{"id":4333,"date":"2012-06-05T08:10:12","date_gmt":"2012-06-05T07:10:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.elysium-uk.com\/site\/?p=4333"},"modified":"2012-06-04T18:12:53","modified_gmt":"2012-06-04T17:12:53","slug":"talent-spotter-the-stars-tipped-for-euro-2012","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.elysium-uk.com\/site\/achieve\/talent-spotter-the-stars-tipped-for-euro-2012\/","title":{"rendered":"Talent Spotter \u2013 The Stars Tipped For Euro 2012"},"content":{"rendered":"

This week the biggest international competition in European football kicks off. Yes, the European Championships 2012 in Poland and Ukraine provides the football fan with three weeks of action, seeing him through a part of the summer that can only be described as lonesome for a footy fan devoid of any football. Elysium has sent its scouts far and wide to uncover our pick of the mercurial talents that will light up the stadiums, and your TV screens, this June.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"Russia<\/strong> \u2013 Alan Dzagoev, Attacking Midfielder (CSKA <\/strong>Moscow<\/strong>)<\/strong><\/p>\n

An attacker able to play across the front line, or behind a main striker. Dzagoev has blinding speed and excellent quality of the ball. He\u2019ll probably line up on the opposite flank to Arshavin, but he\u2019s known to come inside where he\u2019ll try to dictate play with a keen creative eye. Retaining possession is his game to don\u2019t expect to see Dzagoev give the ball away much. Russia\u2019s key to doing well in this tournament.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"Denmark<\/strong> \u2013 Christen Eriksen, Central Midfielder (<\/strong>Ajax<\/strong>)<\/strong><\/p>\n

We could be witnessing the development of a central midfield colossus in Eriksen, and at just 20 years old he\u2019s only going to get better. The dynamic Eriksen has been bossing the Ajax midfield over the last few seasons, and should he have a good tournament, his days at the Dutch champions look numbered. A box-to-box performer with a great eye for a pass and also the goal too. The Danes will be looking to Eriksen for leadership and craft as they look to navigate through a very tough Group B.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"Germany<\/strong> \u2013 Mario G\u00f6tze, Attacking Midfielder (Borussia Dortmund)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Huge things are expected of this 19 year old whiz kid. G\u00f6tze is another immensely talented attacker from the German talent production line that already includes team mates such as Mesut \u00d6zil, Toni Kroos, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thomas Muller and Andr\u00e9\u00a0Sch\u00fcrrle. Leading Dortmund to domestic glory this season provides the ideal platform for G\u00f6tze to announce his mercurial talents on the world stage. Look out for his skill on the ball, instinctive movement similar to Zidane or Scholes, with creativity and flair in abundance.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"Italy<\/strong> \u2013 Claudio Marchisio, Central Midfielder (Juventus)<\/strong><\/p>\n

The central midfielder has been instrumental in Juventus\u2019 glory on the domestic front, and at the age of 26 Marchisio is heading into the prime years of his career. A versatile midfielder with a strong engine and enough guile to steer a few key passes \u2013 he\u2019ll be one the players the Azzurri will look to with tough games to come in Group C.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"Spain<\/strong> \u2013 Fernando Llorente, Striker (Athletic <\/strong>Bilbao<\/strong>)<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Spanish squad is bursting with talent so who can you choose? Well, in the man nicked named El Rey Le\u00f3n (The Lion King), Llorente is a hugely prolific striker who never needs a second invitation to bury a chance. A physical presence but very comfortable with the ball on the deck, he\u2019s able to link up the sublime play from the Spanish midfield, then moments later finish off the play with a clinical goal. With no David Villa in the squad due to injury and a Fernando Torres still looking to recapture the form of a few seasons ago, Llorente may well be man Del Bosque puts his faith in as the Spanish defend their Euro crown.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Sweden<\/strong> \u2013 Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Striker (AC Milan)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many of you will already know about the enigma that is Ibrahimovic. He\u2019s been hyped up ahead of many past tournaments on the domestic and international stage yet he rarely shines. However Elysium thinks this could be his moment. Yes, he\u2019s temperamental and arrogant, but also hugely talented and able to turn a game with his exquisite skill (defying his \u2018big front man\u2019 tag) when he\u2019s in the mood. He\u2019s also prone to some great soundbites in his assessment of opponents and performances, so he\u2019ll entertain on & off the pitch.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"France \u2013 Yann M\u2019Vila, Defensive Midfielder (<\/strong>Rennes<\/strong>)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Displaying a maturity beyond his mere 21 years, M\u2019Vila has been a crucial component in Laurent Blanc\u2019s Les Bleus. In similar style to Didier Deschamps in his pomp, M\u2019Vila will patrol between the defence and midfield. M\u2019Vila\u2019s passes are often the platform for France to attack using the speed and skill of Benzema or Ribery. Arsenal fans will have a long look at M\u2019Vila as rumours circulate of a done-deal to secure his services at the Emirates next season.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"England<\/strong> – Ashley Young, Winger (<\/strong>Manchester<\/strong> United)<\/strong><\/p>\n

The wide man enjoyed an overall steady first season with his club after a sensational start. The tricky winger has been integral to England’s attacking moves, while his eye for goal has seen him snatch a few in recent games. Dependent of how Roy Hodgson deploys Young \u2013 behind a main striker or out on either wings \u2013 Young has the talent to shine on the European stage. He could be England\u2019s main man with Wayne Rooney suspended for the first two games in Group D. Elysium predicts he\u2019ll take his chance to showcase his skills on the grand stage.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Agree with our choices, you reckon we’ve missed off someone else set to cause ripples in the football world this summer? Tell us via Twitter<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With Euro 2012 kicking off this week, Elysium Magazine thought to pick out our top eight stars for the tournament. Some you might know already, others you won’t. The most important thing is, after the next three weeks of football action, you’ll know all of them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":8891,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[274,275],"tags":[770,766,767,772,335,773,336,680,769,764,774,763,765,768,771],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t