French midfielder Yann M'vila (left) and Germany's midfielder Mario Goetze vie for the ball during the friendly football match between Germany and France in Bremen on February 29, 2012
Les Bleus will be pinning much of their defensive hopes on a 21-year-old phenom called Yann M’Vila, who has wowed everyone lucky enough to see him play since he broke out in 2009 with domestic side Rennes. M’Vila has exceptional awareness, tackles with ferocity and will surely start many of France’s attacks. No wonder his manager Frederic Antonetti said that M’Vila “reads the game like Makélélé, has the presence of Vieira and can pass the ball like Yaya Touré.” And no wonder that another Frenchman, Arsenal’s Arsène Wenger, is rumored to be planning the biggest bid in the EPL side’s history to secure his services.