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With the Champions League group stage complete and the last-16 knock-out round on the horizon, we now have a chance to have look back at the first six games of Europe’s elite club competition.
As ever, this season’s tournament has provided hours of excitement for fans across the continent .
The Champions League provides the perfect stage for young players to make a big name for themselves and already this term we have witnessed some fantastic performances from a number of fledgling stars. Squawka looks at the best of those from the 2013/14 group stage.
5. Phil Jones (Manchester United) – 191 points
Despite their poor domestic form, Manchester United have not disappointed with their Champions League performance, topping group A with 14 points.
Phil Jones’ goal two weeks ago was enough to guide United safely through the competition’s group phase, with a 1-0 victory over Ukrainian outfit Shakhtar Donetsk. His displays throughout have seen him lauded as the Red Devil’s go-to-man.
The 21-year-old has been utilised as a midfielder in his five appearances and his selection is in this position has been a key factor behind the team’s success, particularly in defensive terms.
With just one goal conceded during his time on the pitch, Jones’ role in front of the back four is vital for United in order to shut out the opposition attack. This season he has averaged eight defensive actions per match, with 23 clearances, 12 interceptions, three blocks and two tackles to his name.
The Englishman has previously been tipped by former boss Sir Alex Ferguson as the future captain of Manchester United and in Europe this season he has certainly started to show real signs of his obvious potential.
4. Mario Gotze (Bayern Munich) – 275 points
Mario Gotze was unlucky enough to miss out on last season’s Champions League final as his ex-club Borussia Dortmund fell to defeat against his current team, Bayern Munich. However, the German midfielder may strike lucky as this season a second successive final could well be on the cards, especially if he continues to assist his side with his fantastic form.
Gotze is one of many match winners at Bayern and having scored three times in Europe this season he is also the club’s joint top scorer. With a shot accuracy of 100% and a conversion rate of 50% the 21-year-old clearly has a deadly eye for goal.
As well as scoring goals, Gotze has provided a continuous creative threat. With nine key passes, one of which earned him a goal assist. His playmaking performance versus Viktoria Plzen particularly impressed. In this match he created four chances having been on the pitch for just 28 minutes.
His summer transfer free seems much smaller when you start to consider the quality he is already showing for the club. With a combined Performance Score of 275 points, he has collected two Man of the Match awards from just five appearances.
It must be noted that he is yet to play a full 90 minutes in the Champions League this season but, throughout the group stages, his time on the pitch has been increasing. I am expecting to see much more of Gotze throughout the remainder of the competition and, with this in mind, Arsenal fans should be particularly concerned.
3. Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain) – 278 points
Marquinhos joined Paris Saint-German during the summer transfer window and his transition from Roma to the French capital has been seamless, having featured in all six of the club’s Champions League fixtures.
In his European debut for the French outfit he scored the last goal in a 4-1 win versus Olympiakos. His record of two goals from two shots (100% conversion rate) is a hard feat for a striker, let alone a central defender.
Despite his prowess in the penalty area, Marquinhos’ defensive contribution has not been lacking and the Brazilian has completed 73% of his attempted tackles, whilst weighing in with four blocks, 32 clearances and nine interceptions. He has even won 65% of his attempted headers and accomplished 93% of his passes.
As it stands, his performances cannot be faulted and already PSG are reaping the benefits of their summer investment. With the two Brazilians – Thiago Silva and Marquinhos – dominating at the back, PSG are right among the contenders to win this season’s competition.
2) David Alaba (Bayern Munich) – 306 points
The Bayern Munich left-back has had an outstanding showing for the German club this season, in both Europe and the Bundesliga. With a Performance Score of 306 points he is currently the third best youngster in the competition as well as the second highest ranked defender, behind Barcelona’s Gerard Pique.
At the age of 21, Alaba already has one Champions League medal to his name and this campaign he could well earn a second. The Austrian is quickly becoming one of the best full back in the world and his performances in Europe support this notion.
The defender has already netted twice in this competition with a chance conversion rate of 28.6% and, on top of this, he has completed 91% of his passes and contributed with an average of four defensive actions per match.
Alaba has recently signed a new contract with Bayern agreeing a deal that should keep him at the club for another four seasons. His two Champions League Man of the Match awards are testament to his rising profile and the Bundesliga outfit are lucky to have yet another world-class talent among their ranks.
1. Neymar (Barcelona) – 355 points
Neymar hit the high notes in Barcelona’s final group stage fixture with a hat-trick and an assist against Celtic. In his previous five European appearances had failed to find success in front of goal, but this statistic should not tarnish the impact he has made since joining the Catalan giants.
In fact, behind just Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Neymar is currently the third-highest performing forward in the competition. He is even ranked higher than Lionel Messi and the likes of Wayne Rooney and Sergio Aguero.
At just 21-years-of-age, the Brazilian has a huge reputation to live up to ever since his talent was first unveiled whilst playing for Santos in South America. His huge money summer move to La Liga has only heightened these expectations. But so far, he has made a fantastic start to life at the Camp Nou.
In the Champions League, Neymar has scooped two Man of the Match awards whilst creating nine chances for his team-mates and, true to Barca fashion, he has registered an impressive average pass accuracy of 87%.
With a Performance Score of 355, he is currently the highest rated Champions League youngster and, although his display against Celtic is the major reason behind this, fans will be hoping has found his European scoring form just in time for the club’s double-legged tie versus Manchester City.
