.5	1.6	Yes
Paul Pogba	82.5	1.8	N/A	7.21	2.4	1.5	Yes
David Alaba	88.8	1.2	N/A	7.3	1.9	0.7	Yes
Isco	85.6	1.9	N/A	7.17	1.2	2.2	Yes
Thibaut Courtois	47.3	N/A	20	6.82	N/A	N/A	Yes
David De Gea	60.3	N/A	11	6.83	N/A	N/A	Yes
Julian Draxler	81.7	2.1	N/A	7.39	1.4	2.7	Yes
Stephan El Shaarawy	84.2	2.6	N/A	7.16	1	1.1	Maybe
Kevin De Bruyne	76.8	2.7	N/A	7.58	1.5	3	Maybe
M'baye Niang	76.5	1.2	N/A	6.6	1.3	1.2	No
Raheem Sterling	84.1	1.2	N/A	6.77	1.5	1.5	No
Marc-Andre ter Stegen	63	N/A	9	6.86	N/A	N/A	No

I made this list of players that are some of the hottest young commodities I could think of and looked up some key stats that pertain to players and used those stats along with the "eye test" of how well they play when you watch them to determine if they can be considered world class one day.

Players that got a "Yes" in the World Class Potential category did so because they have shown that they can be great players on the biggest stages, and are at a young stage in their careers at which they are still improving. Not only did the players with a "Yes" have pretty good statistics this past season, but during the eye test it was clear these players had what it takes to become truly great.

Players that got a "Maybe" still have some question marks about them. The standout of the two will probably be El Shaarawy. Now I absolutely love El Shaarawy but he fell into the "Maybe" category for reasons mostly due to becoming second fiddle to Mario Balotelli, which raised question marks for me if AC Milan saw something we didn't in that maybe he isn't a viable number 1 option. But instead of dropping him in the "No" category I had to give him a "Maybe" because last summer I saw him play in person against Chelsea in Miami and the kid had a flair and confidence about him that looked like no other on the field.

Lastly we have the players that got a "No" and that doesn't necessarily mean I don't think they will be world class level, but it means at the moment from what I have seen I can't give them a "Maybe" or a "Yes" because their body of work just isn't enough to make that judgement.

So what do you think? Should we weigh the potential of players on stats and the eye test alone? One more than the other? And what do you think of the list? Let me know!

Weekend Recap

This weekend almost solidified the Champions for 3 of the worlds premier leagues.

                                                Barcelona went 12 points clear in La Liga with an easy win.

Barcelona went 12 points clear at the top of La Liga with a 6-1 thrashing of Getafe at Camp Nou. Atletico Madrid took a hit to their second place bid with a 2-1 loss at Rayo Vallecano, while Real Madrid pushed their way to 4 points within Atletico with an easy 4-1 win over Sevilla. There is no question that Barcelona have La Liga wrapped up and that the two Madrid teams will finish 2 and 3, it is just a matter of which Madrid team comes in second.

                                          David Alaba bagged a brace as Bayern Munich tore apart Schalke.

In Germany, Bayern won convincingly over slumping Schalke 4-0 to go 15 points up on second place Borussia Dortmund. Goals from David Alaba (2), Bastian Schweinsteiger, and Mario Gomez carried Bayern. Dortmund lost ground with a 4-1 loss to Hamburg. An early goal by Robert Lewandowski ended up only being a consolation as Hamburg dismantled the reigning champions.

                                           Gareth Barry scores a terrible own goal as City fall to Southampton.

Manchester United were all but gifted the title this weekend by cross town rivals Manchester City. The Red Devils 2-0 win over Everton following a 3-1 defeat of Manchester City by Southampton almost guaranteed a 20th title for United. It was all going wrong early for City, as they went down 2-0 early in the game. Edin Dzeko pulled one back for City, but a terrible Gareth Barry own goal sealed City's fate on Saturday. Meanwhile, Chelsea continued their push for second as they romped Wigan 4-1 at the Bridge. Tottenham kept their bid for 4th place alive with a brace by Gareth Bale, while Arsenal kept right on their heels with a 1-0 win at Sunderland.

                                                      Balotelli scores again for AC Milan to earn a draw.

Juventes pulled a little farther away of second place Napoli in Italy this weekend with a 2-0 win over Fiorentina. Mario Balotelli scored again to earn new club AC Milan a 1-1 draw at Cagliari. Balotelli now has 3 goals in 2 games for the Rossoneri. Inter stay 2 points above their city rivals following a 3-1 win over Chievo Verona. The top 2 teams in Serie A seem set with Juventes and Napoli set to battle it out for first over the next couple games.

                                                             PSG go 6 points clear at the top of Ligue 1.

Paris Saint-Germain pulled 6 points ahead of Lyon in Ligue 1 following a 3-1 win over Bastia. Goals from Menez, Ibrahimovic, and Lavezzi earned PSG all three points. Elsewhere in France, Lyon fell 3-1 to Lille putting a dent in their title hopes. Marseille salvaged a point against Evian Thonon Gaillard to pull within 2 points of Lille for second.


What did you think of this weekends games? Do you think La Liga, the Bundesliga, and the EPL are won already?

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Balotelli Sparkles in Debut

                             New superstar signing Mario Balotelli scored a double for AC Milan in his debut.

Mario Balotelli put on an amazing performance in his return to Serie A, scoring a brace for his new side to lead them past Udinese. Balotelli looked happy and comfortable being back at the San Siro, and that showed in his play.

Linking up effortlessly with Stephan El Shaarawy, Balotelli's first goal was a sensational half volley off of a semi-deflected El Shaarawy cross. It was evident from that point that this new striker combo would be deadly. Udinese did equalize through a goal by Gianpiero Pinzi, but it was evident Milan were the better team.

With only moments left in the game, Balotelli played a through ball to El Shaarawy who was brought down in the box by Udinese defender Thomas Heurtaux. Stepping up to the spot was (who else?) Mario Balotelli. The former Manchester City striker put away the game winner with ease from the spot and secured the Rossoneri 3 points.