Playerwatch 2004: Eastern Europe

By Marc Shaw

VfB Stuttgart's Hungarian striker Imre Szabics has ruffled more than a few feathers this season among opposition defenders and club presidents.

Goal scorer
His talents first shone in the Austrian Bundesliga where he scored 23 goals in 89 appearances for SK Sturm Graz. However Sturm were left fuming when their young star, who was nursing an injury, was handed his first call-up to the full international side against Luxembourg in April. Hungary coach Imre Gellei was keen to unleash him against the minnows and Szabics was not about to pass up his big opportunity.

Non compliance
Szabics scored twice in the 5-1 win, tearing the visiting defence to shreds with his cunning touches and clever movement. However Sturm were not impressed and promptly announced that they had fired him for "non-compliance with work regulations".

Top of Bundesliga
Sturm's loss was Stuttgart's gain and while his international career has continued to blossom, Szabics has also helped fire the Swabians to the upper reaches of the Bundesliga and into the knockout stage of the UEFA Champions League.

Sytchey in search of fame
Russian sensation Dmitri Sytchev is another youngster who has moved across Europe in search of fame and fortune after landing a move to Olympique de Marseille in France. The former FC Spartak Tambov player hit eight goals in his first 12 matches for FC Spartak Moskva but was banned from football for four months after a contract wrangle with the Moscow side - before returning to sign a five-year deal with Marseille.

Catapult to glory
After a slow start, with just three goals in 17 appearances, Sytchev's talents have begun to come to the fore. His strike against FK Austria Wien put Marseille into the Champions League group stage and he has his eye on more glory this year, with a place in Russia's UEFA EURO 2004™ squad top of his wish list.

Key figure
FK Partizan starlet Andrija Delibašic is another youngster who has used Champions League exposure to his advantage this season. The Serbia and Montenegro striker was also a key figure for the national team's Under-21 side as they qualified for next summer's European Championships, scoring twice in the 5-1 play-off defeat of Norway.

International recognition
Since making his top-flight debut with Partizan in 1999/00, he has been a regular scorer and helped Partizan knock Newcastle United FC out in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League. Full international recognition looks set to follow in 2004 with the FIFA World Cup qualifiers a possible stage for the youngster.

Utility man
FC Shakhtar Donetsk have unearthed a gem in young utility man Darijo Srna. While the Ukrainians missed out on the Champions League proper, Srna did help Croatia reach the finals of EURO 2004™. His eye-catching performances were crucial as his country defeated neighbours Slovenia in the play-offs to give Srna the opportunity to showcase his talents in Portugal.

One to watch
Another one to watch is FC Lokomotiv Moskva's highly-rated 22-year-old Ruslan Pimenov. He has proved a vital link between midfield and attack and has already made his mark in the Russian national team.

Pimenov makes name known
A youth international at every level, Pimenov played in both the UEFA European Under-16 Championship and the Under-18 equivalent and will hope to make a further splash in next summer's EURO 2004™ finals.