With the 20th installment of the FIFA World Cup fast approaching, Brazil looks set to be the stage for the greatest show on Earth. I'd like to take the opportunity to enlighten your minds with a selection of Bundesliga players who I feel will most certainly play their part in the show, and a few who may get stagefright.
Mario Götze:
The 2014 World Cup represents a massive opportunity for 22 year old German Götze to stamp his authority on the international stage once and for all. With 15 goals and 13 assists this season at Bayern Munich, it has been a successful season for the young attaking midfielder, although it is reported that he may have issues with starting just 29 games with the Bavarians last season. Götze is quoted saying, "Of course I am not happy (with first-team action), but I will continue to work hard and fight for a place in the first XI. I hope I am able to regain the trust of the manager and play regularly from the start."
Under Joachim Löw, Götze has made 28 international appearances, scoring 7 goals in the process. In a recent friendly with Cameroon, he was deployed as a "False 9" in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Essentially, the "False 9", to those who don't know of it, is generally a player who isn't a pure striker as defined in the past. This player will drop deep into the field to be a part of or start the attack. When doing that, opponents / defenders will follow him and leave more space to players from the 2nd line to threaten the goal.
The "False 9" usually has great finishing, a very high level of vision on the pitch, and good dribbling and passing, traits commonly associated with Götze. Whether he, and Die Mannschaft live up to expectation may be down to how well the young attacker copes with the pressure of performing on the world stage, but after the last 2 seasons he's had, there's no reason why he and Germany can't mount a momentous charge at World Cup glory.
Josep Drmić:
Another man desperate to prove himself on the big stage is Bayer Leverkusen's new Swiss signing, Josip Drmić. After attempting to almost single handedly revive his Nurnberg side's season, (they were eventually relegated by 1 point) Drmić headed for greener pastures, completing a move to Bayer for a fee reported to be in the region of £5.7 million. 17 goals and 3 assists in 33 Bundesliga appearances shows just how much of a force he is to be reckoned with.
Drmić has also seized the opportunities that have come his way under Ottmar Hitzfield's Swiss international side, scoring 3 goals in 7 games and cementing the number 9 spot as his own for the World Cup. As part of a Swiss side which many see as potential dark horses in the World Cup, Drmić will be no doubt relishing the opportunity of taking on the international scene as part of a vibrant Swiss side.
A rotational forward, who can play out wide as well as up top alone, where he is likely to feature for the Swiss, the world is the oyster of the 21 year old attacker, and it will be fascinating to see how he develops over the course of not only the World Cup, but Champions League football with Bayer next season.
Xherdan Shaqiri:
Along with Drmić, fellow Swiss superstar Xherdan Shaqiri is looking to take the World Cup by storm. The 22 year old winger has had limited opportunities at Bayern Munich this season, starting just 10 games as well as making 10 substitute appearances. Despite this, he has managed 6 goals and 2 assists, although he has made it fully clear that he wants out. Shaqiri is quoted as saying (in relation to a transfer move), "We'll see. I'm not going to go through another year like this. If not much changes, then I will have to change something. I am only disappointed because I have played less. I am young and need to develop myself. I want to play in the big games from the beginning, and not just in the league when everything is already clear. I want to play at a top club as the Champions League is important to me. We will see what happens but I want to fulfill my contract."
It is clear that Shaqiri's time at Bayern may well be drawing to a close, with Liverpool potential suitors. The left footed man often plays as an inverted winger, (i.e. He plays on the right hand side so that he can cut in onto his preferred foot) but he can play anywhere along the front line, which Brendan Rodgers admires. Overall, Shaqiri would be an excellent signing should Liverpool maintain their pursuit.
At international level, Shaqiri has won 32 caps, scoring 8 goals in the process. In Switzerland's most recent friendly against Peru, Shaqiri played just 26 minutes, yet had a substantial impact, helping to set up a goal for Stephen Lichtsteiner before getting in on the act himself with a rare right footed finish. Unlike at Bayern, Shaqiri is a real star for the Swiss. In a group containing France, Honduras and Ecuador, Shaqiri should be given full licence to exhibit his class and take centre stage. Switzerland's hopes and dreams in Brazil are somewhat dependable on what he especially can produce on the big stage.
Ivan Perišić:
Another side which claim the "dark horse" title credentials would be Croatia. After an impressive qualification campaign spearheaded by attacker Mario Mandžukić and midfielder Luka Modrić, the Croats must step up to the plate in order to have any chance of coming near replicating their 1998 campaign, in which they finished 3rd. Perišić, a 25 year old winger, is brilliant with both feet, allowing him to play on either wing. Usually he would play as an inverted winger (so on the left as he's right footed) which allows him to cut inside and wreak havoc among opposition defences. 11 goals and 7 assists in his debut campaign with Wolfsburg this season has singled him out as one to look at this year's World Cup.
Perišić has been very impressed by coach Niko Kovac's mentality in the build up to the World Cup. Perišić said, "Kovac has set the bar in line with his German-bred mentality that order, hard work and discipline are essential ingredients for good results. I was not surprised because he built his career in the Bundesliga, whose virtues I have become very familiar with myself and cherish the principles.
No doubt that Perišić's main influences are indeed very close to him as well. Fellow Wolfsburg team mate and Croatian international Ivica Olić is not only a friend of Perišić, but a role model. Perišić admitted as much recently, "Olic runs like an 18-year-old, has the passion of an understudy and the hunger of a player in the early stages of his career. I heard a lot about his commitment before I broke into the national team some years ago, but only after I had seen him in action did I realise how much harder I had to work and change my habits in order to be even close to him. He became my role model and broadened my horizons at a crucial stage of my career, thus helping me choose the right path."
Perišić has managed 3 goals in 28 appearances for the Croatian national side, but definitely warrants a starting berth at the World Cup as one of Croatia's only wide options. He scored twice in Croatia's 2-1 win victory over Mali in a warm-up game, and when the time comes, he will be more than confident of making a name for himself on the international stage.
Ivica Olić:
Perišić is by no means the only Wolfsburg player representing Croatia at the World Cup. Veteran striker turned left winger Ivica Olić has got a reputation to maintain, and the evergreen attacker has not got much to worry about if he replicates this season's club form on the international platform. The 34 year old was in fine form this season for Wolfsburg, contributing to the Wolves push for European places with 15 goals and 6 assists. This fine form earned him a contract extension, lasting him another year at the top of German football.
He is no stranger to international pressure either. With 18 goals in 91 appearances for Croatia, he is a solid back-up option to Mario Mandžukić, who is banned for the first game of the group stage. He is likely, however, to be deployed at his new left wing position, which he has slotted seamlessly into.
Along with becoming a role model for Perišić, Olić is nothing shy of a national icon in his homeland, where his hard work and dedication have gained him numerous admirers of all age groups.
All in all, there is definitely plenty of talent from the Bundesliga that have got cause to be excited. The league is only getting better, and this will make the greatest show on earth just that little bit more spectacular.
