Top 10 players to look out for in mid-week friendly matches – Part 1
As League Club Football comes to a temporary halt, international friendly matches are set to take the spot-light in mid-week as the scheduled friendly matches take place. International football has blown hot and cold since the Fédération Internationale de
Football Association World Cup 2010 came to an end in July. Yes, the European Championship 2012 qualification rounds have taken place since then but genuine competition has been absent from the international arena of football, as players have now shifted their
focus towards domestic leagues.
Expectedly, League football draws more endorsements and sponsorships, therefore competitions such as the Union of European Football Association Champions League are bound to be more exciting and crowd engaging. The Champions League might be a sight to savour
in its own right, but taking the field for ones’ country seldom plays second fiddle to anything else.
International football is uniquely respected on other grounds as the passion that the players show when they compete against the finest players that other nations have at their disposal. Similarly, it is also a good specific for football nerds who drool
at the sight of tactical battles. Let’s take a look at what the mid-week matches have to offer in terms of talent, as the players embrace their national colours.
10. Rafael Da Silva
The Brazilian right-back has been called up by Brazil’s new coach Mano Menezes for the second time. In August of 2010, Rafael was called up to the Brazilian national team by Mano for the first time as Brazil played U.S.A in a friendly match-up. Although
Rafael was present on the bench for the five time World Champions, he was not introduced into the match by Mano. Rafael has had a bright career with Manchester United thus far. In reality, the young wing-back has been termed as overly aggressive in his tackles,
but experts have already suggested that Rafael has the capability to take up the spot that has been under Maicon Sisenando’s shadow since 2008.
With the 2014 World Cup coming up in Brazil, Mano will be looking for young talent such as Rafael Da Silva. Manchester United has refined the wing-back to a large extent, but Rafael is still naive in some aspects of the game. Last season, Rafael was shown
a red card for a bad tackle on Franck Ribery in Manchester United’s UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie against Bayern Munich. After the match, the Old Trafford faithful blamed Rafael for United’s exit from the UEFA Champions League.
Rafael will face competition from http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Dani-Alves-c9869 for the right-back spot, but Alves will be around 30 years old when the FIFA World Cup 2014 comes about. Rafael is the man to watch for Brazil, not only in the mid-week encounter against France but also in the
longer term in light of the World Cup.
9. Gael Clichy
After France’s humiliating exit from the FIFA World Cup 2010, there is a rebuilding job going on at the Les Blues camp. France does not have a shortage of left backs, from http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Patrice-Evra-c29231. The French team are equipped with gifted full-backs
who possess defensive competency and offensive flair. Gael Clichy is one such player, the Arsenal left- back is an ideal athlete for the French national team. Laurent Blanc, the French national team Manager has already snubbed Patrice Evra from his 23-man-squad
which is set to take on Brazil, thus Clichy is destined to start for the French against the South American side.
The only reason to worry will be Clichy’s form of late. The speedy wing-back excelled at Arsenal after the departure of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786, but since then his progress has been slowed by injuries. Not only that, Clichy has sometimes been at fault for
senile defensive mistakes in Arsenal’s back line.
The full back has been blamed for losing focus when his team is under attack by the opposition. If anyone can correct the defects in Clichy’s defensive game, it is Blanc himself. The French Manager plied his trade for Manchester United but before that he
won the 1998 World Cup with http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Brazil-c2858 is a tough opponent, but Clichy is well capable of coping with the pressure of international football.
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