Talent Scout: Eredivisie

As a country of only 16 million inhabitants, the Netherlands has had to continuously churn out prospects to punch above its weight. Clubs like Ajax, Feyenoord and PSV are renowned across the world for their youth systems and these clubs and others are the reason why the Dutch team is so successful.


Furthermore, the Eredivisie is seen as a stepping stone onto the bigger European leagues for foreign players, and greats such as Ronaldo, Romario and Zlatan Ibrahimović (footballing 'great' may be a bit too flattering to Zlatan) have played in the Netherlands. 


The best young footballer plying his trade in the Eredivisie today is Christian Eriksen of Ajax, a playmaker possessing a delicate touch of the ball which coupled with spontaneous creativity could make him Denmark's best ever player, possibly better even than Michael Laudrup. Surely to progress his career he would need to leave Ajax in a couple of years time to one of the top four leagues like many before him have done. 


This blog, however, will explore the slightly lesser-known burgeoning talents of the Eredivisie, featuring Zakaria Labyad, Adam Maher, Lorenzo Ebecilio and Nicolai Boilesen.


Zakaria Labyad: PSV Eindhoven

Name: Zakaria Labyad

D.O.B.: 09/04/1993

Age: 18

P.O.B.: Utrecht, Netherlands

Position: Right Winger, Attacking Midfielder

Club: PSV Eindhoven

Nationality: Morocco (eligible for the Netherlands)

Previous Clubs: None


Zakaria Labyad names Ibrahim Afellay as one of his role models, and it's not difficult to see why. Both of them were born in Utrecht to Moroccan parents, started their careers at PSV and play at the right wing position. Labyad is not, however, a clone made by PSV to resurrect their club as his style of play differs from Affelay's. The Barcelona star is more explosive than Labyad, who is less direct and more crafty. 


The young winger has a long future at the Boeren and Rutten is using him more and more. His international future is less certain, as he has represented the Netherlands at the 2009 U-17 World Cup but this year played for Morocco U-23 in a friendly versus Mozambique. Whichever national team he plays for will be pleased as Labyad can both score and create chances for his team.


Stengths:

• He exhibits good vision and passing abilities to suggest that he may have a future in the centre of midfield.
• He has precise, close, dribbling skills, similar to Juan Manuel Iturbe, as it is difficult to tackle him without fouling.
• Labyad has decent pace and can beat the defender using it.
• His finishing ability is better than average for a winger, which would be better employed on the left wing with him cutting in onto his right.

Weaknesses:

• His crossing ability needs to be refined to diversify his game.
• He needs to get a bit stronger to evade challenges from defenders.

Verdict: Ability - 6/10; Potential - 8.5/10

Adam Maher: AZ Alkmaar

Name: Adam Maher

D.O.B.: 20/07/1993

Age: 18

P.O.B.: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Position: Attacking Midfielder, Central Midfielder

Club: AZ Alkmaar

Nationality: Netherlands (elegible for Morocco)

Previous Clubs: None


Another talented Dutch Moroccan, Adam Maher has emerged as a first team member of AZ's squad, scoring 3 goals and providing 4 assists in 12 appearances for the team this season. The midfielder is a rough diamond, as his passing skills and technique are indicators of his great talent, but there are still facets of his game he needs to improve. Despite his inexperience, Maher shows tremendous composure on the ball, as exhibited in his assist for Jozy Altidore against PSV earlier this season.


Maher has found life relatively comfortable so far in the Eredivisie, but he has to work hard to keep his place in AZ and he must learn from his older teammates at the club. Similar to Labyad, Maher is eligible for both Morocco and the Netherlands, who he also played for in the 2009 U-17 World Cup.


Strengths:

• Maher has great vision and dictates the attack well.
• His passing ability is exquisite for his age and he retains possession well, while also creating chances.
• His skillful first touch gives him time to pick out a pass.

Weaknesses:

• Maher isn't as fast as other players and will need to develop his dribbling skills to get past defenders.
• His positioning is questionable although this is something that will probably come with experience.

Verdict: Ability - 5.5/10; Potential - 8.5/10

Lorenzo Ebecilio: Ajax Amsterdam

Name: Lorenzo Ebecilio

D.O.B.: 24/09/1991

Age: 20

P.O.B.: Hoorn, Netherlands

Position: Left Winger

Club: Ajax Amsterdam

Nationality: Netherlands

Previous Clubs: HVV Hollandia (Youth), AZ Alkmaar (Youth)


Brother of Arsenal's Kyle Ebecilio, Lorenzo is a fast paced winger who helped Ajax to their league title last year. Playing in 16 Eredivisie matches last season, Ebecilio has not been used as much this season following the arrival of singing Derk Boerrigter. Despite this, Ebecilio still remains an exciting prospect due to his agility and trickery down the left flank.

When he was 14, Ebecilio suffered a heart-attack and as a result had to leave AZ Alkmaar. After a successful surgery which implanted a heart defibrillator, Ebecillio was cleared to play again and signed for Ajax's youth team.

Strengths:

• Ebecilio is very agile and will test defender's balance as he darts from side to side on the wing.
• His acceleration will be valuable for clubs that use the counter attack as his position on the wing will result in him having lots of space to run in.
• Ebecilio also has a bag of tricks to unload on opponents, aiding him when he has to get out of tight situations.
• His movement off the ball will create space for himself and for others.

Weaknesses:

• He needs to work on his finishing although if he continues to play on the left he would need to improve on his crossing.
• His decision making is questionable and he needs to be more productive in the build up play.

Verdict: Ability - 6/10; Potential - 8/10

Nicolai Boilesen: Ajax Amsterdam

Name: Nicolai Boilesen

D.O.B.: 16/02/1992

Age: 19

P.O.B.: Ballerup, Denmark

Position: Left Back

Club: Ajax Amsterdam

Nationality: Denmark

Previous Clubs: Brondby (Youth)


While Christian Eriksen may be the more famous Dane in Amsterdam, Boilesen is another player that will set the hearts racing of the Danish FA. If there was one word to describe Boilesen, it would be 'efficient'. He is efficient in his passing, tackling and runs, rarely making a mistake. His attacking play does not, however, set the hearts racing of casual football fans and he does need to improve his technique. That said, he still remains an intriguing footballer.


Strengths:

• Boilesen is a fast player, meaning he can catch up to attackers on the wing and join up with counter attacks.
• Boilesen takes long strides while running, and these long legs help him tackle cleanly and gain possession of the ball.
• Boilesen is a very effective passer for a full back and can retain possession for his team.

Weaknesses:

• When his team loses possession, Boilesen needs to maintain his focus and position himself correctly to stop any counter attacks.
• Boilesen's crossing ability needs to improve as a world-class full back can send in dangerous crosses from deep.

Verdict: Ability - 6/10; Potential - 8.5/10

Talent Scout: Ander Herrera

Athletic Bilbao have always had a problem when it comes to signing players. Their Basque-only rule has significantly reduced their talent pool in comparison with other clubs; even Real Sociedad abandoned their cantera policy in 1989 by signing John Aldridge.


How glad the Athletic administration must have been when they witnessed the flowering of a young, Basque footballer in La Liga, as in front of them lay a talented midfielder who they could snap up. Athletic seized their chance this January, signing Ander Herrera for an initial fee of €8.5 million to help their push towards the glistening, luxurious and profitable world of the Champions League.

Name: Ander Herrera Agüera

D.O.B.: 14/08/1989

Age: 21

P.O.B.: Bilbao, Spain

Position: Central Midfielder, Attacking Midfielder

Club: Athletic Club

National Team: Spain

Previous Clubs: Real Zaragoza

It seems somewhat fitting that Ander Herrera would sign for Athletic Bilbao. It was, after all, his local team. And Ander would also play with other young talents at Athletic such as Iker Muniain, 'the next Messi', and Javi Martínez, the driving force of the side and a player who featured in the World Cup winning Spain side.

Ander would also add something different to his new side, as Athletic play a physical style of football which is ever present throughout Northern Spain. 

Sure, Athletic aren't as physical as some (actually a lot of) Premier League sides, but compared to clubs such as Barcelona and Villarreal who love to spend time on the ball they rely more on pace and strength. 

Ander Herrera would be an exception to that rule despite being 5'11. His main style of play is technical and he possesses a feel for the ball that is reminiscent of Iniesta. Ander also plays like his senior Spanish counterpart, as his main game is creating chances and providing assists, as Ander has vision on the ball which would be hard matched anywhere, even in Spain. Hence, Ander can play through balls, splitting the defence, to allow a striker through on goal.

This would benefit him in Athletic as Gazika Toquero would run after every ball played to him and Iker Muniain can use his pace and skill to cut in from the left to receive an Ander through-ball. 

Along with his passing ability, Ander is comfortable on the ball and can dribble past players displaying close control and a splendid first touch. Don't, however, expect any Messi-like dribbles to goal as his speed and ability to beat his man isn't sufficient enough to do that and most drives through the centre would be left to Javi Martínez.

One problem for Ander would be whether he would be able to force his way into the Athletic side. The Basque club are currently fifth in the table and are doing well, so they wouldn't want to change too much. Furthermore, Joaquín Caparrós currently employs a 4-4-2 with Martínez and Gurpegi at Centre-mid with the latter playing as an anchorman. Ander won't be able to oust Martínez from his role and he won't be able to replace Gurpegui as Ander can't play as a holding midfielder. Hence, putting Ander in the side would either place him out of position or change the system. Another suggestion would be to play Ander in Martínez's current role and moving Martínez to holding midfielder, but that would be a waste of Martínez's talent. The only viable option of accommodating Ander in the team would be to change the formation, possibly to a 4-5-1, which would mean disrupting Athletic's successful system. 

Strengths:

• Has a vision of a hawk to pick apart opposition's defenses and create chances
• Can control the tempo of the game so he can suit various tactical systems
• As he is 5'11, Ander can shield and protect the ball away from the opposition
• Despite his main focus of creating chances, Ander can also finish them as well

Weaknesses:

•  Lack of speed and stamina means he cannot patrol the midfield and close down other players
• Defensive problems means he can be a viability for a team trying to close down a game

Verdict: 

A player who is very comfortable on the ball, Ander Herrera should become one of the best midfielders in the La Liga one day

Ability: 6.5/10

Potential: 8.5/10

Talent Scout: Genk's New Superstars

Trailing champions Anderlecht by three points more than halfway through the season, Genk have been a bit of a success story. Two players who Genk can thank for this lofty position are Jelle Vossen, a penalty box predator, and Kevin De Bruyne, a skillfull winger. These two players are only 21 and 19 years old respectively and are part of a magnificent generation of Belgian footballers, who include Maroune Fellaini, Alex Witsel and Steven Defour. So how good are they?

Jelle Vossen

Name: Jelle Vossen
D.O.B.: 22/03/1989
Age: 21
P.O.B.: Bilzen, Belgium
Position: Striker, Second Striker
Club: Racing Genk
National Team: Belgium
Previous Clubs: Cercle Brugge (Loan)

After Romelu Lukaku's 15 goal haul last year, Belgium has found another young potential top-scorer in Jelle Vossen. Vossen, however has already beaten the burly striker in terms of goals in the season; Vossen is currently on 16 goals for the season with only 23 games played, one more than Lukaku achieved for the whole season. The Bilzen native also differs from Lukaku in playing style. While Lukaku is a targetman, holding the ball up for others and is as strong as raging bull, Vossen is slender in physique and relies more on predatory instinct and speed rather than strength. Vossen is also more of a natural finisher than Lukaku, but at 17, Lukaku has the raw potential to become a world-class player.

A talented player, Vossen's career potential really began to show when he played for Cercle Brugge on loan from Genk. At Cercle, he scored 6 goals in 11 games, helping them to the Belgian Cup Final. This season Vossen started playing regularly for Genk and rewarded coach François Vercauteren's faith in him with 14 goals in 11 matches. His best performance of the season was when he scored two goals in Genk's Europa League clash with Porto. His first was a quick finish inside the area and his second a glancing header. Vossen's performance in that game, however, was eclipsed by a great Hulk hat-trick and a long range Fernando strike, ensuring Porto took all three points home. The young Belgian missed three league games through injury, making his scoring record all the more remarkable.

Strengths:

• Great off-the ball movement inside the area allows him to find space to score
• The ability to finish in the corner of the net regularly makes it difficult for the opposition goalkeeper to stop it going in
• Being fast, Vossen can outpace a defender in counter-attack situations
• Confident header off the ball

Weaknesses:

•  Has a limited passing range, which is a problem for when he plays in his second striker role as he cannot create chances for others
• Lack of physical strenght means he cannot tussle with defenders and hold the ball up

Verdict: 

If Jelle Vossen can stay clear of injuries and continue his scintilating form, he could become a very good poacher in the future.


Ability: 6/10
Potential: 8/10




Kevin De Bruyne:

Name: Kevin De Bruyne
D.O.B.: 28/06/1991
Age:19
P.O.B.: Drongen, Belgium
Position: Winger, Attacking Midfielder

Club: Racing Genk

National Team: Belgium
Previous Clubs: None

When a big club like Chelsea are after you, you know you're something special. And De Bruyne is a special player. A technically gifted footballer, De Bruyne is blessed with close control and great dribbling skills and has put them to good use with Genk this season. The young Belgian is following an increasing trend of putting wingers on the opposite flank, so De Bruyne is often found cutting in from the left flank onto his strong right foot. He also possesses a thundering shot, which has led him to score several screamers for Genk already at his young age. 


De Bruyne's breakthrough season was last year, where he played 25 games for Genk, ten of which were starts. He also featured in Europa League qualification for them. This year, however, De Bruyne has started in 13 league games and contributed six assists and four goals for Genk. Seen by many as the successor of Defour for Genk, De Bruyne has electrified the Belgian Jupiler League with his displays and has hence been linked to clubs such as Chelsea and Bayern Munich.

Strengths:

• De Bruyne's great dribbling ability, coupled with his sublime first touch, leaves him able to beat defenders and get a shot or cross in
• A great long range shooting ability will provide him with plenty of goals
• A good cross gives him plenty of options when on the wing
• Can create chances with through balls

Weaknesses:

•  Lack of maturity means De Bruyne will often make wrong decisions and shoot when a pass is on
• Hasn't got a great positional sense which will leave Genk or any team he is playing to exploit the space vacated by him

Verdict:
 
The weaknesses above are due to a lack of experience, hopefully he will sort them out when he is older. De Bruyne has great potential, but he needs to work hard to achieve it.


Ability: 5.5/10
Potential: 8.5/10

Talent Scout: Gylfi Sigurðsson

In the first of a new series, I will be profiling the latest 'wonderkids' in European football and rating the stars of tomorrow. Up first: Gylfi Sigurðsson

Gylfi Sigurðsson

Name: Gylfi Þór Sigurðsson

D.O.B.: 09/09/1989

Age: 21

P.O.B.: Reykjavík 

National Team: Iceland

Position: Central Midfielder/Attacking Midfielder

Club: TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (Germany)

Games (Goals) this season: 10 (5)

Previous Clubs: FH (Iceland, Youth), Breiðablik (Iceland, Youth), Reading (England), Shrewsbury Town (England, Loan), Crewe Alexandra (England, Loan)

Gylfi Sigurðsson will be a familiar name to football fans in England. He was part of the Reading team which had that remarkable FA Cup run last year, beating clubs such as Liverpool and West Bromwich Albion on their way to the quarter finals. Sigurðsson established himself in the middle of Reading's midfield and contributed with 16 goals in 32 games. He also proved to be a set-piece specialist, converting many penalties and thundering in free-kicks for the Berkshire side. Much to the disappointment of Reading's fans, however, Sigurðsson was tracked by scouts from bigger teams across Europe and eventually left at the end of August to the Bundesliga.

Sigurðsson joined Hoffenheim on the the last day of the summer transfer window for £6 million. The Bundesliga club must be credited for their successful scouting policy, unearthing talented young players such as Chinedu Obasi, Carlos Eduardo and Isaac Vorsah from all over the globe in the aim to consolidate and build on their position in the Bundesliga. Their relatively low reputation, owing to their lack of significant footballing history, has left them looking for young players from smaller nations. Sigurðsson has adapted fairly well to life in Baden-Württemberg, scoring goals against Hannover, Mainz and Kaiserslautern. Despite a goal record of one goal every two games, however,  three of these have come from set-pieces and he hasn't established himself in Hoffenheim's first team. Furthermore, not all young players who joined Hoffenheim have been successful, such as the Finn Jukka Raitala, who has only played one game for them since joining last January.


Iceland boast a talented generation of players coming through their youth system, with their U-21 team qualifying for the next European U-21 Championship, the first major tournament in the country's history. Along with Sigurðsson, that team contains Coventry's Aron Gunnarsson, Odense's Rúrik Gíslason and AZ's Kolbeinn Sigþórsson, all of which have played for the senior Icelandic side and look a good bet of finally condemning the reliance of the national team on Eiður Guðjohnsen . Sigurðsson has played an active role in that success, scoring twice against Scotland with long range strikes in a qualifier.


Sigurðsson's main attributes include his free-kick taking, his passing and his long range strikes. He is technically astute but for a central midfielder he could improve on his defensive skills to become a world-class player.


A very good video compilation on Sigurðsson