Gone are the days when the World Cup was an opportunity to see players who most people knew next to nothing about. So scarce was coverage, that even the best players from some of Europe’s top leagues were barely known in England. As such, a World Cup provided a unique chance to see them in action. In 2022, however, if you want to prepare for England’s opening match by watching footage of every player in the Iran squad, you’d be able to find a way to do just that fairly easily.
For most fans, though, there will still be some footballing discovery in Qatar. The brutal recent schedule has meant that each nation's manager has named a larger-than-usual 26-man squad for this tournament. The result is that there are more players on show than ever before, and plenty of young talent to be discovered. With that in mind, The Coaches’ Voice has put together a list of young players to watch out for at the World Cup, with one selected from each of the eight groups.
Group A
Pape Matar Sarr, 20, Senegal, central midfielder
Sarr moved to Tottenham Hotspur in 2021 before spending a season back at Metz on loan. He got a lot of experience of Ligue 1 football there, but he has yet to play a single minute for Spurs, despite being available to Antonio Conte for the first half of 2022/23. Despite that, he could play a key role for Senegal at the World Cup in Qatar. For his country, Sarr has tended to operate as a number eight in a 4-3-3 or as part of a double pivot in a 4-2-3-1. He has built up an impressive relationship with the fluid attacking line, and particularly with Sadio Mané and Ismaïla Sarr.
He is extremely versatile, with experience in a variety of roles in central midfield. He breaks lines with his movements both on and off the ball, making him suitable in both attacking and defensive central positions, as well as to a box-to-box role. His forward bursts are effective when breaking from midfield to leave his marker behind. He can break from deeper positions on attacking transition, or from higher positions into the space in behind the opposition, often rotating with a wide player who can then look to threaten goal (below).
Sarr does his best work in the inside channels. He is able to operate in tight spaces when necessary, and mixes up effective close combinations with powerful bursts of pace away from opponents very well. He also has the long-range passing ability to switch the play well, and shows intelligence in defensive transition to delay counter-attacks – especially through central areas of the pitch.
Group B
Jesús Ferreira, 21, USA, centre-forward
With 18 goals, FC Dallas striker Ferreira was the joint-third highest scorer in the 2022 edition of Major League Soccer. He excels most close to goal, where he displays impressive movement, the ability to adjust his body quickly and react to balls into the penalty area, and good finishing off either foot. He is a natural goalscorer, whose main objective is to threaten the space in behind the opposition centre-backs as often as possible. When he does drop short to link and combine with midfield, he does so with the aim of releasing the ball just as his marker has jumped out to get close to him, before spinning out and attacking the space in behind.
When looking to get on the end of through balls or direct passes, he bends his movements efficiently to stay onside while maintaining the momentum of his movement (below). Once in a goalscoring position, he can strike the ball with both feet, but prefers using the inside of his foot to place his finishes rather than shooting with his laces. He has the ability to open his body up to shoot to one side of the goalkeeper, before cutting the ball across his body – again using the inside of his foot – to wrongfoot the keeper.
USA head coach Gregg Berhalter has used a 4-3-3 shape in the lead-up to Qatar, with Ferreira supported by Christian Pulisic and Paul Arriola – a surprise omission from the final squad – who move inside and look to slide the centre-forward in on goal. Whichever wide forwards play also look to get close to the striker to combine, drawing the opposition’s central defenders out of position.
Group C
Nicola Zalewski, 20, Poland, winger/full-back
The extremely versatile Zalewski has experience for Roma on both sides of the pitch, and in full-back, wing-back and wide-midfield roles. For Poland, most of his caps have come at left wing-back. Manager Czeslaw Michniewicz switched from a back four to a back three in the lead-up to the World Cup, and Zalewski has been used in a wing-back role, probably with a view to getting the most of both his attacking and defensive qualities.
Zalewski is strong with both feet, so he can dribble to either side of his opponent and cross with either foot. He is unpredictable when he has a defender one on one, and centre-backs are left guessing as to whether they are about to face an inswinging or outswinging delivery. For Polend, Zalewski will almost always look to find dangerman Robert Lewandowski in the middle (below). He is also a huge asset on transition, with his pace and direct running particularly useful for a Poland team that will look to transition very quickly.
Out of possession, Zalewski's ability with both feet means he is not so easily beaten to one side. He can tackle and press with both feet, meaning opponents can’t target a weak side when dribbling towards him. Zalewski is aggressive in his individual defending and presses high up the pitch effectively, too. However, the youngster can be overzealous when approaching an opponent. He could do with working on how he forces play in a particular direction by slowing down as he nears his opponent at speed. Sometimes, he can be beaten too easily when pressing in this way.
Group D
Andreas Skov Olsen, 22, Denmark, winger
Skov Olsen has spent most of his career playing on the right side of attack as a wrong-footed winger who moves inside on to his stronger left foot. His dribbling ability, changes of direction at speed, and both acceleration and timing to beat a defender (below) just as they commit to a challenge are all major strengths. He also uses his arms well to hold off opponents. This is ideal when he comes up against a full-back who is likely to dominate any physical battle.
He has impressive ball-striking ability, and can generate lots of power on his shots with little space or time. Even when he looks like he might be off balance or has received an awkward pass, he often still manages to work a shot on goal. He is most effective when looking to bend the ball with power into the far corner, usually after moving in off the right flank to receive between the lines.
Going into the World Cup, Skov Olsen has an impressive record of eight goals in 23 appearances for Kasper Hjulmand's Denmark, with his penetrative movements through the inside channels especially threatening. He is intelligent in his off-the-ball movement, and works well along with other attackers who like to rotate fluidly. Constant rotations help Skov Olsen isolate defenders more often before driving at them, before looking to shoot or cross towards the centre-forward.
Group E
Takefusa Kubo, 21, Japan, winger
After a period in the youth system at Barcelona and a string of loan moves to La Liga teams from parent club Real Madrid, Kubo made a permanent move to Real Sociedad in 2022. He quickly became an important player for them, mostly taking up a role up front, though he also played in a variety of midfield positions. When they play with a 4-4-2 diamond, the left-footed Kubo plays as a second centre-forward, working off the powerful and more traditional number nine Alexander Sørloth. Kubo has also played as a number 10 in this system, with the freedom to move wide as Sociedad convert into a shape more resembling a 4-3-3.
Kubo has made the most dribbles for Sociedad in 2022/23 so far, and also has the most touches inside the penalty area. When coming in from a wide position, he can jink, change direction and drop his shoulder both ways, with the aim of working shooting opportunities or driving around the outside to cross (below).
When central, he drops towards the ball, barely ever leaving the space between the lines, but still making sure to receive the ball away from the opposition centre-backs on the half-turn. From here, he uses his brilliant first touch to control the ball instantly, before linking with players nearby with quick and incisive passing combinations. He also provides forward runs off the ball after releasing a pass to get in behind. For this reason, he can be extremely effective against a low block.
Kubo has played as a number eight and as a wide player in a 4-3-3 for Japan, and he has built up positive relationships with both Takumi Minamino and Daizen Maeda in what looks an exciting attacking line.
Group F
Luka Sucic, 20, Croatia, central midfielder
Sucic is a versatile midfielder who can play on either flank, but he plays most often as a central midfielder or attacking midfielder who looks to work between the lines. He is left-footed and has a good passing range; he can break lines with his passing, but also has the ability to find runners in behind. He often follows his forward passes with smart movements, looking to receive return balls and link with other runners. He can also switch play effectively, and shows a good understanding of when to change the point of the attack.
Without the ball, Sucic is an aggressive presser who willingly chases the ball down and competes for loose balls in central midfield. He shows good counter-pressing ability after the ball is lost in central areas, and also recognises when to make a recovery run and drop back into his slot in midfield.
He has not gained much experience for Croatia so far, but when he has played he has demonstrated his ability to break lines with incisive passing, and worked well off the lone centre-forward in Zlatko Dalic’s 4-3-3. With runs both underneath and beyond the striker, he helps his team progress through the centre of the pitch and provides another threat on goal.
Group G
Strahinja Pavlovic, 21, Serbia, centre-back
Pavlovic is a left-footed centre-back with experience playing in both a back three and a back four. He has played at the back in a 4-4-2 diamond at club level with RB Salzburg, and then also on the left of a three in Serbia’s 3-4-1-2 or 3-4-3 structures.
He defends on the front foot, and will happily move out of the back line to attack the ball when there is an opportunity to do so. He is aggressive in his attempts to win the ball and will compete eagerly for the first ball. When a teammate goes for the ball, he shows good anticipation to recover back and block or tackle an opponent chasing the second ball. He recovers back over large distances well, with the pace to keep up with quick attackers and the upper-body strength to manoeuvre opponents off the ball.
When playing in a back three, Pavlovic will readily move across to the left side of defence to cover underneath a wing-back who is then free to move forwards and join attacks (above). He provides aerial ability on this side of the pitch; this is often tested by opponents who target the space in behind advanced wing-backs, or because a centre-forward will move wide to receive direct balls forward. As well as competing for the first ball, Pavlovic is also able to recover inwards to compete for the second ball, or cover behind the middle centre-back should they jump out to press.
Group H
Nuno Mendes, 20, Portugal, left-back
An attack-minded full-back, Mendes has experience both in defence and on the wing, and he has played plenty of football alongside some of the best attackers in world football. After securing a move to Paris Saint-Germain from Sporting Lisbon in 2022, Mendes has provided the width on the left while Kylian Mbappé, Neymar and Lionel Messi combine in central areas. Mendes is a skilled dribbler who can also beat his opponent around the outside by knocking the ball past them and beating them for pace (below). He is good enough on the ball, meanwhile, to invert and play a pass back inside with disguise when needed. Aside from the three aforementioned PSG superstars, Mendes has the most dribbles for PSG in Ligue 1 in 2022/23 so far.
Mendes provides pace on defensive transition, where he is able to recover inside from full-back and protect the space behind his centre-backs, as Kyle Walker does for Manchester City and England. He doesn’t look particularly big, but he has plenty of upper-body strength; he is rarely knocked off the ball or beaten in a physical battle.
For Portugal, he has been used as a left-back in a 4-2-3-1 and a 4-3-3, but will compete for a starting spot in Qatar with the much more experienced Raphaël Guerreiro. His role in Fernando Santos’ team is almost identical to his role for PSG, with Portugal’s wider forwards narrowing inside, creating space for Mendes to overlap or run in behind and provide crosses.
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