Key Players for all the teams that have qualified for the UCL Semi-Finals.
Ajax.
Ajax is a team that has been the giant killers this season in the UEFA Champions League, they have caused major upsets by beating the likes of Real Madrid who were the defending champions in the Round of 16 and Juventus who were considered a certain finalist in the Quarterfinals. They will face Tottenham Hotspur in the Semi-Finals and it will be very interesting to see if they will march on to the finals this season. Let’s look at the Key players for Ajax.
Matthijs de Ligt
De Ligt has to lead his team from the front, he is just 19 and is the youngest captain ever for Ajax. He is very solid with his defenses and is a certain threat for the forwards, he was named the Golden boy last year and is the only Dutch player ever to win that award. We have seen the beautiful football that Ajax has been playing this season and De Ligt plays a major role in the build-up. He scored the all-important winner in Turin against Juventus in the second leg of the Quarter Finals which put Juventus out of the competition. He is a young talent who is being scouted by many of the European giants and is certainly a player to look out for against the Spurs.
Dusan Tadic
Dusan Tadic has been phenomenal this season for Ajax, He has scored 6 goals for them and has also provided 4 assists in the Champions League. He has also scored 24 goals for Ajax in Eredivisie and has provided 12 assists for them, he has been the major player for Ajax when it comes to their attack. It will be very interesting to see if he can put in some more goals against the Spurs and take his team to the Madrid for the Finals this season
Frankie De Jong
Frankie De Jong is again a young talent who plays for Ajax, he is extremely talented with the ball and has troubled a lot of players with his dribbles. His talent did not go unnoticed and he was transferred to FC Barcelona from Ajax, De Jong would like to make a mark in his last season with Ajax and help them win the UCL this season. He has the pass accuracy of 90% in UCL this season and has the vision of the likes of Iniesta. He will be controlling the Midfield of Ajax and will play an important part in the building up the attacks.
Tottenham Hotspur
Spurs defeated the defending premier league champions in the quarterfinals in what was a thrilling encounter to advance to the Semi-Finals, they will face Ajax in the Semi’s, one of their key players Heung Ming Son will not be playing the 1st leg of the Semifinals as he is suspended. With Kane doubtful for the rest of the season let’s look at the key players for the Spurs
Hugo Lloris
Hugo Lloris is an icon in himself, he is one of the best goalkeepers in the world, He is also the captain of the side in the absence of Harry Kane. He has had 4 clean sheets in the 8 matches that he has played for Spurs, He has made as many as 26 saves in this year’s Champions League, he distributed the ball very beautifully when he has the ball. He will play a very important role as Ajax will mostly have a lot of possession.
Christian Eriksen
Christian Eriksen is an amazing talent that the Spurs possess, and he is a very important player for them. He is very intelligent player and makes has amazing creativity in this game, he is a very good player of the dead ball as well which adds on to his lethal qualities. He has scored 2 goals in the UCL this year and has provided 4 assists. One more important quality of his is that he is a double footed player which is a rare quality in itself. He will prove to be a major threat for Ajax.
Toby Alderweireld
Toby is another amazing player for the Spurs, he will prove to be a major threat in the defense for Ajax, he has an amazing pass accuracy of 87% in the UCL this season and wins almost 67% of the tackles which is an amazing player. He has also won 27 duels this season in the Champions League. He will need to play a decisive role in the Defence if the Spurs want to win against Ajax.
Liverpool.
Liverpool are major contenders this season to win the UCL this season, they have a very strong squad and they have shown that throughout the season both in the Premier League and the UCL, they have a chance to win the double this season with the Premier League also coming to a very interesting finish. They have played against Porto and knocked them out quite comfortably with a 6-1 aggregate. They will play Barcelona in the Semi-Finals. Let’s look at their key players.
Sadio Mane.
Mane has had an impressive season and would like to continue the form that his in when he travels to the Camp Nou this Wednesday. He has scored 4 goals in UCL season and is very lethal when he has the ball. His recent run of form in the PL has been amazing and he would be a very important player for Liverpool in the semi-final clash against Barcelona.
Alisson.
Last season Liverpool lost the UCL because of not one but two howlers by their goalkeeper, Klopp was in hunting for a good goalkeeper and what a catch he has had in the form of Alisson. He has kept 19 clean sheets in the Premier League this season and 4 in the UCL this season. He has made 31 saves in UCL alone this season and he has a very good passing accuracy as well. He distributes the ball very nicely. He will be very hard to penetrate for the Barcelona attack.
Virjil Van Dijk.
He was recently awarded the Premier League player of the year and that is enough to address what a brilliant player he has been for Liverpool this season. Liverpool has conceded very fewer goals this season and a lot of credit goes to this man. He has won a mind-boggling 85.71% of the tackles that he makes and has a passing accuracy of 88% which is amazing. He has scored 2 goals and assisted two more for his team. He will be very hard to stop for Messi and Co.
Barcelona.
Barcelona as also tipped as one of the favourites to win the UCL this season and thus also try and win the treble again this season. With Luis Suarez and Phil Coutinho returning to Anfield this season to play against them, it will be a nostalgic experience for them. Barcelona were knocked out of the UCL in the quarter finals in the last 3 seasons. This season they overcame that curse when they beat Manchester United 3-0 in the Camp Nou in the round of 8. Lets look at their key players.
Marc Andre Ter Stegen
Marc Andre Ter Stegen is again counted as one of the best goalkeepers in the world. He has had an amazing season with Barcelona and has kept 15 clean sheets in the league and 5 in UCL this season. He has single-handedly won a lot of matches for Barcelona by saving many of the shots. He has made 21 saves for Barcelona this season. He has the passing accuracy of 83% in UCL which is better than that of Messi. He has had as many as 99 successful distributions and only 8 unsuccessful ones. With the attack that Liverpool have, he will have a lot of work to do in the Semi-final Clash against them.
Gerard Pique.
Gerard Pique is the leader of the defence for Barcelona, after a slow start to the season he transformed into a beast in the later part of the season, he has won as many 78% of the tackles in UCL and has an amazing pass accuracy of 89%. He has won as many as 31 duels this season in UCL this season. He has also scored 2 goals for Barcelona. With Liverpool having a prolific attack, he will be a very important player in the defence in the semi-final clash.
Lionel Messi.
There is very less introduction required for the little man. He is tipped to win a lot of awards this season and is the highest goal scorer across all of Europe. He has scored as many as 33 goals in the Spanish league and 10 goals in UCL this season, he is the top scorer in UCL this season. He has also assisted 3 goals in UCL this season. He has a passing accuracy of 81% in UCL which is a very good number considering the number of passes he makes in a game. He Goal/minute ratio is astonishing with him scoring a goal every 65 minutes. Liverpool will need to have a strong plan against him as he can take the game away from any team once he is in his groove.
No Comments