Football Dissected

I saw a report recently that argued on three major issues concerning youth development in England. The first issue was that kids in England are playing on full-sized adult pitches when they’re too young. The second was that kids were playing competitive football at too young of an age when compared to their European counterparts. And the third, equally important, was that the kids were unnecessary playing in big teams i.e. 11-a-side.

Regarding playing on full-sized pitches, there’s no doubt that kids shouldn’t be playing on them as it hinders their development. They should be playing on smaller sized pitches, ideally ones that are meant for 5-a-side games. The reasons are simple and straightforward. Playing on a small pitch means corresponds to their young size and levels of technical ability and skill. There are some youth teams of Under 10s who are playing on full-sized pitches whereas most European countries don’t allow their youngsters anyway near a full-sized pitch until they’re at least 12 and in some countries, particularly Spain, until they’re 14.

In the case of boys, it’s often argued that youngsters, even Under 7s, want to play competitive football. But aren’t boys naturally competitive anyway? I know I certainly was. So wouldn’t it be better to have young players focusing more on skill and ability rather than looking to secure 3 points? And wouldn’t this do away with the problem of parents screaming from the touchline? In some European countries they don’t allow competitive football until kids are 10 – in England it’s as low as the Under 7s level. Kids should still play matches, but they shouldn’t be competitive – they shouldn’t be part of a league structure where 3 points is the difference between champions and runners-up.

The problem with playing on unnecessarily big teams is that it prevents the player from getting enough touches of the ball. Ideally, all players under the age of 11 should be playing 5-a-side games. In 5-a-side games, the players all get more touches of the ball when compared to players playing in an 11-a-side team. Getting more touches gradually translates into more confidence when on the ball, which then translates into gradual improvement in ability and skill.

As a volunteer coach of a local football club where I live, I’ve been struck by the fact that the Under 9s practice on a full-size indoor pitch (note: they don’t practice on outside pitches during the winter). And I’ve also been struck by the fact that the kids are playing competitive football on weekends i.e. matches that contribute to a league table. And there are some talented players at the Under 9s, but only time will tell if they’ve been coached properly.

I think the England’s Youth set-up, called in question in recent times, would be best to look at some famous examples:

Clairefontaine

No doubt of the best academies in world football, Clairefontaine is the masterpiece of youth development. Thierry Henry, Nicolas Anelka, Louis Saha, William Gallas, Hatem Ben Arfa and Abou Diaby have all come through the ranks of Clairefontaine.

But in the FA’s defence they did have a national School of Excellence. The School of Excellence based at Lilleshall Hall opened its doors in 1984. Despite the relative success of it, with the likes of Premiership and England stars Michael Owen, Scott Parker, Joe Cole and Wes Brown all coming through it ranks, the school was shut in 1999. It was also criticised for its anti-club stance. But where the English clubs couldn’t co-operate with the School of Excellence, resulting in many of them setting up their own internal academies, the French have embraced Clairefontaine. The French Under-21 coach, René Girard, regularly instructs coaches of the first division clubs in the subject of developing young talent.

Sevilla

There’s no doubt that one of the best club academies in world football has to be that of Sevilla. Jose Antonio Reyes (Athletio Madrid), Julio Batista (Real Madrid), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid) have all come through the academy at Sevilla. And the current squad boasts players who have come through the club’s academy in recent years. Daniel Alves, arguably one of the best right-backs in the world right now, Jesus Navas and Diego Capel, who has a buy-out clause of 12 million, have all become regulars in the Sevilla first-team. And under brilliant sporting director Ramon Rodríguez Verdejo Monchi, there are sure to be more to come in future years.

Barcelona

And let’s not forget about Barcelona. Xavi Hernandez , Andrés Iniesta, Víctor Valdés, Carles Puyol, Lionel Messi, Bojan Krkić, and Giovani dos Santos have all come through Barcelona’s youth system and all of them play in the first-team now, some more regularly than others. Cesc Fàbregas was even part of the Barcelona youth set-up until he decided to move aboard to Arsenal.

Kevin Keegan is doing himself no favours with the decisions he’s making. Playing Charles N'Zogbia, one of Newcastle’s most menacing attackers and arguably their quickest player by far, at left-back against Manchester United was suicidal to say the least. And United’s opening goal proved that fact. Ronaldo dazzled his defender one way and then the other before whipping in the deadliest of crosses and Wayne Rooney simply obliged to tap-in at the far post to give United the opener. And who was supposedly marking the dangerous forward? Yes, that’s right – Charles N’Zogbia. Not only did he not know where Rooney was, but criminally, and probably most importantly, he didn’t read the cross coming in from Ronaldo.

But, in his defence, he’s not a natural left-back. Actually come to think of it, he’s not a defender at all. His talents lie at the opposite end of the field in attack, with his dribbling and speed. They’re on the wing, running at the opposition’s right-back and whipping in crosses into the box. Plus he can take a mean deal ball.

So why, if Keegan is stretched of options like it appears to be the case, did he not take the chance to improve his squad during the January transfer window. Maybe he didn’t have the funds. Maybe he naïvely thought the current squad was good enough to last out the season. Or maybe, just maybe, he’s not that great of a manager as some people make him out to be. His stint with England was as depressing as a Gordon Brown speech in the House of Commons and his spell with Manchester City, though relatively successful, didn’t bring any silverware to Eastlands. So, with that in mind, can he bring success to St James Park?

Well let’s look at possible targets he may want to bring in during the summer. Taye Taiwo, the Nigerian left-back currently at Olympique de Marseille, could be a valuable addition. Likened to Roberto Carlos, the Nigerian’s stamina is just as astonishing as Ebbsfleet United winning the FA Cup. And he’s got one hell of a left-foot, which comes in handy when taking free-kicks.

Another could be Geoffrey Dernis of Saint-Étienne. A midfielder who’s good with both feet, Dernis could be just the type of player Newcastle needs – creative, tactically aware, and relatively cheap. His team-mate, Bafetimbi Gomis, may also be a good addition to add depth to Newcastle’s strike force, although they'll probably have to fight to sign him as Rangers are also interested.

Mohammed Ali came back once to often and we all know how that ended. With the Premiership having developed so much in the past 11 years since Keegan was last manager of the black-and-whites, tactically and athletically, can he really develop a team that will be considered better than the one he had in the 90s with Beardsley and co? The Geordies better hope so because if he doesn’t, there’s no way they’re going to win anything.

It's the Blues vs the Whites. Grant vs Ramos. Berbatov vs Terry. It's the first final of the English season. Chelsea will be looking to secure their thrid Carling Cup in four years, after winning 3-2 against Liverpool in the 2005 final and beating London rivals Arsenal 2-1 last year under influential, charismatic manager José Mourinho. Meanwhile, Spurs, under new boss Juande Ramos, will be looking for their first piece of sliverware in nine years. And my money's on the Blues.

Chelsea have been there and conquered all. They have the experience of knowing what finals are all about. A lot of the Spurs players though, are still relative newborns to winning trophies. And take into account that Spurs record against Chelsea is like a rotten egg three months over its expiry date, then it's no wonder why the Blues are favourties. But don't think this is a forgone conclusion. Spurs are carving for success, especially after seeing the joy of bitter North London rivals Arsenal in recent years. They're hungry, they're starving - they're like a obese 30-stone 40-year old who hasn't eaten all day. They're like the Special Forces - preparing, planning, training for this day to come for nine long years. They're representing the common man, the guy on the street, the average fan. Meanwhile, their west London opponents are the lions of the den, the footballing advert of the super-rich, upperclass crème de la crème society that some only dream about. Many say money can't buy you success in football, but it can buy you a load of talent.

I expect the midfield in a few hours time at Wembley will be like Piccadilly Circus Tube station on a Monday morning, packed to the full with international talent - Lampard, Essien, Mikel, Jenas, Zokora, Malbranque. And this won't be a time to be experimenting new formations and tactics. Anelka's been playing well recently since his move from Bolton in January, but against Woodgate and King I expect Chelsea to go with raw power so the Frenchman will probably be on the bench with Drogba starting. I'm expecting Florent Malouda and Shaun Wright-Phillips to be the two wingers for Chelsea and to provide the crosses for Drogba with Lampard breaking from midfield. Cech is a automatic started with the back four of Belletti, Terry, Carvalho and Bridge. I'm expecting Bridge and Belletti to be darting up and down the wings to add width to Chelsea's play and provide support to wingers Malouda and Wright-Phillips.

Spurs, meanwhile, will probably stick with the partnership of Berbatov and Keane with the Bulgarian playing just behind the Irishman. Aaron Lennon I expect will be hugging the wing to add real width to Spurs with Jenas, Zokora and Malbranque as a trio-midfield to stop Chelsea free-flowing football through the middle. Hutton, Woodgate, King and Chimbonda will no doubt make up the back four for the Spurs with Radek Černý starting in goal after a impressive run of form.

The echoes of Mourinho's name still ring around Stamford Bridge, despite the fact that Grant has had similar success as his Portuguese counterpart did when he first came to the Bridge. Trophies, however, are the benchmark for success in modern football and José Mourinho certainly won his fair share of silverware. Can Grant secure his first trophy as the Blues continue their search for a unprecedented Quadruple or will Ramos bring his success to White Hart Lane at last like he did so with Sevilla?

It's going to be one hell of a final.

I recently read John Sinnott’s article “Small talent pool hurts England” on the BBC sports website and I have to say something about it. Here’s the article in its entirety

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/7241484.stm

First of all, I’ll accept what he writes about is fairly true. To have a chance at winning a trophy at the international stage you’ve got to have the quantity of talented players to pick from. Let’s take Brazil as an example. Brazil is always considered one of the favourites in international tournaments, whether that be World Cups or Copa Americas. The coach, currently Dunga, always has a massive pool of talent to choose from. Here’s a list I’ve made (in no particular order):

1. Ronaldinho (Barcelona)
2. Kaká (AC Milan)
3. Luis Fabiano (Sevilla)
4. Diego (Werder Bremen)
5. Robinho (Real Madrid)
6. Anderson (Manchester United)
7. Afonso Alves (Middlesbrough)
8. Daniel Alves (Sevilla)
9. Adriano (Sevilla)
10. Alex (Chelsea)
11. Lucas (Liverpool)
12. Gilberto Silva (Arsenal)
13. Fred (Lyon)
14. Dida (AC Milan)
15. Doni (Roma)
16. Julio Batista (Real Madrid)
17. Alexander Pato (AC Milan)
18. Gilberto (Tottenham Hotspurs)
19. Breno (Bayern Munich)
20. Lucio (Bayern Munich)
21. Elano (Manchester City)
22. Daniel Carvalho (CSKA Moscow)
23. Vágner Love (CSKA Moscow)
24. Marcelo (Real Madrid)
25. Júlio César (Internazionale)
26. Luisão (Benfica)
27. Naldo (Werder Bremen)
28. Maicon (Internazionale)
29. Juan (A.S. Roma)
30. Mineiro (Hertha Berlin)
31. Edmílson (Barcelona)
32. Ricardo Oliveira (Real Zaragoza)

And there’s even more. Veterans like Cafu and Roberto Carlos are still around, despite the fact that they have yet to be picked by Dunga. Relatively unknowns like Reinaldo and Marcinho, who are currently playing for Queensland Roar in the Australian A-League and Luciano Emilio and Fred who are playing for DC United in the MLS are good quality players. Plus youngsters like Renato Augusto, who’s been likened to Rivaldo, are looking like real stars for the future.

But in the article John writes that there’ll only be 11 English players playing in the Champions League this week. Well what about Argentina? They’re one of the best teams in the world (the best according to FIFA rankings, but who considers it a real reflection of football?), and yet they’ll only have 8 players in the Champions League according to the article. The Dutch will only have 5, again according to the article.

And this is a reflection of footballers playing in foreign lands. There are no Dutch teams left in the Champions League and yet the Dutch have 5 players who are probably going to play this week. The same goes for Brazil and Argentina. Why aren’t there any high-profile English players playing aboard like there used to be, like there was with Keegan (Hamburg) and Lineker (Barcelona)? Are English players so arrogant to think the English Premier League is the be-all and end-all of football?

The only high-profile players I can think of who have played aboard in recent times are David Beckham, Michael Owen, Jonathan Woodgate and Owen Hargreaves. Out of those four only Beckham and Hargreaves have made it successfully during their times at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. Owen had his injuries and never really reached the form that made him so dangerous at Liverpool and Woodgate was also sidelined for the majority of the time with injuries.

Pundits (I’m not going to name names) keep saying the likes of Darren Bent and Peter Crouch can’t get first-team football for Spurs and Liverpool respectively and that this is hurting the England national team. Well I’m sorry, but why doesn’t Bent think about going to the Netherlands or why doesn’t Crouch think about going to Italy or Spain for some first-team football? Is the reason because they love getting paid thousands of pounds to just sit on their asses week-in, week-out?

And then there’s the English youth players. Again pundits keep saying young English players can’t get into the first-teams for Premiership sides and that this is hurting the national team because there’s not enough talent coming through. Apparently the amount of young foreign players in the academies of Premiership clubs outweigh the number of English youngsters. So again I’m going to ask you, why can’t these young players go aboard and take the place of a Frenchman at a French academy, of a Spaniard at a Spanish academy, of an Italian at an Italian academy? Lionel Messi left Argentina for Barcelona when he was just 13. Cesc Fabergas left Spain for Arsenal when he was just 16. So there’s no point in arguing that young players shouldn’t go aboard when they’re so young because now Cesc and Lionel are two of the best players in the world and in the case of Messi the second best player as voted at the 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year awards. The example of Theo Walcott is perfect. He can’t get into the first-team of Arsenal. Yes he may decide that he wants to work his way into the team, but if he keeps failing to do or if he keeps failing to hit form when he does play in the first-team, will he think about moving aboard to another club playing in Europe like, for example, Lyon or Sevilla, to (a) get some first-team football (b) experience a different league and playing style, and (c) experience a different culture?

There’s also a point to be made that both young English players and the players in the senior national team are not technical gifted enough. Where are the Chris Waddles’, where are the Steve McMahons’, where are the Alan Shearers’? Where are the English Lionel Messis’, Juan Román Riquelmes' and Ronaldinhos’? Maybe England should concentrate more on youth development instead of taking the easy route of blaming foreign players and then maybe they’ll win a World Cup.