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With the season drawing to a close, surprisingly almost every major European league title has already been won. The likes of Bayern, Barca, Manchester United, PSG and Juventus have run away with the league title, and April saw them deliver the final punch to most of their rivals, with Barca and PSG only a week away from certain victory. However, there is still a lot to play for, such as European spots, and many teams are fighting to stay in their respective leagues.
The midfielders have had a big say in their respective side’s fortunes in this decisive month, with arrays of assists, goals, and bone-crunching tackles to back up their clubs. The best midfielders for the month of April are:
Josip Ilicic, Palermo
The Slovenian trequartista has been in fantastic form for a while now, bursting into the type of form that made him a enigma when he was a younger man. Ilicic is tall for a playmaker, but is very light with the ball at his feet and possesses a cracker of a left foot.
The 25-year old has been a constant threat in the final third, and seemed to be the only player that made something happen for relegation-threatened Palermo in their defeat to champions Juventus this week. He failed to score against Juve, something that hadn’t happened in his last five Serie A games. He starred in Palermo’s 1-0 victory over Inter Milan last week, scoring a superb goal and ran the Nerazzurri defence ragged with his all-round play.
Earlier in the month, the Slovenian also earned Palermo a point with a dramatic last-second equalizer against Catania. Palermo are three points from safety, and even if they do survive, clubs will be lining up for Ilicic’s signature this summer, as the playmaker is the best player on current form in the Serie A.
Bastian Schweinsteiger, Bayern Munich
One of the architects of Bayern Munich’s Champions League decimations of Juventus and Barcelona, Schweinsteiger was in imperious form throughout the month of April. Stamping his authority on the Catalans, along with Javi Martinez, the German decimated the midfield axis of Xavi and Iniesta. He managed to completely neutralize Xavi’s threat over two legs, and Pirlo’s threat over two legs, something that very few men are capable of.
He even scored an audacious backheel goal against Eintracht Frankfurt that secured the Bundesliga title for the Bavarians, and has quite possibly been one of the best players for Die Roten this season, eager to prove his critics wrong after the runners-up fest of 2011-12.
The explosive German made Juve and Barca looked almost childish, such was the effect of his dominance. It’s going to take something special from Borussia Dortmund to stop his man on May 25th, 2013.
Gareth Bale, Tottenham Hotspur
The Welshman is on a roll this season for Spurs, and he was in imperious form in April, as Spurs chased the Champions League spots. The Welsh wizard has been inspiring Tottenham to victories single-handedly. He played a massive role in the 3-1 victory over Manchester City, assisting for Dempsey’s goal and scoring one of his own, all while appearing to be less than fully fit.
He was sorely missed in the clash against Everton, and after his goal against Swansea early in the month, he became the first Spurs player to score more than 12 away goals in a Premier League season. Breaking records is something that he is well accustomed to by now, and we are more than likely to see him smash more records to smithereens in the coming seasons.
Patrick Ebert, Real Valladolid
The 26-year-old German winger has never been particularly impressive in his career, and was even released by Hertha Berlin last season. However, this year, the winger has been playing extremely well, and is rumoured to be a summer target for 3rd placed Atletico Madrid.
The winger has setup numerous goals this season for Valladolid, and has been involved in almost all of their good play. He scored a wonderful goal against Granada away from home to secure a crucial point for his side, after a period on the sidelines. His form is one of the main reasons why Valladolid aren’t closer to the relegation zone than they currently are.
He also beautifully setup Javi Guerra’s goal in the 1-1 draw with Sevilla on April 28th, and was unlucky not to seal a victory for his side. Assists and goals aren’t the only aspects of this lesser known player, as he is always moving, and looks extremely likely to create havoc every time he gets the ball at his feet.
Ilkay Gundogan, Borussia Dortmund
With all the frenzy over Mario Goetze’s transfer to Bayern Munich, Gundogan’s name has barely come into discussion while discussing Dortmund’s heroics in the Champions League this season.
The Turkish-born central attacking midfielder was an absolute beast in Dortmund’s semi-final victory over Real Madrid. His excellent range of passing, smart use of the ball, and ability to initiate Dortmund’s attacks made the 22-year old stand out. He came close to scoring in both legs against the Spanish giants, but was unlucky to be denied. The Madrid defence literally had no answer when he was on song, and in the first leg he nearly scored an incredible goal after going through two players, only to be denied by Diego Lopez.
In the second leg, he did exceptionally well to bring Dortmund into the game after Madrid dominated the opening exchanges, and he regularly skinned the defence.
Gundogan was also spectacular against Malaga early on in the month, as once he again he served as Dortmund’s pivot, and maintained the momentum for his side. He was unlucky to be taken off before Dortmund’s spectacular comeback.
