Granit Xhaka

FC Basel/Borussia Mönchengladbach

Midfielder - Switzerland

2010/2011 Mid-season: Unranked
End of 2010/11 - Start of 2011/12: Unranked
2011/2012 Mid-season:  277
End of 2011/12 - Start of 2012/13: 267

End of 2011/12 - Start of 2012/13:

Xhaka moves to Gladbach. There isn't really that much to add from the mid-season thoughts below other than I'm extremely interested and curious in how well it will translate to the Bundesliga and Favre's Gladbach team.

I have seen some headlines calling Xhaka a Reus-replacement but I suspect they don't really know what type of player he is. Two very different players.

The remarkable thing of course is that Xhaka is so overall talented that his position or role in a way is still up for grabs. You can potentially see him in quite a few different roles, from the deep-lying constructive midfielder (which is what he's been doing lately), to a more attacking one making plays, or how about a box to box midfielder even a winger cutting inside isn't out of the question. What will Lucien Favre think is best and how will it work? Interesting times ahead at Gladbach. 


2011/2012 Mid-season:

Excellent all-round talent of a midfielder who was part of the Swiss U-21 team that made the final of the European Championship losing to Spain and who for Basel (and now the Swiss senior team) is enjoying a big break-through season with several big clubs rumored to be interested in his signature.

One game you can see this 19 year old channel a defensive midfielder holding it together against giants like Bayern or Manchester United (not least because he is the only one under pressure who is skilled enough to move the ball forward) in another (like recently for the national team) he can be wearing the number 10 and creating.

It's compatriot Shaqiri stealing most of the headlines with his tremendous difference making in the final third, and understandably so, he will have a very good ranking and has already signed for Bayern München, but don't forget Xhaka who already is a very complete midfielder. At 19 he'll make the occasional youthful mistake with his decisions but he is a very constructive passer who even show hints of real playmaking, whether it's building from deep or even going past people further forward on the pitch.

Luuk de Jong

Twente/Borussia Mönchengladbach

Striker - Netherlands

2010/2011 Mid-season: Unranked
End of 2010/11 - Start of 2011/12: Unranked
2011/2012 Mid-season:  278
End of 2011/12 - Start of 2012/13: 211

End of 2011/12 - Start of 2012/13:

Luuk de Jong continued his impressive performances on his way to 26 goals and 9 assist in the Eredivisie.

Topscorer Bas Dost was also considered but considering I've seen him much less than de Jong (who I haven't even seen in all that many full matches) and early impression is of  a much(?) more limited player compared to Luuk when it comes to technique, movement and intelligence I didn't include him.

Both have now made moves to the Bundesliga. Dost to Wolfsburg and Luuk de Jong to Gladbach who I've already applauded in related profiles for their investments in some of the finest young talent in Europe. Anyway it will be interesting who of the two will best live up to countryman and established top torjäger Klass-Jan Hunterlaar

2011/2012 Mid-season:

Luuk de Jong's ranking is possibly hurt by the fact that I don't see him a lot, and that some previous early impressions of someone, maybe a little bit too raw to be considered a star, are still roaming around (somewhat fresh) in my mind.

He's been a highly thought of striker-talent for some time now and at the moment could very well be seriously coming into his own. He is strong, tall and can hold the ball up well. He has good movement in (and around) the box anticipating passes and deliveries both with head and feet (he even looks like he can do damage with both showing fine touches). He also looks like he is skilled and intelligent enough to create for others.

Juan Arango

Borussia Mönchengladbach

Winger - Venezuela

2010/2011 Mid-season: Unranked
End of 2010/11 - Start of 2011/12:  Unranked
2011/2012 Mid-season: 297
End of 2011/12 - Start of 2012/13: 300

End of 2011/12 - Start of 2012/13:

While players such as young Herman and defensive beast Dante (in Bundesliga tradition snapped up by Bayern) still seem like they're more fashionable, it's Arango's impact (aside from Reus who of course is totally obvious, just look at his rank) I'm a little bit more confident in vs players looking very good in Lucien Favre's well oiled Gladbach machine.

In fact to add to the mid-season thoughts below, Arango was top 5 in the league in key passes (dead-balls help there of course but still impact), top 10 in shots on goal, quite uniquely top 15 in passes per game where no winger is even close to his 54,6 and most importantly, league wide, he is only behind team-talisman Marco Reus in successful through-balls made.

Finally, the contract extension I was speculating on mid-season turns out it was only 2 years which sounds better, just like Gladbach's transfer moves this off-season arguably adding one of the most promising players in Europe in each line of defense, midfield and attack. They're the former Spain U21 star Alvaro Dominguez - very much seen as the Atletico Madrid captain for years to come, but they needed the money apparently, Grantit Xhaka the great all-round talented Basel midfielder and in attack Luuk de Jong 21 has been getting better and better recently. Xhaka and de Jong of course on the list already and of course Gladbach can complete the quadruple of elite talent with Ter Stegen in goal. Not bad at all.


2011/12 mid-season:

Something of wild cad here, who I'm not really confident actually belongs, just like I'm not really sure if it's a good idea, if Gladbach indeed did extend his contract at age 31 with 3 or was it 4 more, years. Then again, it's a club that's currently riding where nothing goes wrong.

Without Gladbach's great success this season I wouldn't have included Arango and besides their obvious star Marco Reus who is due to appear much later on the list, the real star if anything is the team itself and coach Lucien Favre who has done a great job with it.

But I did want to to include another player of their's and other than Reus, I think it's Arango's magnificent left-foot and what that has been creating in both open play and set pieces, that's made the most impact, while others who I've noticed like for an example another notable the young Patrick Hermann, have with much fewer touches moreso done a great job of taken advantage of how incredibly well the team functions + all the consistent individual Reus brilliance, than individually (at least for the time being) made enough impact to be considered elite if you will.

When I then found out, something I had completely forgotten, that it was actually Arango who also captained Venezuela on the way to their Copa America semi-final run, my mind was made up about including him on the list.