Josip Ilicic
(Atalanta)A
t long last, someone has resolved the
Ilicic riddle; the strange phenomenon
of the gifted Slovenian who, for most
of his professional career, has been
the servant of two apparently irreconcilable
masters: virtuosity and inconsistency.
When playing for Palermo and Fiorentina,
the 31-year-old was either thrillingly influential,
disinterested or an accident waiting to happen.
So what a surprise to see him learn a raft of
new tricks on arriving at Atalanta in 2017. All
of a sudden he became a game-changer.
Last season, as Atalanta secured a first
Champions League qualification, he was the
man who made all the difference, scoring
12 Serie A goals, laying on seven more and
constantly punctuating proceedings with his
unusual passing angles and hypnotic dribbling.
It is incredible to think that early on in thecampaign he was laid up in hospital with a
bacterial infection of the lymph nodes and had
to wait until late October to start his first league
game. “Many times it crossed my mind that I
might have to give up football,” he recalls. “As
a man, the illness changed me a great deal.
I look at the world differently now.”
Much of the credit for this most unexpected
coming-of-age tales belongs to Atalanta coach
Gian Piero Gasperini, who also worked with the
player at Palermo. He accepts that Ilicic can be
hard to handle – and not especially enthusiastic
on the training ground – but he has managed to
keep him engaged and up for the fight.
In a young and vibrant Atalanta team with a
considerable amount of organisational structure,
Ilicic is their all-important wild card, whether
used as a second striker, wide on the right or
as a number 10.Bruno Petkovic
(Dinamo Zagreb)Tall, imposing 24-year-old striker with an
impressive all-round game. Dinamo’s top scorer
in qualification with four goals, he re-joined the
club from Serie A Bologna nine months ago.
Once a member of the Dinamo youth team, he
had been on a loan merry-go-round in Italy.Lukas Masopust
(Slavia Prague)Intelligent and direct winger who makes a
massive contribution with his ability to pop up
in expected places. Normally plays wide right
but can operate on the opposite flank or as a
second striker. Joined Slavia from Jablonec
mid-way though last season.Percy Tau
(Club Brugge)As he proved with a strong showing at this year’s
Africa Cup of Nations, the South African striker
is unpredictable, single-minded and eminently
spectacular. Left Mamelodi Sundowns for
Premier League Brighton in the summer of
2018, only to be denied a UK work permit.Lisandro Martinez
(Ajax)The Amsterdammers sealed an excellent piece
of business this summer when paying Defensa
y Justicia just €7m for the Argentinian centre-
back. Still only 21, he looks made for Ajax: cool,
unhurried, a fine reader of the game and
outstanding in his distribution.Daniel Podence
(Olympiakos)One of several players at leading Portuguese
club Sporting who terminated their contracts last
year after fans mounted a training-ground attack.
The diminutive left-winger has quickly become a
huge favourite at the Karaiskakis Stadium with
his individual brilliance.BREAKOUT STARS