Fans Expect Too Much, Too Soon, From Players Like Carlos Vela.
As you know Young Guns has been following the progress of the likes of, Carlos Vela, Fran Merida, and Pedro Bothelo, all young players on loan in Spain, i have been watching a lot of La Liga, and Segunda football, as well as from other leagues, and one thing you notice is the talented youngsters over there have much more time to develop and learn their trade than in England.
The currently system in England is as follows.
16-17 – Blood In To Reserves.
17-18 – Regular In The Reserves.
18-19 – The Best Sent Out On Loan, The Rest Released.
19-20 – Sold On, Or In The First Team.
Whereas in Spain for example, they blood the players in to the “Reserves” or B team, aged 17, and they stay there until they are 20-21, when they have fully developed physically in to men and ready for first team action , to compete not only technically, but physically, a process in England which in my opinion is rushed.
Look at Carlos Vela, he spent one season out on loan with UD Salamanca, and did very well, 8 goals as a striker, playing in a struggling side, but now, with another year under his belt at Osasuna, he has made the step up, still only 18, the second year out on loan has done him the world of good, he has learnt a whole new position and is starting to come out of his shell, but lets not rush him people already saying he is ready to replace Rosicky.
But in England we only give the players one year on loan, or in Kieran Gibbs’s case just three months, and then we expect him to come in to a first team environment and perform and offer us an option, Justin Hoyte and Nicklas Bendtner have both come back from year long loan’s and then they have moved in to the first team, a second year backs up the experience they have got from the loan, and helps them build on it, working and learning from the mistakes they have made in the previous year, before being ready to fight for a place in the team.
I also think loaning players to different leagues is pointless, yes i agree it is valid for development, but we need players plying their trade in the environment they will be used in, otherwise it just becomes a holiday in the Sun.
Overall the point I’m trying to make is, i think people are expecting too much of the young players, Armand Traore is just 18 years old, yes he has talent, but i feel we are rushing players in to the setup, the likes of David Bentley, Matthew Upson have only lived up to the potential they showed here, when they grew in to men, players like Fabregas and Rooney are rare, the technique and ability of that level, at their age is amazing, but as the famous saying goes “Once In A Blue Moon” you will find players like this.
North London Pride, also raised another issue on young players, that because they show early promise they are exploited too early, leading to injuries later in their career’s, Spain have a huge array of talented players coming through, but they let them develop and do not put pressure on them, i just wish it was the same over here, longer term it will benefit the club, as well as the players, and country’s, we will all do well not to judge youngsters until they turn at least 20.
Article By – J.Sanderson
here here. It’s unbelievable how many people are now writing off the likes of Bendtner, Traore and Walcott. The midnset is “right these guys aren’t good enough. Let’s ship them out and get Gibbs, Merida, Vela in the team”… No patience what so ever. And also a complete inability to recognise talent. We have some phenomenal young players and some people think that just because they are not doing what Messi, Fabregas, Rooney did at 18 then their time is up.
Surely the quicker you blood them into the first team the faster they develop? Ditto training with the first team.
Im not disagreeing with you, and pushing young players is just as harmful as holding them back but the quicker they compete in a tough environment the quicker they adjust.
However as you point out, in England, you have to have ‘made it’ by 20 whereas somewhere like Holland the equivalent cut off age is 23.
Its just that the bar has been raised by the likes of Cesc, Rooney and Messi we hope and even expect instant success.
When They Are Blood in to the first team, there is pressure on them to succeed, so yes devlopment but also much more pressure.
I agree on this article there’s only one thing you forgot..
The impatients of players.
I think most ( english) players don’t have the patients to wait untill there 20/21ths of age to be a regular in the first team.
Agree completely, I’ve just been reading on another blog someone saying get rid of Traore because he is useless! He is only just 18 FFS! If we had a system like Spain with our ‘B’ team who could play regularly in a lower division, players could wait until they are 21/22 before starting in the first team. With the current set up we risk losing potentially good young players because they are not yet ready to play in the first team, but they have reached the level where they need to be playing regularly in order to improve. Other teams wait to buy the ready made article whereas Wenger is the only top 4 team manager who is prepared to risk poor results in order to allow young players to develop in real matches in the premiership and the cups. I think he is actually very brave and it comes off more often than not.
Very nice article. Keep it up !!!
Excellent Article Mate!
agree im sick of people writing traore and hoyte off, they are just kids ffs
Great Blog.
Added To My Favourites !
Yep
This is an issue that has irked me lately. Reading ‘fans’ opinions about Walcott, Bendtner, Traore not being good enough, and that they should be sold. But the best comment on here is about the impatience of players to wait til they’re 20. Bendtner is an amazing talent who will be a world beater. Unfortunately, the only player we have that is willing to wait for his chance is Hoyte, and I have to say that more often than not he disappoints, and I don’t think he will make. His brother might though.
All fine plus nine equal to not fine.