While football fans across the world are still patiently waiting for the European league seasons to kick off, the players are hard at work. Those involved in the latter stages of Euro 2016 have jetted off for brief vacations but the rest are sweating it out in different parts of the world, trying to get in the best shape they can for the new season.
For players who haven’t had the best of recent games, this represents a fresh start. The chance to go through the pre-season grind, emerge in top shape and hit the new season running with swagger and confidence. Even the players who have had satisfactory performances the year before, they have to prove themselves all over again, because when the new season starts, all the teams will start from zero points, the table will be level and sky will be the limit.
That I can write the last line not as a cliched statement that just sounds good, but can actually come true with the recent fairytale stories of Leicester City, Wales, Iceland and even Atletico Madrid is a fact that makes it all the more enthralling.
So, let’s take a look at the players for who the pre-season this year is extra important:
Edin Dzeko (Roma)
Edin Dzeko was meant to be the perfect striking solution for the Serie A club. He had amassed an incredible 163 goals in 331 appearances in the Bundesliga and the Premier League (including a lot of appearances in Manchester City as a super-sub) and had the technique and intelligence to thrive in Italy.
Things, however, didn’t go according to plans and he has accumulated a rather embarrassing video collection of missing goals that you would expect a centre-forward of his calibre to bury with ease. 10 goals in 39 appearances for Roma don’t sound as terrible as the criticism he’s drawn, but he should be doing a lot better.
The pre-season is absolutely imperative for him to prove he has a place at the club, and he’s started off in fine style with 4 goals in Roma’s first pre-season game earning praise from Luciano Spalletti, the Roma manager. There’s a long road to go yet, though if he is to remain Roma’s first choice centre forward.
#2 Memphis Depay (Manchester United)
The one thing Jose Mourinho brings to every club he manages (apart from his ego) is a brilliant sense of which players to target when the funds are available. Mkhitaryan, Ibrahimovic, and Bailly are absolutely top drawer signings even for a club of United’s stature. And Mourinho and Woodward are certainly not done yet.
Depay had a promising start to his United career but then faded away. 2 goals in 29 appearances last do not do justice to the Dutchman’s calibre, but United and especially Mourinho are not going to have too much patience in letting him prove his worth. The Red Devils need to get back into the Champions League, and Depay might find himself on the fringes of the team if he doesn’t give his all in pre-season and prove to the new manager he has a lot to contribute.
#3 Riccardo Montolivo (AC Milan)
When Montolivo joined Italian giants AC Milan in 2012 on a free transfer from Fiorentina, the Rossoneri thought they had pulled off a brilliant signing. His initial performances were good, but the way the Italian midfielder’s performances have declined for the 7-time European champions has been startling.
He’s 31 years old, and a midfielder of his characteristics should have a lot of football left in him yet. But his erratic performances and tendency to give the ball away in crucial situations has invited the fury of Milan fans worldwide. An untimely injury that led him to miss large parts of last season, as well as the Euros didn’t help either.
Enter Vincenzo Montella. the manager who just missed out on Montolivo at Fiorentina and will now finally get the chance to manage him. How much Montolivo can impress Montella in pre-season will go a long way in determining if he’s going to retain his place in the Milan eleven, or if the club will look to bring in another midfielder who can play in his position.
#4 Oscar (Chelsea)
It wasn’t too long ago that Oscar was considered one of the jewels of a Chelsea team that was on the rise. Last season turned out to be a terrible one for the London club though, and now they have to fight back for their status in an ultra-competitive league. Oscar seems to have been immensely impressed by Antonio Conte, praised him after their first training session and also said he loved the way Italy played in the Euros.
He’ll be the one who has to really make an impression, though, after a below par season. Oscar has all the characteristics that Conte admires, and there is the feeling they could be a brilliant fit. Oscar will really have to play a stellar pre-season to make sure Conte thinks he is a vital part of the formation he employs.
#5 Samuel Umtiti (Barcelona)
Umtiti hasn’t emerged out of the blue, even though his status of late has been constantly ascending. He’s been one of the most promising defenders around for years, but with his performance in the Euros and a transfer to Barcelona, this represents the highest point of his career by some distance.
But things can change very quickly in football, and when you think that Barcelona have a reputed center back pairing in Mascherano and Pique. And one wonders if Umtiti will have to spend considerable time on the Catalan club's bench. It’ll be vital for him to show that he’s not moved to La Liga for Barcelona’s glitz and is willing to fight for his place in the team.
