Khedira,still a GENIUS...

time to prove

Sami Khedira brings to the team whatever his coach asks of him, whether that be Mourinho, Ancelotti, Löw, or even Guardiola who wants to take him to Bayern next year.

He isn't a big-name player. He never has been. Even less so now that the Bernabéu faithful have bowed down to Modric and Kroos' all but perfect partnership, to Isco's magic and to James Rodríguez's sheer class, but Khedira offers guaranteed results as soon as he strings two straight games together. He always delivers.

He carries in his DNA a quality that every coach has wanted from him: an uncanny ability to bring a huge dose of balance to the team. His tactical awareness and physical fitness make up for and compensate for those players whose game lacks his unique talent and he does so in two key aspects of the game, attack and defence. When Khedira puts an opponent under pressure, he rarely comes away without the ball.

When Khedira sprints the length of the pitch from his area to the opposition's, it isn't pretty, but he will probably arrive at his destination poised and ready to shoot or pass the ball.

In terms of tactics, Khedira is a very important player. He has the discipline and mental strength to put the good of the team before his own.

Van Gaal: Messi and Ronaldo don't deserve Ballon d'Or

IS he right??

The Barcelona and Real Madrid stars are favourites to win the award, but the Manchester United manager feels one of Germany's World Cup winners should receive the honour

Louis van Gaal is expecting either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to win the Ballon d'Or but feels one of Germany's World Cup-winning squad would merit the award more.

The Barcelona and Real Madrid stars are favourites to be crowned on January 12, 2015, but the Manchester United manager feels the pair do not deserve the honour.

Messi, a four-time winner, was handed the Golden Ball at the World Cup after helping Argentina to the final while Ronaldo, a two-time winner, lifted the Champions League with Real Madrid.

But Van Gaal feels a member of the triumphant Germany squad would be more worthy victors, with Toni Kross, Philipp Lahm, Thomas Muller, Manuel Neuer, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mario Gotze all nominated.

"Most of the time it is always the well known players [who win the Ballon d'Or]," he told MUTV.

"It is more for the football world and outside world than for other things I believe. I think it will be Ronaldo or Messi but I want to say that you have to win something.

"The best thing to win is the World Cup. I hope it shall be a German player because they deserve it.

"The level of the Bundesliga matches is also very high so I think it should be a German player."

Kroos control

THE GERMAN ORGANISES, CONTROLS AND WINS GAMES

Toni Kroos had his best year in 2014: world champion, a move to Real Madrid and a dramatic ascent up through the ranks of the German national team.

The face of the midfielder reflects the satisfaction of a man who knows that he is at the top of his game, although he insists that he still has things to learn at the age of 24.

"Not everything is perfect; there's always room for improvement. But things are certainly going well for me. I'm doing everything I can to keep it that way", remarked the player after scoring the only goal of the game in the win over Spain in Vigo.

His 88th-minute strike was powerful and well-placed, but the ball ended up in the back of Spain's net more as a result of an error by the keeper than the German's efforts.

"The keeper let the ball bounce first. What I thought was, 'I'm going to have a dig'", he went on to say in his characteristic tone, somewhere between insolence and seduction.

Dressed in a winter coat and carrying a red suitcase, Kroos did not have much time to say goodbye to his national teammates. A bus was waiting for him outside to take him to the airport, where he boarded a private jet headed for the Spanish capital together with fellow countryman Sami Khedira and Real Madrid's Spanish players.

Kroos took an enormous leap up through the ranks of his national team in 2014.