From Celtic new boy Derk Boerritger to Anfield legend Steven Gerrard, JOE has a look at a few of the players we can hope to see in Dublin this August
The Dublin Decider sees two clubs with huge support arriving in Dublin, with some very exciting players in their ranks, with some familiar faces, and some less so.
Steven Gerrard
What more can be said about the man who is truly an Anfield legend, who has dedicated his entire career to Liverpool. He was a hero in Istanbul on that famous night a few years back, and he also scored one of the best goals in an FA Cup Final in recent memory, with quite a hit against West Ham. Take a bow, as they say.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vD80XYD1FvU
Philippe Coutinho
Fast becoming a fan favourite at Liverpool, the young Brazilian seems to not only have bags and bags of skill with the ball at his feet, but his vision to pick out a pass is absolutely superb and a real joy to watch.
Of course, the vision is no use without the ability to actually complete the pass, and he's more than capable of that, for sure. In particular, he favours outside of the boot passes, which are perfectly weighted, and play through some of Liverpool's crop of striking talent up front.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsKoTpazUuA
Having arrived from Italian football where he seemed to be a little out of his depth, he settled immediately in England, finding space thanks to defenders trying to close his space and tackle him. He would use the gaps that opened up behind them to pick apart defences, and if you're a fan of the Anfield club, you'll be hoping for more of the same against Celtic in Dublin, and next season in the Premier League.
Derk Boerritger
A new signing for the Glaswegians, Boerritger has arrived from Ajax with a decent reputation, and has certainly been on Neil Lennon's scouting list for a while.
He has pace, as well as a powerful strike off his left foot, so he should do well in the Scottish game, providing both goals and assists for his team mates.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOTwH8LDolw
Despite not yet making an appearance for Celtic, he may well debut in the Champions League qualifier against Elfsborg, which would be a great place for him to show his talents. We can also expect him to be a bit more familiar with his team mates by the time they arrive to Dublin for the big match at the Aviva too.
Georgios Samaras
Once a figure of fun after enduring a less than fantastic spell in England at Manchester City, Samaras has impressed in his time at Celtic, and certainly found his scoring boots.
He also was a major part of what was a surprisingly good European campaign for the Scots last season, and displayed some great strength and ability to hold up the ball in games where they were often under pressure and needed to find an outlet up front to enable them to launch a counter attack.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU20UzCzTrk
He also displayed the odd bit of deft footwork from time to time to, something which caught many of his detractors by surprise, but there's no denying that his 41 goals in his time as a Bhoy is a pretty decent record indeed.
