Tagged: Player development

Barcelona must address difficulties with youth – ESPN FC

Barcelona must address difficulties with youth – ESPN FC.

Definitely not a good step for Barcelona with Barcelona B going down. The production line from La Masia needs to continue especially with a lot of stars aging right now.

England trio proof of lower-league value in top flight – and they’re not alone | FourFourTwo

England trio proof of lower-league value in top flight – and they’re not alone | FourFourTwo.

Ultimately the lower-league talents will be judged by how they do in the Premier League before they move elsewhere in the Premier League. That was the case with the former Southapton group and is the case with the likes of Charlie Austin and Danny Ings.

Sure there talent may be noticed in the lower leagues but making it in the Premier League is the clincher.

How modern football became the era of the complete player – Squawka

How modern football became the era of the complete player – Squawka.

Really great read here on the evolution of layers in football. We really are getting to the stage where players in every third are “complete” as they aren’t just assigned one task. Will be interesting to see how this continues. Look forward to the rest of the series.

Chelsea’s UEFA Youth League triumph brings development debate into focus writes Gabriele Marcotti – ESPN FC

Chelsea’s UEFA Youth League triumph brings development debate into focus writes Gabriele Marcotti – ESPN FC.

I think many would agree with most things in the article, though the last paragraph seen below, is really interesting.

“The bottom line is that obtaining success at youth level is often a function of money and size, as it is at senior level. It’s also by no means a guarantee that it will lead to a stream of homegrown players populating the senior team.”

The key word in that sentence is “often” as the author isn’t saying that being a big club with money is the only way to develop a successful youth program but it is the most effective. We do have numerous examples of smaller clubs, eg. Southampton and, despite their history, Ajax, and plenty others consistently producing good players.

We’ve all read about the former prodigies who had unlucky injuries, fell by the wayside etc. which shows that success at youth level is down to an element of luck as well.

The River Plate Academy Way

The River Plate Academy Way.

Another good academy read here. Loving these.

There’s no doubting the talent that’s been created at River Plate over the years but that list at the end seems smaller than you’d expect. Still some great names though.