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| Are youths given a chance? | |
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| Topic Started: Thu Mar 5, 2009 4:32 pm (113 Views) | |
| Olivavu (old account) | Thu Mar 5, 2009 4:32 pm Post #1 |
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In this age of modern football, it seems harder than ever for young players to make the breakthrough into first-team football. Manchester City were being commended for their attitude towards youngsters, but now they've got megabucks it appears unlikely that many more like Richards, Sturridge, Hart, Onuoha etc will appear at Eastlands while they are the richest club in the game. Middlesbrough have had a thriving youth conveyor belt for a few years now, which has seen some good youngsters come through - Cattermole, Wheater, Johnson, Downing etc - but they are now in a relegation battle and it indicates that youngsters cannot be too heavily relied upon. Here at Anfield, we've not seen a young player make a proper step up to the first-team since Steven Gerrard, over ten years ago. The likes of Stephen Warnock and Stephen Wright have flirted with being first-team regulars in that time, but we've not seen anyone really grab the bull by the horns - but are they actually being given a chance? Of our current younger players sniffing around the first-team, there are David N'Gog, Emiliano Insua, Nabil El Zhar, Ryan Babel and Damien Plessis. Not one of those is a genuine, bona fide product of our youth system. Each was bought through the ranks at another club and then plucked by our scouts. Of those, I can only see Insua making any lengthy impact at the club anyway. In our current youth/reserve sides, there are plenty of youngsters that look capable of making an impact on the first-team, one way or another, but the majority of those are foreigners that have spent the majority of their development elsewhere - a la Cesc Fabregas, Gael Clichy, Denilson and all the other 'gems' Arsene Wenger receives praise for developing...hmm The local lads of note, are Adam Hammill and Jay Spearing. But can anyone honestly imagine that either of those will get much of a chance? Is it because they are not good enough? Is it because the risk cannot be taken at this level? With seven substitutes now on offer each week, would it not make wonderful sense to put one or two on the bench each week and give them ten or fifteen minutes if the game is in the bag? |
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| Olivavu (old account) | Thu Mar 5, 2009 4:34 pm Post #2 |
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http://lfctalk.wordpress.com/2009/03/05/are-youths-given-a-chance/ |
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| tony | Fri Mar 6, 2009 12:30 pm Post #3 |
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It's a good point. But I think that pacheco looks a good lad and should make the step to the 1st team squad. |
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| Olivavu (old account) | Mon Apr 6, 2009 10:35 am Post #4 |
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Liverpool Emiliano Insua (20) The Argentine left-back joined Liverpool from Boca Juniors in 2007. Insua, was apart of his country's Under 20 World Cup-winning side in 2007 and has played six times this season for Liverpool and looks to be good cover for Fabio Aurelio, which could spell the end of Italian left-back Andrea Dossena. South American flair: defender Emiliano Insua David N'Gog (19) The France Under 21 striker joined Liverpool last summer for £1.5m. N'Gog, has made 14 appearances so far this term and scored against PSV in the Champions League and Sunderland in the League. Although very raw, N'Gog could prove to be a good asset to Benitez's squad. Damien Plessis (20) Like N'Gog, Plessis is a France Under 21 international. The centre midfielder joined Liverpool from Lyon in 2007 and has drawn comparison to former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira. Plessis has appeared seven times for Benitez's men and scored his first goal in the 4-2 Carling Cup defeat to Tottenham. Krisztian Nemeth (20) Currently on loan at Blackpool, the Hungarian sensation has yet to make a first team appearance. Nemeth, joined Liverpool in 2007 and has impressed many with his pace movement and eye for goal. With Liverpool short of strikers he would have hoped to have broken into the Liverpool first team by the end of this season. Stephen Darby (20) Right-back Darby, who is Liverpool's reserve team captain, has appeared twice in their Champions League campaign. The Melwood graduate will look to break into the first team and play with boyhood heroes Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher. VERDICT: Teething troubles. Liverpool could do with a crop of good youngsters to patch up a thin squad, but Benitez's boys are a mixed bag, including a number of foreigners who may struggle to step up. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1167950/As-fantastic-Federico-makes-dream-debut-Sportsmail-looks-youngsters-coming-United-Chelsea-Liverpool-Arsenal.html?ITO=1490 |
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| Olivavu (old account) | Mon Apr 6, 2009 1:13 pm Post #5 |
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Why are these young players that are making breakthroughs at other big clubs eluding our scouting system? We've signed tonnes of youngsters since Benitez arrived and only Emiliano Insua has had any kind of decent impact in that time. United appear to have snapped up a good prospect in Federico Macheda. He looks confident, strong and able - but why could their scouts identify his potential and not ours? He was only at Lazio, not some obscure club from Kazakhstan. It's not a kneejerk reaction to the lad's goal yesterday, just a chain of thought that emanates from seeing a youngster making an impact at a rival club. A lot was hoped of Nemeth for us, but he doesn't seem to be getting any opportunities when fit. I'd rather see him given a chance ahead of N'Gog, from what I've seen of each. |
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| Olivavu (old account) | Mon Apr 6, 2009 3:21 pm Post #6 |
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The club's youth system has come under fire in recent weeks for not producing a single first-team player since Stephen Warnock, now at Blackburn, despite millions of pounds of investment. Eccleston, an 18-year-old England youth international, though, is just one player whose promise suggests that might be about to change. Krisztian Nemeth - Hungarian international striker likely to be the first of Rafa Benitez's imported youngsters to make the breakthrough at first-team level. Picked up from Liverpool's feeder club MTK, Nemeth is a ruthless finisher, although doubts remain over his lack of pace. A broken cheekbone on his debut put an end to a January loan spell at Blackpool, but that Benitez namechecked him as a reason for selling Robbie Keane two weeks later suggests his future his bright. Dani Pacheco - Rafa Benitez plucked the Spanish prodigy from Barcelona two years ago and Liverpool's staff retain high hopes they may have unearthed a gem. His displays for the first team in pre-season hinted at what was to come, full of clever touches and excellent control, and the 18-year-old is expected to be promoted from reserve level next season. Adam Pepper - A 17-year-old attacking midfielder in just his first year at Liverpool's Academy, Pepper is already regarded as the brightest prospect on Merseyside since Wayne Rooney. After a string of excellent performances for the under-18s, Pepper gave a glimpse of his potential when he scored from the half-way line against Blackburn last month. Xabi Alonso would be proud. Lauri Dalla Valle - Another beneficiary of Benitez's global scouting network, Dalla Valle is a Finnish youth international boasting a clinical ruthlessness in front of goal. Hughie McAuley, the under-18s manager, regards him as a "real asset" while his countryman Sami Hyypia regards him as "one of the names for the future." Thomas Ince - Despite his father, former Liverpool captain Paul Ince, making his name as a snarling midfield enforcer, the younger Ince is a quick, exciting left winger who has made a big impression in his first year at the club's Academy. Only 17, his physical presence has improved and, along with Pepper, he is seen as the home grown youngster most likely to make it to the first team in the coming years. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/liverpool/5114127/Liverpools-youth-players-show-promise-for-the-future.html |
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| Olivavu (old account) | Tue Apr 7, 2009 11:06 am Post #7 |
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Rafa’s youth policy: Why 5 years isn’t long enough to judge. In the last few weeks there has been vehement criticism of Rafa Benítez’s youth policy since he took over the club in 2004. There is much evidence to support the argument that Benítez has overlooked those in the youth team; However, there is also ample evidence pointing to the opposite. There are a number of factors to consider when evaluating the youth policy of the club since Benítez took over. Firstly, he has only been at the helm five years; a high-quality system takes time to implement. Next season would be the first season in which it would be fair to judge the manager. Quality young players take time to develop, and Benítez has bought a number of youngsters that have arrived at different stages of his tenure. Academy overhaul Upon his arrival at the club, Benítez was particularly scathing of the way the Academy was run and the quality of its players. Thereafter, he felt the need to implement massive changes, which again takes time to come to fruition. The Academy has seen a huge upheaval since 2004 - Staff members such as Gary Ablett, Angel Vales, Eduardo Macía and Mike McGlynn have come in to work in the Academy, or as in the case of Macía and McGlynn, scout future prospects. The list of young players that have been bought by Benítez is substantial. Many players have been brought through the ranks at clubs such as Real Madrid and Barcelona, whilst others have been signed ahead of Europe’s biggest clubs. The quality is certainly there - it’s now a case of bringing it through. This is where the accusations start to fly. I submit that Benítez has not failed to bring through young players at Liverpool F.C. "You'll never win anything with kids" Former Liverpool defender and current BBC football pundit Alan Hansen infamously said “you’ll never win anything with kids”. In the 1995-96 seasons, the Manchester United team famously won the Premier League with such “kids”. Taking a look at that youthful side, it isn’t what you’d expect. Peter Schmeichel was 32, Denis Irwin was 30, Gary Pallister was 29, Brian McClair was 32 and Paul Parker was 31. Both Lee Sharpe (at 25) and Roy Keane (24) had been around the Premier League for a while at this point. The youth was is as follows; Gary Neville, Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes and David Beckham were all 21; Ryan Giggs at 22. The age and experience was still there in 1995 for Manchester United, as it is within the Liverpool team today. Jamie Carragher (31), Fábio Aurelio (29), Steven Gerrard and Yossi Benayoun (both 28), Andrea Dossena (27) and Sami Hyypiä (35) are the oldest and most experienced players in the team. The young player 'myth' Benítez not signing and playing young players, however, is a myth. Ryan Babel and Lucas Leiva joined the club aged twenty, Daniel Agar was twenty one, Peep Reina, Javier Mascherano and Xabi Alonso all joined aged twenty two, and Fernando Torres and Martin Škrtel joined aged twenty three. All were thrown directly into the first team, and many of these are now essential to the first team squad every week. Alex Ferguson’s Class of ’92 included a brilliant set of players, however the chances of such a large number of quality young players coming into the first team at the same time is virtually unheard of before or since. Taking the assumed Liverpool first team today as Reina, Arbeloa, Škrtel, Carragher, Aurelio, Kuyt, Alonso, Mascherano, Riera, Gerrard and Torres, that is an average age of 26.7 years old. Compared to Manchester United’s average of 29.7 years and Chelsea’s 28.5, lower only than Arsenal’s 26. The team itself is a young one. It is true that the fifteen to twenty year olds Benítez has signed haven’t been as prolific in the first team squad. This season, however, Insúa, N’Gog, Plessis and El Zhar have made 42 sppeareances - including substitutions - between them. As has already been established, it takes time for changes made to the Academy start yielding results. This season, more so than the four that have preceded it, the accusations of Benítez simply do not ring true. This season: progress? This season, there is proof that Benítez is more than willing to promote the younger players to within the playing squad. Indeed, players such as Stephen Darby, Jay Spearing and Martin Kelly have all had their first experience of the first team. Let us not forget that in 2006 and 2007 Liverpool won the F.A. Youth Cup, and last season the Reserves won their league. There is no doubting the quality the club has at its disposal, and there is no question in my mind that Benítez will bringing those youngster who are ready into first team. Now that Benítez believes he has the quality within the reserves and under-18 teams, I expect we shall see much more of them in coming seasons. http://www.liverpool-kop.com/2009/04/rafas-youth-policy-why-5-years-isnt.html |
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| Olivavu | Tue Jun 2, 2009 3:07 pm Post #8 |
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World Football Here's Daniel Grigg feels it is time that Rafa Benitez started to show faith in his youth policy. Isn't it time that the likes of Darby, Spearing, Plessis and Pacheco were at least given a fair and proper chance in the Liverpool first team squad, instead of these tired itty-bitty signings that Benitez insists on using as short-term gap fillers, like Arbeloa, Degen, N'Gog and Lucas. Give a few of the kids with some real ability a chance and perhaps they, like the ones that have pushed United to 3 trophies this season, will really shine. Benitez has used his youth players far too rarely and this has meant many of his squad have been bought for silly little amounts of money like that spent on Lucas (£6m), Dossena (£7m) and N'Gog (£1.5), which build up to quite a few million when all added up. With the new stadium costing a lot just to design let alone build Liverpool need all the money and all the free players they can if they are to stake a firm claim to take back the position of England's top team. Liverpool's youth team regularly out-perform Manchester United's and yet it is United for whom Federico Macheda earned 4 points with 2 crucial goals last season. Ferguson also giving more than one-off starts to Welbeck, Eckersley, Campbell, Gibson and Evans. It was Macheda, a 17 year old who gave Man U the 4 point lead they ended up winning the title with. A third of Man U's team is home grown and they win the title. The facts are that Liverpool and Man U pay the same on transfer fees most seasons, it's just that when Man U spend they buy big world class player and make big improvements to the team. When Liverpool spends, they spend 50% big and 50% on buying what United already had through its youth system. This unfortunately is Benitez's fault. Signing Robbie Keane, as bad a decision as it was, wasn't the thing that cost Liverpool. Man Utd have overpaid on players like Nani, but those mistakes just don't hurt as much because they can afford a second go at it, because of the youth. Benitez must start bringing in a system of youth players to fill into his main squad and sustain a challenge. Chelsea had the money and no youth and it didn't work because they couldn't replenish the team. Man Utd always used to bring through youth as was so excellently shown by the exploits of Macheda. Benitez has the players in his youth team but he has to trust them. He goes young and English far too rarely and as United have shown, played in bursts and as gap fillers these players can be extremely effective and the difference that wins a title when two teams are now so evenly matched as Liverpool and United are. Credit must be given to Benitez for that at least, but he knows sits 3 whole seasons from his last trophy at Liverpool, the 2006 FA Cup won against West Ham. For a team like Liverpool, this simply isn't good enough. http://www.footballfancast.com/blog/liverpool/time-benitez-embrace-next-generation/13650 |
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"Rushie, Hunt and Fowler too...Kenny Dalglish and Michael Who?" | |
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| Olivavu | Tue Jul 7, 2009 12:23 pm Post #9 |
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RAFA Benitez has launched a “Kop Idol” style search for new talent for Liverpool’s first team. The Reds boss has called up half a dozen of Liverpool’s most promising youngsters to train with the first team squad – and challenged them to prove they are good enough to stay there. Benitez is keen to see how much progress has been made by some of the Reds reserves during the last 12 months and is pitching them in with the senior stars in the early stages of Liverpool’s pre-season training. Spanish trio Dani Pacheco, Mikel San Jose and Danny Ayala, Hungarians Krisztian Nemeth and Peter Gulacsi and locally produced central defender Martin Kelly are all being given a chance to stake their claim to stay with the big boys. All six are rubbing shoulders with first team regulars including Jamie Carragher, Dirk Kuyt, Yossi Benayoun and Martin Skrtel as the Liverpool manager puts his players through their paces. With fellow reserve regulars Jay Spearing and Stephen Darby already established in the first team set up, Benitez is keen to give some of the younger members of his squad the chance to shine ahead of the coming campaign. He said: “We have already had conversations with the likes of Pacheco, Ayala and San Jose and we have told them that it depends on them. “They are now training with the first team squad and this is their chance to show what they can do ahead of the new season.” Meanwhile, Yossi Benayoun has told of his delight after committing his future to Liverpool until 2013. As revealed in yesterday’s ECHO, the Israeli international has become the latest Reds star to agree terms on a new contract, following on from Steven Gerrard, Dirk Kuyt, Fernando Torres and Daniel Agger who have all secured improved deals. Benayoun has wasted no time in putting pen to paper on his two year contract extension, describing it as “a dream come true”. “I am very happy that we have reached an agreement,” said the 29-year-old. “Of course, to be at a club like this is a dream come true and I want to keep playing here. “Hopefully now I can concentrate on the hard work that needs to be done and try to play better and better and win some silverware.” Benitez was equally pleased to have tied down yet another of his stars to a long term deal and praised Benayoun’s increased influence on his Liverpool side over the last 12 months. “You know that our idea was to extend the contracts of some players and Yossi was one of those players,” said the Liverpool manager. “He has been really good for us over the last year, scoring crucial goals and getting assists, so we wanted to keep him and I'm really pleased with the extension.” http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2009/07/07/rafa-benitez-launches-kop-idol-style-talent-search-liverpool-fc-latest-100252-24092750/ |
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"Rushie, Hunt and Fowler too...Kenny Dalglish and Michael Who?" | |
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| Olivavu | Tue Jul 7, 2009 12:32 pm Post #10 |
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Pacheco and Nemeth are two I have high hopes for, but Nemeth looked a bit slow last season. Doesn't seem to have the urgency he had in 2007/8, when he topscored for the reserves. Pacheco looks like he has plenty of technical ability, but his small stature could hold him back, depends on how he develops. Being small never stopped Luis Garcia and Yossi Benayoun is hardly Mr Muscle!  Kelly looks alright and I reckon he's being bought through because he's English and we could do with more homegrown talent in the squad - along with Spearing and Darby, he looks our best bet of that. |
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"Rushie, Hunt and Fowler too...Kenny Dalglish and Michael Who?" | |
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| StevieG | Tue Jul 7, 2009 12:39 pm Post #11 |
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good to see these lads getting a chance with the big boys |
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