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The Premier League teams marked the changes as the European group stage came to a close this week, with some promising youngsters impressing on the biggest stages of football.
With Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea already guaranteed a place in the knockout rounds of the Champions League, all three teams gave their academy products a chance as they all avoided defeat on matchday six.
Meanwhile, Arsenal had secured first place in their Europa League group and continued to bleed through the youngsters as they clinched a 4-2 win at Dundalk to clinch six wins out of six in Europe this season.
Sportsmail looks at the top performing youngsters and rookies from European midweek action and determines how close each player is to regular first team action …
Folarin Balogun (Arsenal)
The teenage Arsenal striker is causing current coach Mikel Arteta a little headache after he scored in the Europa League once again in a 4-2 win over Dundalk.
Balogun now has two goals for Arsenal senior in three substitute appearances and is knocking on the door for a bigger role in the first team this season.
Despite being compared to Ian Wright and Andy Cole by Sportsmail columnist Martin Keown, his strike against the Irish side on Thursday night had a Thierry Henry touch on it, opening his body down the left channel before make an effort on the opposite side. corner.
Despite the 19-year-old enjoying a positive start to his career at Arsenal, there are several obstacles in the forward’s path to becoming a first-team starter.
First of all, Balogun is behind Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alex Lacazette and fellow young striker Eddie Nketiah ahead of him in the pecking order and will surely have a hard time getting Premier League minutes regardless of his current form.
Meanwhile, the forward also faces a contract dispute with the club, and his current contract with the Gunners will come to an end in just over six months.
Arsenal need to extend that contract or risk letting another young star slip through the net like Serge Gnabry of Bayern Munich.
Emile Smith Rowe (Arsenal)
One Arsenal player who is more likely to get more minutes in the first team after an impressive midweek performance is young English midfielder Emile Smith Rowe.
The 20-year-old gave an assist during Arsenal’s win in Ireland but, more importantly, was impressed by acting as a key link between midfield and attack, as the Gunners displayed rare prominence in open play. .
The Englishman has been a bright light in Arsenal’s recent Europa League shows and found himself on the scoreboard during the Gunners’ 4-1 win over Rapid Vienna last week. His overall record of one goal and two assists in three European games is a very promising comeback.
Smith Rowe received a few Premier League appearances from interim manager Freddie Ljungberg last season, but a mixed loan stint at Huddersfield Town and a long-term shoulder problem have hampered the youngster’s development ever since.
However, with Thomas Partey injured and players like Granit Xhaka and Joe Willock too inconsistent for Mikel Arteta’s side, Smith-Rowe has been touted as an outside contender to start Arsenal’s Premier League tie with Burnley at the weekend. .
Tino Anjorin (Chelsea)
While Chelsea were unable to claim a victory in their last Champions League group stage match over Krasnodar, a particular highlight of the match for Frank Lampard was the display of rookie Tino Anjorin.
The English winger seemed comfortable on the ball at Stamford Bridge and was not afraid to face people. In addition to 89 percent passing accuracy during his 80 minutes on the field, Anjorin also managed to successfully complete all of his dribbles during the 1-1 draw.
The 19-year-old nearly finished on the roster, but was only able to lead from a corner during the second half in West London.
At 6ft 1in, Anjorin looks like a real threat over wide areas and can cause damage to defenses when at full speed. However, the winger faces a real battle to gain minutes in the first team with players like Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech, all competing for places in Lampard’s three forwards.
Tammy Abraham and Olivier Giroud’s rise to form won’t help his chances either, so he’s likely to move on loan during the second half of the season. Chelsea are known for that …
Billy Gilmour (Chelsea)
Premier League fans are already familiar with young Chelsea midfielder Billy Gilmour, and the young Scotsman took part in some top flight matches last season with the Blues.
But a four-month knee injury halted Gilmour’s development, although his fitness issues ended in spectacular fashion during Chelsea’s draw with Krasnodar on Wednesday.
The 19-year-old covered every blade of midfield grass as he managed to spend 90 minutes at Stamford Bridge unscathed after his backhand.
Chelsea manager Lampard praised the “outstanding” young midfielder and hopes the Scottish midfielder will continue to contribute to Chelsea this season.
“I felt very comfortable with his return, he has trained very well, did his rehab and deserved his chance tonight,” Lampard said.
“So I hope to see more of the same from Billy as he gets stronger now that he is over his injury.”
While N’Golo Kante and Jorginho are the first-choice options at the base of midfield, we are not ruling out the possibility that Gilmour will make his way into the team as Lampard looks to give more nods to the future.
Leighton Clarkson (Liverpool)
The young midfielder was a surprise starter in Jurgen Klopp’s 1-1 draw with Midtjylland on Wednesday night, but the midfielder showed why he is so well rated by the Anfield club.
Despite being only 5 feet 7 inches tall, Clarkson was an action midfielder during the game in Denmark and was not afraid to fulfill his defensive duties as well as helping Klopp’s team develop attacks in the future.
The 19-year-old may have to wait for more opportunities with Liverpool’s red this season, although the club’s injury problems could help the Blackburn-born midfielder.
Thiago Alcantara is suffering an injury and could be out until the New Year, while Fabinho is often asked to substitute in the center midfield due to fitness issues in that department.
If Liverpool’s injury crisis worsens due to a busy winter schedule, Clarkson may have more chances to impress.
Billy Koumetio (Liverpool)
Half-time substitute Billy Koumieto became Liverpool’s youngest player in the Champions League during the Reds’ draw with Midtjylland.
The young French defender has enjoyed a dramatic rise in the lower ranks of the Merseyside club and was even a ball boy during Liverpool’s dramatic 4-0 win over Barcelona in the 2019 Champions League semi-finals.
The 18-year-old couldn’t stop his team from keeping a clean sheet in Denmark, but Koumetio did show good aerial ability at times and was not out of place at Liverpool’s rear.
With Jurgen Klopp’s team facing injury problems on defense, in particular Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez with long-term problems, Koumetio could have more first-team opportunities from the German coach.
Current backups Rhys Williams and Nat Phillips are by no means safe starters at Anfield, while senior option Joel Matip has his own concerns about fitness.
This may not be the last time we hear about the young Frenchman.
Zack Steffen (Manchester City)
Another Champions League debutant on Wednesday night was Manchester City’s Zack Steffen, who started in goal for Pep Guardiola’s team in their 3-0 win over Marseille.
The 25-year-old American goalkeeper was barely called into action during the 90 minutes at the Etihad, but had to make an important save from Pape Gueye’s goal to 0-0 in the first half.
It was Steffen’s third appearance of the season after making two Carabao Cup appearances, although the chances of the shot stopper from more matches are quite low.
The City goalkeeper Ederson is firmly Guardiola’s first choice between the sticks, but if the Brazilian is injured, Steffen can view those three matches as an important experience to claim a Premier League jersey.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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