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Simply substitute the word England with Jamaica and read on.
http://frenchyblogs.wordpress.com/2010/07/12/fc-barcelona-the-blueprint-for-a-youth-system/
When Real Madrid’s legendary goalkeeper Iker Casillas held aloft Football’s biggest prize last night, the proud Madridista no doubt ignored the irony that it was the Catalans who put the trophy in his hands.
Seven of the starting line up came through the ranks at Barca, with just Casillas himself from Madrid’s youth system. The remaining starters came from other clubs dotted around the vast Iberian nation.
England’s largest clubs, with the exception of Arsenal, increasingly fail to see the importance of youth. Sir Alex Ferguson had such success with his young players in the mid-1990s, with Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and David Beckham all home grown. This is a trend fast becoming something of the past in the English game.
The current England side contains not one player from the Manchester United academy, with just one from each of Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal. In fact, if it wasn’t for West Ham giving us Frank Lampard, Glen Johnson, Rio Ferdinand and (via Charlton) Jermain Defoe, the England side would be even more flimsy than it proved at the last World Cup.
The Spanish domination of world football in recent years is no coincidence, as the biggest underachievers in the game have finally achieved owing to a huge investment in home grown talent. Whilst there are still big money foreign signings coming into La Liga, the spine of its most successful team is all Spanish.
There are also a staggering number of Football coaches in Spain who hold UEFA qualifications. Just 2,800 were registered in England before the World Cup, as opposed to Spain’s 24,000. There can be no doubt that there is a correlation between these figures and success on the field of play.
If one travels in Spain football is being played in every tiny, sun scorched village one comes across. Stop and watch for a while, and the difference between our nation and the Spanish is all too clear.
Whilst kids here kick the ball around without direction or purpose, often in 15-a-side games, the Iniestas and Xavis of tomorrow have a coach with a whistle and a clip board to guide them. Not all these coaches will go on to be the next Pep Guardiola, but they have played an absolutely integral role in taking their nation to the pinnacle of world football.
It is also not a coincidence that whilst Spain completed over 80% of their passes in South Africa, England had a completion rate worse than Serbia, Switzerland or even hosts themselves.
Watching youth training sessions at even the lowest level in Spain will reveal that the players stick to passing the ball on the ground. Often one or three touch games can be seen to be played, meaning the focus is on keeping possession and passing accurately rather than getting to the opposition’s goal as quickly as possible via a long ball, the reason Emile Heskey is in the England side at all.
The myth that some nations (with perhaps the exception of Brazil) are naturally better than others at the game can be proven wrong, as with a bit of investment in the right areas, sides such as the Czech Republic at Euro 2004 and Russia at Euro 2008 had real success. If English players were coached properly from an early age there is no reason why the next James Milner can’t be more like Xavi.
Until English footballing philosophy changes, however, this is nothing but fantasy. But with such epic failure this summer, perhaps the seeds of change have been sewn in this country.
Barcelona as a club has stuck to the ‘Total football’ philosophy of former player and manager Johann Cruff since the late-1980s, and the players the Catalans have produced since are testament to this. Xavi, Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas and Argentine superstar Lionel Messi all learned the game from the club and now it seems the silverware of the World has a magnetic pull towards Spain.
When Real Madrid were wooing us with ‘Los Galacticos’ Zidane, Figo and Ronaldo nearly ten years ago, Xavi, Iniesta and Puyol were all in the Barcelona side together. They were the players with the medals round their necks last night and whilst Barca had to watch their bitter rivals have success in the short term, they have since started to dominate. The era of instant results must change here.
Nothing pays off without hard work and dedication, but the last decade in Spain has proven that it is all worth it in the end. Change might be difficult, but the scenes in Madrid last night could be happening in London in three or four World Cups time, we just need to see the end of English short-sightedness and learn a little patience.
http://frenchyblogs.wordpress.com/2010/07/12/fc-barcelona-the-blueprint-for-a-youth-system/
When Real Madrid’s legendary goalkeeper Iker Casillas held aloft Football’s biggest prize last night, the proud Madridista no doubt ignored the irony that it was the Catalans who put the trophy in his hands.
Seven of the starting line up came through the ranks at Barca, with just Casillas himself from Madrid’s youth system. The remaining starters came from other clubs dotted around the vast Iberian nation.
England’s largest clubs, with the exception of Arsenal, increasingly fail to see the importance of youth. Sir Alex Ferguson had such success with his young players in the mid-1990s, with Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and David Beckham all home grown. This is a trend fast becoming something of the past in the English game.
The current England side contains not one player from the Manchester United academy, with just one from each of Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal. In fact, if it wasn’t for West Ham giving us Frank Lampard, Glen Johnson, Rio Ferdinand and (via Charlton) Jermain Defoe, the England side would be even more flimsy than it proved at the last World Cup.
The Spanish domination of world football in recent years is no coincidence, as the biggest underachievers in the game have finally achieved owing to a huge investment in home grown talent. Whilst there are still big money foreign signings coming into La Liga, the spine of its most successful team is all Spanish.
There are also a staggering number of Football coaches in Spain who hold UEFA qualifications. Just 2,800 were registered in England before the World Cup, as opposed to Spain’s 24,000. There can be no doubt that there is a correlation between these figures and success on the field of play.
If one travels in Spain football is being played in every tiny, sun scorched village one comes across. Stop and watch for a while, and the difference between our nation and the Spanish is all too clear.
Whilst kids here kick the ball around without direction or purpose, often in 15-a-side games, the Iniestas and Xavis of tomorrow have a coach with a whistle and a clip board to guide them. Not all these coaches will go on to be the next Pep Guardiola, but they have played an absolutely integral role in taking their nation to the pinnacle of world football.
It is also not a coincidence that whilst Spain completed over 80% of their passes in South Africa, England had a completion rate worse than Serbia, Switzerland or even hosts themselves.
Watching youth training sessions at even the lowest level in Spain will reveal that the players stick to passing the ball on the ground. Often one or three touch games can be seen to be played, meaning the focus is on keeping possession and passing accurately rather than getting to the opposition’s goal as quickly as possible via a long ball, the reason Emile Heskey is in the England side at all.
The myth that some nations (with perhaps the exception of Brazil) are naturally better than others at the game can be proven wrong, as with a bit of investment in the right areas, sides such as the Czech Republic at Euro 2004 and Russia at Euro 2008 had real success. If English players were coached properly from an early age there is no reason why the next James Milner can’t be more like Xavi.
Until English footballing philosophy changes, however, this is nothing but fantasy. But with such epic failure this summer, perhaps the seeds of change have been sewn in this country.
Barcelona as a club has stuck to the ‘Total football’ philosophy of former player and manager Johann Cruff since the late-1980s, and the players the Catalans have produced since are testament to this. Xavi, Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas and Argentine superstar Lionel Messi all learned the game from the club and now it seems the silverware of the World has a magnetic pull towards Spain.
When Real Madrid were wooing us with ‘Los Galacticos’ Zidane, Figo and Ronaldo nearly ten years ago, Xavi, Iniesta and Puyol were all in the Barcelona side together. They were the players with the medals round their necks last night and whilst Barca had to watch their bitter rivals have success in the short term, they have since started to dominate. The era of instant results must change here.
Nothing pays off without hard work and dedication, but the last decade in Spain has proven that it is all worth it in the end. Change might be difficult, but the scenes in Madrid last night could be happening in London in three or four World Cups time, we just need to see the end of English short-sightedness and learn a little patience.
Paul Marin -19 is one thing, 20 is a whole other matter. It gets even worse if they win the UCL. *groan*. 
05/18/2011.MU fans naah cough, but all a unuh a vomit?-Lazie 1/11/2015