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Why Defending Wins Championships

12:23 AM | Labels: Defending, England, Germany, pressing, spain, Transition

The old cliché goes “Attack wins games, defence wins Championships”. It is heard at almost all levels in all sports, yet do people really understand the impact of this and the importance that defending has on success?

In the Euro’s so far there has been some quite awful displays of defending; Ireland have been simply abysmal, especially considering they have come into this tournament on the back of a resolute defence, they have been all over the place and deservedly have been comprehensively beaten in both games. Tactics are only part of it though, it is the players which make the real difference to how effective a tactic can be, and Ireland have just not been good enough individually.

Another side which has disappointed greatly is Holland, who have arguably been the best side in the Euro’s so far when in possession of the ball; speed of play, movement and their skill on the ball has been scintillating at times. Yet, it is what they do defensively which means they will not be progressing further in this campaign. In their game against Germany, it was the difference in defending which meant Germany took all three points. Holland have seemingly neglected their focus on team defending and developing quality defenders at the expense of developing high quality technicians, thus it is their defensive problem which will mean they do not progress further this summer. An issue which they need to seriously address if they wish to be successful in the future.

The England game against Sweden was an example of why sides playing a high tempo game do not achieve success in these tournaments; quite simply, tactics are thrown out the window for the sake of seeking goals, now against the lesser sides you can afford to try this and England scraped the win which could easily have been a loss. Yet the Premier League style of front to back by any means and the forsaking of defence in order to score, is a reason why England and those sides who play the English way, do not achieve success internationally.

One cannot just attack and be successful, perhaps one can defend and win though, and in the past decade we have seen many different instances of defences winning Championships; Greece in 2004, Italy 2006, Inter Milan in 2010 and Chelsea in 2012, all won by a form of very deep and compact defending. Against the better sides, England will need to defend much smarter and much more compact. Could it work? Possibly, but for sides like England and managers like Hogdson, the purpose of defending is to not concede goals, whereas, there are two sides at the tournament this year which are teaching coaches and fans not just how to defend, Germany and Spain have taught us about transition.

Being Proactive

There is a misconception of the term “defence” in that it means “defenders”, this is completely false, and those who stick to this idea, are most likely those who lose more than they win. Defence means what the team does when not in possession of the ball, meaning it is a collective effort of the whole team to partake in some way to the defending role of the team.

There are many different ways of how to defend as a team, yet the two classic types are pressing or delay.

Pressing is the style which Rinus Michels developed in Holland in the late 60’s, a method which Arrigo Saachi’s Milan mastered so well and in which Barcelona and Spain have perfected in recent times. It means that as a team you press high up the pitch to win the ball back, it’s value being that you prevent the opposition counter attacking you and if you win the ball back, you are closer to goal. Thus it is a vital attacking tactic as well as defending.

A high pressing game requires many factors to be highly effective; importantly it requires a collective approach and an understanding of the roles of each player. English sides have often attempted a high pressing game; Graham Taylor’s Watford were renowned for it, however what this side and many English sides lack, is actually knowing how to press. Perhaps only Swansea have achieved a successful high pressing game in England these past few years. It requires a real intelligence, an understanding of when to go, where to show and where to support.

Contrary to the English mentality, it does not always mean running around like a lunatic hunting for the ball, in fact it requires a real intelligence to winning the ball effectively. How often have you seen Rooney running around hunting for the ball only to be played around, then when he looks around, his team mates are 30 yards away, this is poor intelligence. Ronaldo started getting frustrated in games against Barcelona, he decided to press, looked around and threw his arms up in dismay, however, it was him who was going against the teams tactics. When a side gets their defensive tactics right, they are much more effective.

Not many sides can achieve success playing a high pressing game, yet if a good coach can impress this style on their team, the rewards are very high. The potential downfall to this defensive style is the vulnerability behind the defence, thus, the importance of quick and intelligent defenders is vital to read and win the ball from a longer clearance out. On top of this is the key of having a keeper who acts like a sweeper, being able to read and clear up in the massive space allowed behind the defensive press.

This past season Barcelona did not press as effectively as they have done under Guardiola and I would argue that the goals conceded against Chelsea to Drogba and Ramires came as a result of ineffective pressing. This is a combination of fatigue and of sides figuring out Barcelona’s pressure more. Watching Spain against Ireland however showed how pressing can be so effective against a side who lack the technical skills and confidence to keep possession. The Spanish pressure appeared to simply frighten Ireland into kicking the ball away. Quite simply, Barcelona and Spain have perfected the art of pressing for the 21^st century.

Germany’s delay

Due to Barcelona’s style of play, we have seen sides defend for their life in their own box, yet this is not what Germany do. They drop their forwards off to the halfway line, to deny space for the opposition to penetrate through and behind. There is a real value to this tactic and being organised, as has been shown by the successes of Man City and Dortmund this past season. Mancini in particular made sure he laid down the foundations of being a strong, defensively solid side. Perhaps it is no surprise that Italian coaches won the Champions League, Serie A and the Premier League this past season. Could it be that an Italian mindset on football, which I believe Mourinho has, are reaping the rewards which come from producing effective defensive sides?

Moments of transition

Although there are different ways to defend, the key factor which is often lost on so many coaches, fans and even managers it appears, is that defending and attacking are not mutually exclusive. The most important moment in football comes in transition. Mourinho argues that transition is the most important part of the game; when you lose the ball, you are most vulnerable, when you win it, you have your best chance to score. Watch Spain when they win or lose the ball and how quick they transition, watch Germany when they win the ball in their own half, in a matter of seconds they are down the other end, this is how important, how essential transition is to football.

The best sides transition quickly and effectively. When Spain lose the ball, they transition to defend immediately, this is vital for them as for their possession tactic they want to commit men forward, if they lose the ball and the opposition attack, they are vulnerable to being countered. The value in their ability to press effectively in transition, either winning back the ball, spoiling the play, or even committing a foul, are all effective ways in not allowing the opposition to score and if they win they win the ball in the final third, a goal is not far away.

See how vital defending is? Spain has perfected their proactive style and it is why they concede so few goals, Germany has perfected the delay tactic to perfection also. Defensive stability along with an attacking threat, is simply the remedy for success. So why haven’t more sides perfected it?!

It’s the players

Quite simply, it comes down to the players you have. Spain have developed players suitable for all positions of the pitch who possess high technical skill, speed, agility and intelligence of attack and defence. Because of this, the whole side understands their roles and can implement their tactic to perfection. It really is not easy to implement this kind of tactic, it takes time, patience and great coaching to develop, thus Spain have done a great job of producing this style to such great effect.

The same with Germany, they have always had strong defences, which is why they are always challenging for the top prizes, yet now they have a model which creates transition players, this model has been in place for over a decade, they have refined, developed and coached players to suit their needs of both defending and attacking. Holland however are devoid of quality defenders, which alludes to their imbalance of developing attacking players yet few top defenders.

Yet in England, do we understand or coach real defending, or transition? England’s issues come from the continued errors of Charles Hughes; high intensity football, relying on long balls and set pieces with the game going from front to back as quick as possible, has become the hallmark of English football at almost all levels.

There does appears to be a change, yet it is slow and steady and will take decades to see the influence of these changes in the professional game. Simply, we need to develop more intelligent players, who understand the game in both defending and attacking situations. Spain changed their coaching methods twenty years ago, Germany did so a decade ago, we are far behind these top nations, yet we must seek to improve the standards of our players, a focus on the art of defending may not be a bad start in our quest to develop top class players.

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The Dutch's Midfield Failings

4:58 AM | Labels: England, Euro's, France, Germany, Holland, Sneijder, spain, Tactics, Van Merwijk

Two games in and two defeats to the Brilliant Orange. The side who reached the 2010 World Cup final is on the verge of elimination. Although they have been drawn in the dreaded “Group of Death” and have no points, they have arguably been the best side in tournament in terms of aesthetic value. With the attacking quality of Van Persie, Robben and Sneijder in the side and with a prolific goal scorer like Huntelaar only restricted to a substitute role, what has gone wrong for Holland? In my opinion it comes down to the tactical decisions of their coach Bert van Marwijk.

In the first game against Denmark Holland were guilty of simply not taking their chances and of then making a defensive error of which they were punished. As the game went on they became more desperate, snatched at shots and forced passes, which made the flow of their game more difficult. I would not say Denmark defended all too well, it was Holland who defeated theirselves. And in the game last night, against the best side in the tournament in terms of balance, strength and quality, Holland started out the blocks again, yet could not convert their chances again and were punished.

For me Holland's players are all about confidence and the side clearly lacks leaders who can bring them through out of adversity. Yet, the issue as to why Holland have no points so far comes down to decision of Van Marwijk of tactics in midfield, his decision to play two holding midfielders.

Modern history

In the past decade two holding players has become the popular tactic of many sides; Benitez used it to great effect with Valencia and took that into his style at Liverpool. Bayern, Dortmund, Man City and Real all use a 4-2-3-1 to good effect and we have seen in the tournament so far how common two holding midfielders are for the top sides; France, England, Spain, Germany and Holland all use them. However, there is a major difference in having a formation and then putting the right players play in that role.

For me, Holland have made the wrong choice in starting both Van Bommel and De Jong. These two players are effectively the same; they spoil play, tackle hard and aim to screen and support the defence. However, did Holland need TWO of these players against Denmark? No. By choosing two holding defensive midfielders, Holland restricted the link between midfield and attack. Sneijder is a number 10 and thus does not want to drop deep to receive the ball, however he has been forced to in order to get possession. However, in Sneijder's preferred 10 role, the set up of Holland at times is a 4-2-4, unfortunately this means the gap between midfield and the forward line is too large.

Spain's midfield overload

Spain are currently guilty of this but for the opposite reason. Their use of a 4-6-0 or how I would see it as a 4-2-4-0, means that Busquets and Alonso are playing as holding midfielders, with Xavi and Iniesta centrally above them and Fabregas and Silva wider looking to get in behind. This tactic fails to offer significant penetration and although it dominates midfield areas, Spain do not require so many of the same style of player to be in the line up.

Like Barcelona, Del Bosque has sought to fill his side with midfielders, at the expense of a forward. However, Cesc or Silva are no Messi and Spain need to change their approach if they wish to win this tournament. It comes from choosing either Alonso or Busquets, and for Busquets tackles better, is more disciplined and works better with Xavi. By having just one holding player with Xavi moving forward to supply the attack, Spain will have a link between midfield and attack and will have another player, for me Pedro, who offers something different, in his case; speed and the willingness to get behind a defence. The key though is changing those two holding players, as it is not necessary.

Germany's perfect balance

Germany have the balance almost perfect; Schweinstieger’s pass for Gomez was precisely what was needed from a holding midfielder, he moved up the pitch and found himself in a perfect space to feed the pass for the goal. Would Van Bommel or De Jong, or Alonso or Busquets be so far up there, of course not. His late movement meant he was unmarked and he possessed the ability to play an inch perfect pass which Gomez (Spain, take note) finished like a true class finisher. It was Khedira who crossed the ball in the first game for Gomez also, and it shows how much of an understanding Lowe has about the roles of his players, a simple concept it may seem, yet having the discipline and knowledge of when to go forward and support the attack and when to hold and support the defence, is a key factor in Germany’s success so far.

Lesser sides, lesser quality

Both France and England played with two holding players, and although Cabaye got forward more than Gerrard, you could see the difference in quality between these two sides and Germany. Knowing when to go and where to go are key for any player, yet most importantly for a midfielder, it is why Xavi and Schweinsteiger are the best two midfielders in this tournmanent, they set the tempo, understand the game and know where to be and when. In the Premier League this season the best midfielder was Yaya Toure whose understanding of his role and movement enabled late runs forward and at other times discipline to hold his position. It is my critique of Gerrard that he cannot play this position well enough because he does not know when to go and when to stay, whereas Lampard showed in the games against Barca and Bayern a real understanding of his role and was a vital part in Chelsea’s success.

The role of a midfielder is key to any side, and with the modern tactic being to have two players holding, it does not mean they must stay there. A perfect combination will be that both can defend and read the game, while having a knowledge to go forward with correct timing and movement, while possessing the skills to create or score goals. Germany at this time are the closest to this perfect scenario.

However, the classic double act would of the spoiler and the creator; Mascherano and Alonso at Liverpool or Busquets and Xavi at Barca and Spain. One holds, breaks up play and finds the deep playmaker who starts the attacks and sets the tempo. Holland’s problem has been they have played two spoilers and no deep lying playmaker, meaning that there is no tempo controller in there. Instead attacks are more about individuals than the team.

Van Merwijk's key decision

In my opinion the ideal side to play against Portugual would be De Jong supported by Strootman (the best man for the double role of defence and attack) with Sneijder as 10, Huntelaar as 9, Robben out wide left and RVP out right. Strootman would be the key factor in the side, from what I have seen, he offers more in this role than Van Der Vaart would. The key will be that Van Merwijk cannot play two spoilers and expect to win the game. Sneijder needs to be further forward and thus it needs a deeper midfielder to link the play.

Of course Holland’s issues come from their shambolic defence, however it has been their lack of goals when in control of the games so far which has put them on the verge of elimination. Formations are only numbers on a sheet, it is what the manager decides to with the players in the side which matters the most. So far England and France have shown they have an idea of what they want, yet lack the quality in midfield to be effective. Spain are causing their own problems in their idealistic pursuit of perfection, meaning it is only Germany who are perfecting the role of a two man holding midfield, which based on the results so far which show that Lowe has got his tactics just right so far. If Holland want any chance of progressing Van Marwijk needs a greater understanding of the issues he has in midfield.

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How Mario Gomez Restricts Germany

12:35 AM | Labels: Germany, Joachim Lowe, Mario Gomez

Mario Gomez is something of an enigma, appearing unplayable and prolific at times and yet appearing lost and absent in others. After seeing him against Portugal there are doubts to his suitability in this German side, doubts which lead to concern that he restricts this German side dramatically, and in doing so, will deny the German's the opportunity to win this summer.

In the game against Portugal on Saturday, Mario Gomez scored the vital goal which gave Germany a important result. It was a massive goal for him personally too; in 2008 he missed a chance from near enough on the line and Saturday's goal perhaps puts that ghost behind him. His journey back to the starting XI has been difficult and perhaps his inclusion was only because of Klose’s injuries than Gomez himself. Yet as Klose enters the twilight of his career at 34, Gomez is 26, seemingly entering the peak of his career, it would appear that Gomez is the future of this side. However, does Gomez represent the best option for Germany, after watching him a lot this season, and particularly on Saturday, I believe there must be worries and doubts about his inclusion in the starting XI.

Germany's evolution

German football has evolved in the past decade into a high tempo, counter attacking side, consisting of speed, guile, fluidity and ruthlesseness, as the evidenced from the World Cup in South Africa. In the past 12-18 months Joachim Lowe has sought to evolve the side into a more possession based style, where they take more control of the game. This is understandable; as the quality in their side has risen, many sides now try to be more reactive than proactive in their approach to play against them. This was seen Saturday with how Portugal defended. Portugal's performance was in fact, regardless of what the clichéd & ignorant pundits believed, a very well organised and disciplined performance, who did a good job of restricting chances for Germany. As more sides decide to defend deeper against the better sides, the better sides need to improve their ability to break these sides down. The evolution of German football has to now take what they have developed and put it into another model, which consists of knowing what to do when you have 60% of the ball. Watching the game last night showed the problems that Germany will face when trying to break sides down with Mario Gomez in the side.

Gomez - a classic forward

Gomez is your classic centre forward; strong, tall and ruthless in both the air and with his feet when the ball is in the area. In England we would say he was a perfect English forward. Yet my problem and concern for both Germany and his club Bayern is, how relevant is this type of player to the modern game? You will argue about how I can believe this based on how prolific he has been this season, yet after seeing the game against Portugal, my impression is that Gomez restricts the flow of the German attack of which has defined Germany in the past four years.

Before Gomez scored he offered very little for his side, and thus restricted the sides opportunity to score. His goal allows many to hide and ignore his poor performance generally and Lowe has a major decision to see if he sticks with Gomez or opts for the man who suits his style more. Lowe’s use of Klose since being the national sides coach has enabled the attacking play of Germany to incorporate interchanges of play between the attacking quadruple which creates space for others to exploit.

When Klose plays for Germany, his movement creates space for others, which is why Muller was able to score so many in the World Cup. Watching the game against Portugal was frustrating as Gomez rarely, if ever, moved outside of the length of the pitch between the six yard box. He restricted space for others by playing so static which led to Germany being very predictable in their approach and build up play. His lack of mobility was easy to defend against, he never drops deep to receive, which would make the centre backs have to think of staying or passing him on, which in turn could create space for a Muller or Podolski to exploit behind the defence. I cannot help but refer to Barcelona when discussing how to break deep defences down, they play this tactic so well, creating space centrally for wide players to exploit. Yet while Gomez stands still, he is not helping anyone, only hindering. The goal itself came from a deflection which wrong footed the defence, although it was a good finish, did not instill in me a belief that this guy can be the key for Germany to win the tournament.

Other instances of static forwards

There are many players who I think of who restrict a side wishing to play in a certan, defined and ultimately fluid style.Barcelona’s capture of Zlatan was supposed to give them the physical threat which the side lacked, instead it caused nothing but problems, especially in regards to his lack of mobility. When Zlatan played Barca were unable to penetrate areas which they usually seek to exploit. Whereas Messi creates space for others as well as himself, Zlatan did not flow and interchange positions in order to move defenders and open gaps.

In my opinion, as the game has evolved, the need for movement has become a key factor in the top levels of the game, a Gomez or Zlatan are great players, yet they are one dimensional in what they do, although effective in many games, good defenders and good tactics can restrict the influence of these predictable players. The same can be said for Man City, whose use of Dzeko, another rigid centre forward, possessing immense ability for sure, yet lacking flexibility to move outside the constraints of the 18 yard box perimeter, restricted the effectiveness of City to play their open and fluid attacking style. When it is Aguero as the striker, he roams to both wings, he create and exploits, and defences find it hard to track him.

The top players are becoming master of this now, being able to drag defenders away, creating space for others, and in a game where space is becoming less, smart players, coaches and teams are needing to find ways to find space.I would argue that Didier Drogba is one of the best at playing this way, he evolved his game from a classic number 9 target man, to a more dynamic forward, whose movement into wide areas created space for Lampard to exploit, which produced many goals. Gomez will need to adapt his game like that of Drogba to improve his influence in the biggest games.

The target man is redundant?

Against better sides, you need more than one threat, this is what Barca have and what Germany have too in Muller,Podolski and Ozil. When playing behind Klose, he opens space for them to attack. Gomez does not, and on viewing of this performance, Germany will not produce the creativity required to score many goals like in 2010. I understand that sides are playing deeper now to negate the threat that the side poses, yet this makes it even more imperative that the attacking four become more fluid and varied in their movement. I worry that Germany will become similar to Bayern, in that they become a rigid 4-2-3-1.

In my opinion the future for Germany is not Gomez but Marco Reus. Believe me when I say that this player is special and with his arrival at Dortmund this summer, expect to see him continue the form he had at Monchengladbach. Reus will move deeper, into channels and thus create space for Muller, Podolski and Ozil to exploit. Perhaps this tournament is one too soon for him, yet the future looks very bright for German football, they are continually bringing in more quality in Kroos, Schurlle and Gotze in particular. This will not be Germany’s last chance at success yet anything but success this summer would be deemed failure and Lowe needs to consider whether Gomez or Klose will play at the point of his attack. For me, it is Klose, he gives the players around him what they need and what they are used to. Although 34, Klose plays like a modern forward suiting the needs of the modern game. Whereas Gomez continues to be the classic centre forward, which in my opinion is not benefiting but restricting the flow and effectiveness of the side. Gomez right now is more akin to the “plan b” approach and until he changes his game, he will not find himself in the starting XI in the coming years.

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Why It Won't Be Spain or Germany Winning This Time

6:13 AM | Labels: Euro's, Germany, spain

As the domestic football season comes to an end on a very entertaining year of football, eyes are directed to Eastern Europe for the start of the European Championships. The squads have been announced and although much talk has been on managerial moves and transfers, attention is beginning to be focused on Poland and Ukraine.

With some experimental friendlies taking place last week it was important to take from those games not the results but the methods and decisions taken by managers. Some teams had players missing, others tried out potential, yet most took it as a chance to give their players a run out in preparation for the oncoming tournament.

With many touting Spain or Germany to be victorious, this article will look at why both these sides will not win it. Meaning that this tournament is potentially open to several nations, predicting the winners may be tough, yet believe me when I say it will not be Spain and Germany.

Not this time amigos

In 2008 these two sides played in the final; it was a story of one nation preparing to peak while another was in a state of transition from the old generation to a new era. The victors were Spain and the victory catapulted Spain into the minds and hearts of fans all over the world.

That summer Barcelona would announce Pep Guardiola as the new coach and he would take the success and that knowledge of how to win into his treble winning season and a period of dominance in world football for four great years. Spain now possessed some of the best players in the world. Success again in 2010 in South Africa confirmed their position as the world’s best and it seemed that the Spanish model was the blueprint to follow.

Yet France did the same in 1998 and 2000 and after that suffered bouts of inconsistency. As great as Spain have been in the past four years, I am of the opinion that this current successful generation have peaked. There is no denying that the Spanish have got it right in terms of their development of quality players and the next decade will see more and more of these players coming through yet there are significant players who will be missing which will be key in Spain not winning.

The three amigos, in absentia

The success of Spanish sides in Europe has shown that there is a depth to the quality the country possesses. Yet, the problem with this current group is that it is not as good as it was in 2010. In 2010 Barcelona peaked, their style, their balance of attack and possession was near perfect, the defeats of Madrid 5-0 and United in the final 3-1 were pure brilliance, yet this season has seen significant injuries and a reduction in playing time of Puyol, Villa and Xavi for Barca. Puyol and Villa are definitely out and Xavi may be restricted in his playing time this summer; this is a major loss to the Spanish side, these three have been simply brilliant for years and have been the platform for defensive security, for controlling the game and scoring goals. Taking out one of these would be a problem, yet losing all three seems fatal. Even though there is an abundance of talent in the side, these players epitomise the winning mentality and Spanish style to perfection.

David Villa will be more of a loss than people maybe anticipate. This is the player with the most goals for Spain, he is a major loss for Spain and importantly their style. Whereas Torres and LLorente prefer to play centrally and enjoy getting the ball early, Villa matches how Spain and Barca intend to play; he drifts mainly left and looks to pick the ball deep up deep or get in behind from killer passes usually from a slower build up play where he has perfected the timing of passes from Xavi and Iniesta. Torres and Llorente favour longer balls coming from defence or deep midfield, Martinez has been excellent for supplying balls to Llorente this season and Torres was at his best when Alonso provided from deep for Liverpool. Will Del Bosque abandon the Spanish tiki taka in order to suit the players he has, I believe not and this could be a problem for Spain.

Would it be better to play David Silva as the false 9, with Pedro on the right and Iniesta on the left? Perhaps this may be the logic Del Bosque has, Soldado is a big miss as he would have given Spain more of what Villa offered. There is no doubt this side has the quality to produce and score goals, yet I wonder how much ideology will precede logic in Spain's quest for their third triumph in a row.

Fatigue or history?

Many have postulated also the amount of games that many of these players have played this season; players for both Barcelona and Bilbao were instructed to play a high tempo pressing game, which is always fatiguing. Bilbao clearly have been affected by their large amount of games, yet witnessing Barca in the Copa Del Rey which indicate that this side has a lot of energy left; Iniesta and Pedro in particular looked great. One note on that game would the omission of Cesc Fabregas and how much more balanced the side appeared, for me Iniesta should play the number 8 role and not 11, he is much better than Cesc and Pep struggled to fit him in the side this season, affecting Iniesta's effectiveness. If Spain wish to succeed, they need to get the best from Iniesta and this may mean sacrificing Fabregas.

The biggest obstacle for Spain may be history. As seen with the Champions League, it is not easy to win the trophy back to back and the Euro’s has never been won back to back. History would show that Spain being victorious is unlikely. I have no doubt that Spain will be challenging for this years crown and will be for decades to come, they have found a style which suits them, they have a culture which allows this style to work and importantly have a coaching structure which means the skills required for this way of playing can be developed early on. However, on this occasion, with the squad’s absentees and the difficulty of winning three major tournaments in a row, Spain will not be victors this summer.

Ze Germans

What about Germany then? I myself have believed and said before that Germany are good enough to win the tournament, that in my opinion they have the best squad and the best manager in the competition. Yet there is something which seems to be telling me this is not their time.

In 2008 this side was in its infancy, was developing their new model and style and it was clear that when the U21’s won the Championships in 2009 that the future for Germany was very bright. In 2010 the world saw the best attacking side in the competition; Germany scored 16 goals, second was Argentina with 10 and Spain managed only 8. England scored only 3. The work that had been done in Germany for the past decade had come to fruition and had proved to be a huge success.

They finished third in the end and the experience for players like Muller, Ozil and Neuer would have been vital, these three came into their own and leaders like Lahm, Schweinsteiger and Podolski took the mantel from Ballack and showed a new era had begun in Germany. Since then even more players have emerged; Gotze, Hummels, Badstuber, Schurrle, Reus and Kroos have all impressed in the past couple of seasons and with the strike power of Gomez, this side is unquestionably the strongest in the tournament.

Domestic hangover?

The key though is, are they capable of winning it? It is not as simple to translate the domestic game to the international one, yet the finale to the domestic season may have affected Germany’s chances of winning the Euro’s; Bayern ended the season as second best in all three competitions, the loss to Chelsea in Munich was the worst of all their defeats and the impact of this loss and the manner of it will surely leave a painful memory in the minds of players like Neuer, Boateng, Lahm, Gomez and Schweinsteiger who will have all been shocked and amazed by the loss. How will these players affect the atmosphere in the German camp? Will they instil a desire to go and win, or will they be affected by the doubt of coming second all season?

Germany rely on Bayern's players to lead the side, they will need them if they wish to go further than 2008. With Schweinsteiger carrying an injury for much of the season too, his influence will be sorely missed as he dictates the tempo and brings a calm and experienced head to a very much youthful team. Gomez is something of an enigma also, he is very similar for me to players like Zlatan & Berbatov, in respects that he posts impressive scoring records, yet appears incapable of performing on the very top stage, where the real quality shines through. His performance in the Champions League semi finals and the final indicated that he cannot deal with the pressure of the big games. His miss in 2008 will always haunt him and he will need to get off to a great positive start in order to have a good tournament, I have my doubts though.

Defensively German fans must wish that Per Mertesacker does not play a part in the tournament, he showed against the Swiss how much of a liability he is and for Arsenal this year he has been nothing short of catastrophic. In Hummels, Badstuber and Boateng Germany have young and excellent players who can give solidity to the German defensive line.

Germany are favourites

In all honesty, Germany are the most prepared and strongest side all round in the tournament and they have a manager who must be considered the best in the competition? His willingness to experiment in games like against the Ukraine, shows that he is preparing this side for eventualities, whereas Spain appear like Barca to take their style further, Germany appear more flexible in their ability to switch formations to suit different situations. It will Germany's to lose, yet I wonder if this new generation has the old German mentality of which they have been always renowned.

So who will be crowned?

So if it’s not Spain or Germany then who will win this tournament? I believe that this competition can be won by a number of sides, not by a “minnow” as such like Greece did in 2004, but by one of the old giants of Italy or France. Both are characteristically in a state of dwindling expectations for various reasons; Italy is in the midst of another match fixing scandal and with some players becoming unavailable due to this, they may not be their strongest. Yet this is the same occurrence which powered them to the triumph of the World Cup in 2006. It may be that their underdog status, their ability to be defensively solid and their unpredictable strikeforce may provide some surprises. I do not believe it will be a high scoring tournament and this will favour the Italians.

France on the other hand are on a 19 game unbeaten streak, yet the last time they had this kind of run they were knocked out in the group stages in 1992. Cynics believe this is a team which lacks the collective spirit and understanding to win the tournament, and without a real world class player of the ilk of Vieria, Zidane or Henry then this side may lack the leadership which it will require to go further in the tournament. It is clearly a young team which has many years to go to further itself, the defence appears for raw and inexperienced, Patrice Evra is living solely on reputation as he has been quite shocking for two years at least, yet with the abilities of Nasri and Ribery and the goal scoring prowess of Benzema, do not be surprised to see the unlikely France get to the final if they overcome England in the first game.

Another name which may find itself reaching the semi finals at least is Russia. In group A they have perhaps the best chance of topping the group and with the quality of Alan Dzagoyev and Alexander Kerzhakov in the side then do not be surprised to see Russia perform similar to in 2008, this time perhaps furthering their performance with a run to the final.

Anyone else?

As for the other potentials; Holland have an excellent attacking line up, yet I feel they will come unstuck against a strong organised defence and will be susceptible to conceding goals with their average defence. Van Merwijk also appears in a dilemma of fitting in his attacking qualities to make a successful team, it seems inconceivable to exclude Huntelaar from the XI yet Van Persie has perfected the false 9 role and Sneijder will not be dropped. Putting Van Persie out wide right seems possible yet it has been shown in the recent friendlies to not be so effective. I expect them to qualify from the group yet will struggle to get past the quarter finals.

Portgual, in the same group as Germany and Holland rely too heavily on the individual brilliance of Ronaldo, perhaps they could have got out of another group, yet this one I feel they will not win a game in. England are a side which could surprise everyone and go to the quarter finals, I say this because they have shown in two games under Hodgson that they are capable of not conceding goals, with a strong defence and excellent goalkeeper they may be able to knick some 1-0 wins, yet I worry that they lack the quality in midfield to keep possession well enough and will be too easily overran by good sides. In attack too there is a failure to score goals and England's lack of a real playmaker means they may fail to provide clinical counter attacks where they can use their speed. When they come up against a good team they will be beaten convincingly like in the World Cup 2010.

The Euro’s is a fascinating tournament, with only 16 sides the quality is higher than a World Cup and in the group stages every game really matters, for the fans there is really no dull game. I do not expect many goals however, many sides realise they are weak defensively and I do not anticipate an all out attack mentality but a more defensive counter attack approach to take many games. 1-0 scorelines will be a common result I believe. Tacticaly it should be fascinating, and it is in these types of games where you see the brilliance or failings of a manger. This is a reason why Harry Redknapp did not get the role, because in these types of tournaments, if you in without any gameplan, expect to go out early.

You can follow myself on Twitter for any lively debates you may wish to have @The_W_Address

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Borussia Dortmund. A model of sustainability.

5:48 AM | Labels: Dortmund, Germany, Youth Development

At the top of the Bundesliga right now lies Borussia Dortmund, you may not be surprised considering they are the current champions, yet when looking at the last ten years, this is a remarkable achievement.

In the mid 90’s Dortmund enjoyed their greatest success, winning the Bundesliga in ’95 and ’96 and the Champions League in 1997. Dortmund, with European player of the year Mattias Sammer, Andreas Moller and Karl Heinz Riedle overcame the talent of a Juventus side blessed with Deschamps, Zidane, Vieri and Del Piero. It was certainly a win for the underdogs, and any thoughts of prolonged success were halted by poor management.

The following two seasons meant their glory was short lived and a 4th place finish the following season was nothing compared to the capitulation that followed in 1999-2000 where they avoided relegation by five points. Problems had surfaced through the poor management of finances and a change of manager had rocked the club and affected results.

Management decided to take drastic action and Dortmund became the first, and only, publicly traded club on the German stock market. This generated money which enabled the purchases of Marcio Amoroso who scored 28 goals in his time at Dortmund, finishing top scorer in their title winning season in 01-02. The front line of Jan Koller, Ewerthon and Amoroso was prolific and with the addition of the creative Tomas Rosicky built on the defensive strength of Lehman in goal and Metzelder in defence all underpinned by their coach; their once formidable sweeper Sammer. Eventually, this side appeared to have got over it’s problems on and off the pitch.

However, the same problem surfaced; mis-management of finances. Having spent beyond their means on foreign imports; Rosicky (€14.5m), Koller (€10.5M), Marcio Amoroso (€25m) who all arrived in 2001, Dortmund’s fortunes then steadily declined for a number of years.

Heavy debts of £125 million led to the sale of their ground due to their failure to advance in the 2003 Champions League, (amazingly they had budgeted for Champions League football without the guarantee of actually being in the competition.) This put the club on the brink of bankruptcy in 2005 and Dortmund were on the brink of financial collapse. Success had come at a cost and one of the biggest teams in Europe were on the brink.

During 2005 - 2008 Dortmund achieved only mid table finishes, they had lost their players due to a mass clearout due to their over indulgent ways and were now regarded only as a mediocre side. When Thomas Doll, the coach in 2008 led the side to a 13th place finish, their worst position in 20 years, it appeared that the "might" of Dortmund was never to be again.

A new beginning

A new management team came in with the intention of slashing costs and boosting commercial activity. They were also needing a new manager, and they made, in retrospect, an inspired choice in Jurgen Klopp. The highly-rated young manager Klopp had just lead Mainz into the Bundesliga for the first time in their history. He was regarded highly in Germany as a progressive, disciplined coach. He was hired on an initial two-year deal with the re-mit to make Dortmund respectable once again; this time using a sustainable model which would not burden the club with debts.

His focus had to be on youth development, any signings would need to be young players for cheap. So he set out then with the intention to build a side of hungry, young players whose value would gradually improve. A version somewhat to Arsenal, who buy young and cheap and sell on for more. A business model for growth and sustainability, yet for success?

The rise of the new Dortmund

Klopp’s impact was almost imminent, as the club won the DFB Supercup in his first competitive game. They finished in 6th place, much improved on 13th and having lost only five of their 34 league games they boasted the best defence in the league. He understood the importance of building the defensive foundations; Klopp favours the German national sides 4-2-3-1 system, with an emphases on pressing, effective possession and imaginative attacking interplay.

He decided to build his defence with Neven Subotic, the Serbian defender signed from Klopp’s former club Mainz for a bargain €4.6m, and Mats Hummels, the talented German youngster who was deemed not good enough at Bayern who joined on an initial loan deal from Bayern, before signing permanently at the end of the season. Their partnership has been the foundation for Dortmund's success and shows that with the right manager, expense is not the answer to every problem.

The following season Klopp added the striker Lucas Barrios to his side for €4.2m and the German midfielder Sven Bender, Barrios would go on to score 19 goals in his debut season, playing as the focal point in the managers preferred 4-2-3-1 formation, finising 5th and 13 points behind champions Bayern

The on-field improvement that Klopp’s side was making, allied with the support that he was receiving from the Dortmund supporters, indicated that times were changing at the Westfalenstadion. That following season the squad remained one of the youngest in the Bundesliga, with an average age of just 24, and the coach had full belief in the players already at his disposal.

They had to be shrewder because of their restricted budget and more precise in their scouting. With their in-depth scouting network, working from a template in order to recruit players based on their attributes more than reputation they found Kevin Großkreutz Bundelsiga 2.

They have managed to capture Shinji Kagawa who was found in the J-league 2nd division, bought for just £300,000 he is proving to be a very shrewd piece of business. Kagawa is quick, mobile and creative and his performances this season in Gotze’s absence have been terrific.

The inclusion of Nuri Sahin, another youth product from their Academy had a vital impact on their title winning season. Deemed too slow by many, Klopp brought him back from his loan from Feyenoord and made him his playmaker, setting the tempo for the rest of the side. He scored four and assisted eight in the season and a move to Madrid was no surprise if you saw his performances and impact for this side.

The future is bright

After three years at Dortmund Klopp has taken them from 13th to Champions. With debt-reduction Dortmund's main aim, Klopp had to buy carefully and the championship-winning squad cost last season cost less than £5m to assemble. They didn't just win it, they did in style. In the end winning by seven points, yet at one stage the lead was thirteen. Although other teams around them had poor seasons, there was something about this Dortmund team which indicated a new force had awoke in Germany. And this season they are back on top again.

After a relatively slow start due to a focus on European competition they have improved and their form has overtaken the early leaders and seemingly uncatchable Bayern side. However, undefeated in the league since September 18th Dortmund have won 17 games since then, drawing four. The run has been quite astounding and has knocked Bayern back, currently Dortmund have a five point lead at the top.

The future looks bright for Klopp’s side also, he himself appears settled and talk linking him to other clubs appears very wide of the mark. Mario Gotze has just signed a new long term deal, which has surprised many. However, Dortmund are his home club side and those in England should not be so quick to assume that because of his talent he “must” move to the Premier League. He is still young and like Messi has shown, loyalty to the club who made you can often times be more beneficial.

Many examples of the “next big thing” have left at young ages to go abroad and have more than often flopped. A great example is Anderson at United, or Ricardo Qauresma who left Portugal too early. Gotze has struggled with injury this season and it may be better to wait for a few more seasons before leaving Dortmund. It is exciting times for the club, confirming already the return of another Dortmund youth product Marco Reus from the Bundesliga’s surprise package Monchengladbach.

Dortmund may be resigned to losing some of their players in the coming years, yet this is a compliment to the work they have done. Where before they were buying the talent for big sums, now teams are wanting theirs. This is a sustainable model for success, enabling profitable finances which keep the team safe. With the scouting system they have in place and a youth academy fit to rival many in the world, things look very good for Dortmund now. The Dortmund model is one for English clubs to learn from, it can be seen in the national team.

So what was the key?

The transformation that Klopp has achieved is nothing short of miraculous. This is a team who for the past decade has wallowed in mid table mediocrity, a victim of overspending and unsustainable growth. From 2004-2010 the team did not finish above 5th. It shows that with the right man in charge and a relationship between the youth academy and senior side, sustainable growth is possible.

The academy is impressive, situated next to the senior buildings there is a feeling of togetherness and a sense of German efficiency where you know that they are doing things right. The atmosphere is positive and their emphasis on education and patience is reflected in Mario Gotze, who at 17 was still pushed to finish his education. I wonder how many clubs in England would have the same mentality. The fact that they also have an Under 23 side indicates that they allow players to develop to their full maturity and not judging them at 14-16 like what happens here.

There have been significant factors to the rise of youth players in Germany. Firstly, they began opening up their citizenship laws and began to integrate more players from immigrant families. Mesut Ozil, Sami Khedira and Dortmund's Nuri Sahin are examples of those who come from Turkish descent.

Added to that the rules which the German FA have enforced from FIFA regarding the 6+5 rule and the evidence of sustainability and effective youth development is there. How many English youth players have Chelsea brought through in the past ten years, John Terry and now Josh Mceachran, is this good enough? And Arsenal, famed for their youth development, yet there has only been Ashley Cole, Kieran Gibbs, Jack Wilshere and now Yennaris who are English products brought through their Academy. It is only United who have the best reputation for developing home grown talent from the bigger sides, you have to look lower down the leagues to see clubs doing more; Southampton, Watford and Aston Villa have good reputations for developing first team players.Yet this is surely not enough?!

Sustainable future is the key

The current state of the global economy is rather unstable. The economy which once seemed solid and reliable is becoming increasingly fragile. From an economic point of view, acting responsibly and considering the consequences and implications of one’s decisions is obviously more important than ever. Therefore, the simultaneous striving for economic success and growth is a balancing act that presently poses a special challenge. The Bundesliga has been embracing it for years. It all shows the efficiency of the German model, one which we should aim to replicate in this country as much as possible. Is there talent in the lower leagues, of course there is.

The English Premier Average financial power compared to Bundesliga is amazing, revenues in the English league are £2.3 billion compared to Germany which is £1.7 billion. The money in England improved the sides during the past decade, yet the game has evolved and sides like Dortmund and Barcelona have shown that home grown talent can be more sustainable and can lead to more success than trying to do what Man City, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern have attempted in their “Galactico” projects.

The Bundesliga doesn’t have financial doping like Chelsea or Manchester City. The league is imbalanced in England due to these owners wealth. The average Bundesliga club has significantly less debt. And the average Bundesliga club has on average better youth players, which can save the clubs transfer fees and wages as young talent you produce has small contracts.

Dortmund had major financial issues at the turn of the century; they were quite simply on the verge of going out of business. They realised that a sustainable model of success was required for their survival and the modern economic climate. They invested in youth and improved their scouting network, it's worked out well for them and more and more clubs need to wake up to the fact a sustainable model will ensure stability and long term survival. A lesson for those in England who are right now enjoying a bubble which will inevitably burst.

Dortmund may have been forced into developing talent, yet they have seized their opportunity we both hands.The Dortmund model represents the changes that Germany took to make them great again. With a little help from the directors of Dortmund's youth team, Klopp has hand-crafted the team into what it is today. Dortmund have shown that with the right people in place, sustainable success is possible. Jurgen Klopp has nurtured and developed rising talent, showing that spending lots of money is not the only answer to success.

The Whitehouse Address is on Twitter @The_W_Address

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The EPPP - progression or destruction?

10:51 AM | Labels: Barcelona, EPPP, Germany, Scouting, Trevor Brooking, Youth Development

Are there new rules for developing youth players in England the right option?

On Thursday the 23rd of October 2011, the 72 Football League clubs voted in favour of the
‘Elite Player Performance Plan’ (EPPP), a radical new overhaul of the current national youth system.

The EPPP is a plan drawn up by both the FA and the Premier League with the aim of developing more top level players for the English Premier League and the England national team. The EPPP aims to produce a world class academy system that rivals that of FC Barcelona.

The view of the creators of the plan is that the Premier League is bursting at the seams with foreign players because foreign sides are coaching them to a higher standard than our outdated system allows. They believe that this plan will enable sides to work with more top players and thus develop these players together in a world class coaching environment.

A Premier League spokesman said of the EPP: “The new plan is a great example of English football working together to raise standards across the board.”

Changes to the Academy system

The changes included in the plan involve the scrapping of the current tribunal system, which previously determined the fee a club would have to pay another for a youth player who is out of contract when no agreement between the two could be reached, and the implementation of a ‘tier’ rating for each club’s youth system, ranging from tier 1 to tier 4. This proposal will supposedly radically modernise youth development in England.

However, is this plan really going to achieve it’s aim or are there issues needed to address regarding this radical change up of the academy system.

Under the new rules, clubs who qualify for class one status will be able to select youngsters from a pool of nationwide talent and those already contracted to another club will be able to leave for minimal compensation. A category 1 academy will have the freedom to select any player playing from a tier 2-4 academy; all that will be required is for the club to contact the other club and inform they are coming to see the player. This will prevent clubs from holding onto their players, in the current rules these clubs will receive a nominal fee if a player is "taken". However, the new rules involve reduced compensation, which does not seem fair in return for a top player.

Regarding the new tier formulation, clubs’ youth systems are now ranked according to how much staff they employ and how much they spend on their youth development. To be rated as tier 1, the club’s academy must have an annual budget exceeding £2.3m, at least 18 full-time employees, excellent training facilities as well as school places.

What a tier 1 ranking gets you is the pick of pretty much all youth players in the country, considering the 90-minute rule has now been abolished. Contact time with youth players will also be increased with tier 1 academies.

At the other end of the scale will be the tier 4 academies, acting as a ‘safety net’ and only allowed to pick up previously failed youth players at the age of 16. Tier 3 academies will have no contact with youth players until the age of 12.

As it stands, the only academies in the country who will be rated as tier 1 when the EPPP is implemented at the start of the 2012-13 season are Southampton’s, Chelsea’s, and Manchester City’s, but you can expect Manchester United’s, Arsenal’s, and Liverpool’s to have reached this ‘prestigious’ status by that time.

The writers of the plan believe if the same players go to one of the top category 1 academies, then they will excel their development. A category 1 academy will be have a minimum of 18 coaches, who will coach for four times as long as other academies and benefit from world class facilities only the best clubs can afford. Thus it should give the top youth players more opportunity to develop and become top senior players. If those in a stronger financial position can provide better facilities and more coaches for the players than other teams, then surely that’s where the youngsters should be trained?

Trevor Brooking, director of football at the Football Association, has been an advocate of the plan. The template is Barcelona's La Masia academy and the theory is laudable. It is the reality of statutory compensation that concerns clubs down the food chain.

New rules

Critics of the plan believe that the Football League has been blackmailed by the Premier League into accepting these radical new proposals which will allow the richest clubs to cherry-pick the best young talent for a fraction of their worth. The new deal will see every club receive an increase in their funding for a guaranteed four-year period, with the amount determined by their academy status.

Instead of the tribunal system, there will now be a fixed tariff in place to determine the fee a club must pay for a youth player. It is £3,000 per year for a player aged between 9 and 11’s development, with the fee from 12 to 16 ranging between £12,500 and £40,000, dependent on a club’s youth system tier category. This is a long way off the £5 million Leeds received for Tom Taiwo and Michael Woods from Chelsea.

And this is the big difference and major effect that the new rules will have.

Football League Academies are such a lucrative business that many clubs have become reliant on the sale of their young starlets, or indeed the compensation awarded, to post profits at the end of each year. The removal of these cash incentives many say will cause a lot of problems for Football League clubs, forcing some to close down their academies completely.

Why would the Football League sides agree to this proposal? It is because The Premier League were threatening to withhold £5 million funding for youth schemes in the Football League. Under the new EPPP it is estimated that between 30-40 youth systems in the Football League will now be scrapped, such is the pure worthlessness of having such systems with this scheme in place.

Many of the EPPP's components are good, development of top players in arguably better environments and with better coaching. Yet I don't know how anyone can defend poaching without adequate compensation as a positive step forward. With the aims and intentions of the EPPP it appears very positive and worthy of acclaim, however after closer inspection, the EPPP is potentially ripping the heart out of the game, they had to extort the Football League clubs to make this ridiculous plan pass.

Do we judge our players too early in this country?

Not enough account is taken of boys' 'peaks and troughs', of differing rates of physical and emotional development and differing maturation levels. The problem is that clubs feel the need to produce too much, too young to show their academy is working. Instead of being patient and developing players into adults. Now, if a player is not good enough at 15 than he is not going to make it, this is ridiculous.

We scout players at six and seven believing that we can judge their potential. In fact we may actually be doing a disservice to these young players, making them play so much football at a young age. It has been found that different sports actually enhance a players mobility and too much of one sport will develop uni-lateral movements. A player who moves into adolescence then lacks the required movements needed for top level football.

When players are scouted between 10-14 it is the bigger players, those who have matured earlier who are given the opportunities to progress through the system. It may not be they are the best player, often they are not. But they are the most physical and this allows them to bully the rest. However, when they get older they are caught up and these “top players” become average, so if these are the ones going to the category 1 academies then they may not be the ones that are good enough to be a professional.

As good as coaching can be, if scouts are bringing in players solely on physical reasons and choosing those who have matured earlier, then we may be missing players with the intelligenceand technical development needed. We all know about late developers, yet the Academy system in this country neglects these players. Too much credence on size is another reason why we don’t develop enough quality players. It does not seem to appear that these plans have taken in to account for the differences in player maturation levels and how important lower league academies really can be.

What will happen is that less, not more players will be produced. A player may develop at 18 years old and so would not have been seen by the watchful eyes of scouts, think Chris Smalling. Yet, if these academies decide that they cannot afford to maintain their academies because of the new rules then players like Smalling, who develop later, may be a thing of the past.

Are the top academies currently producing a string of brilliant players?

There is little firm evidence to indicate that the quality of coaching at bigger clubs is demonstrably better than that provided by the likes of Crystal Palace, Watford or Southampton.

The big teams don’t develop their all own players, they will often bring them in from sides local to them when they are 14-16. This is a natural part of elite development, yet by reducing compensation to pittance, why would these “lower” clubs decide to develop players if they lose them at 14 for nothing.

Is an academy that currently has two home-grown players (Chelsea) in its first team squad really ‘better’ than an academy that currently has 11 home-grown players (Crystal Palace) in its first team squad and in fact produces more graduates who go on to play Premier League football?

The EPPP has in part been arranged so that apparent ‘better’ academies can have the best young players in the country. But this ranking system is flawed, and is accordant to the finance of academies rather than the effectiveness of producing players.

These plans strike at simply being about the big teams hoovering up all the top talent in the country. Does movement to a big club create success? Look at John Bostock; he was doing well with Palace before Spurs came in to poach him away. He has not played for Spurs in the league as of yet and has spent most of the time on loan to lower league sides. Would it not have been better for his development to stay where he was? Perhaps.

No more development?

There is a real danger that many Football League clubs will struggle to retain young players capable of league football into their late teens under the new rules, especially when threatened with limited compensation. It is this compensation which many teams depend on.

This will bring to an end Premier League clubs paying large fees for the best young talent in the Football League. Chelsea this week reportedly shelled out an initial £1.5m to MK Dons for 14-year-old Oluwaseyi Ojo. Under the new system they would be able to buy him for less than £150,000. Palace received for Bostock, £700,000 compensation for him though, however with the new rules they would receive no more than £100,000. Is this fair or sustainable?

The fear must be that EPPP will cause many Football League clubs to rethink their youth setups. Given the scant rewards now on offer for finding the gem who would previously have made an academy worthwhile, change would be understandable.

Without the carrot of a big pay-out, surely there will be a growing tendency for clubs to ditch their academies altogether and pad out their squads with players rejected by the elite at an older age.

With these new plans every Football League club has just given up the opportunity to produce top young players. Without fair compensation they are snatched away by the big boys.

If the smaller academies close the lower league teams will then have to pay the big Premiership clubs for players that didn't make the Premiership grade. Instead of money flowing down the pyramid it will flow up.

Burnley have already closed their centre of excellence due to the new rules, claiming that it is just not viable to keep it going. The money of running it could be better spent on the senior team as £1 million a year could go a long way. With low compensation, it does not justify the running costs.

However, if the Lower League academies did shut down, then we could be in serious problems of not producing players. Players like Tom Cleverley and Joe Hart came from Bradford City and Shrewsbury respectively before going to the top Manchester sides. Jack Wilshere was at Luton before Arsenal and Walcott, Bale and Chamberlain all were developed at Southampton.

With these clubs they received the relevant compensation for these players when they were a young age, though this would not this be the case now. Imagine what this reduced revenue would do to these sides. Would these sides feel happy to lose their players for the small fees offered? It is just not sustainable for a lower league club. And so where would these players be? Playing for their Sunday sides? Is this going to produce world class players.

The necessity of being category 1

There are three sides in the Championship who have developed more players through their academy than Chelsea and Man City in recent years.

Watford, Crystal Palace and Southampton are clubs who have paid attention to their academies and have aimed to fill their squad with products of their respective youth teams.

They do not produce young players solely, or even mainly, so they can sell them on to the biggest clubs in the country. They want academy products to remain with them and become integral to their first team.

Academy products like Nathaniel Clyne, Sean Scannell, Jonathan Williams and Wilfried Zaha have helped Palace to so far confound expectations outside of Selhurst Park, if not those of all Eagles fans. Imagine if John Bostock and Victor Moses had stayed at the club too?

Watford and Southampton appeared to welcome the introduction of EPPP, saying that many of its less controversial elements have already been put in place by them for years. Both sides are applying for Category 1 status, thus reducing the danger of EPPP impinging on transfer fees they would currently receive for young talent. Yet, are these clubs "big" enough for EPPP, even though they have a history of developing talent? Surely it is the academies which genuinely develop players that need to be invested in more.

Nick Cox, Head of Youth at Watford believes that “The challenge for us is to keep on doing what we do. Parents who want their son to have a good education, first-class coaching sessions and to reach their full potential, will choose to stay with us at Watford. We have an environment where kids want to be and where they can enjoy themselves. They have an affinity to the club and feel part of the family, and I would suggest that many of our kids do not want to leave this Football Club. Moving forward we need to get to the point where that doesn’t change.”

This is honourable and one hopes that players developed at a club will feel an affinity to it and not be tempted to move clubs. Especially if it requires more travel time. Watford, Palace and Southampton have something a lot of top teams don’t, proven success. They have succeeded in developing players for senior football.

The new rules may have a serious impact on the future development of players from these academies. Can you see them getting category 1? I hope but doubt it. It will go to the top teams, the ones with the money, the ones who have no need to genuinely develop young talent because they have the means to buy in talent. What will happen to these young, English, “top players”. Will they just be disregarded? Or will they just be loaned out to lower teams?

If these category 1 academies are going to be viewed as development centres for top players then perhaps it may improve the standard of English players. More quality coaching, facilties and contact time will certainly help improve the talent. Is it not scandalous though that the big teams will take players for barely nothing and then stand to make much more from potential transfer fees when they are older. This is the wrong way round surely?

It should be the smaller clubs who stand to benefit more, not the big clubs. A rule must be in place that the club who loses a young player receives a % of a potential transfer fee in the future. There must be assurances and compensation for losing their top players, if not then these development centres will not be continued.

What is the future going to contain?

I believe there are key changes needed for developing more players of high quality in this country. Whereas the intentions of EPPP are admirable, there are many issues which appear to have not been considered to be of importance.

The EPPP is not a guarantee of success, in fact it has some serious ramifications to its implementation, There is a serious case that many lower league sides will seek to close and abandon youth development because it does not offer the necessary compensation to be affordable.

There are many teams who would prefer to keep their best young players and implement them in their senior side, this way reducing costs on transfers. Yet receiving millions for your prospect is not a bad deal and could help a lot to develop more and improve the club. However, the new rules prevent this scenario and make it very difficult for clubs to justify their use of centres or academies. This could have serious long term consequences on the development of more players for the future and may have the opposite effect that the EPPP aims to achieve.

What I believe is important is educating and developing expert coaches throughout all levels., If we improved the standard of coaching at the grassroots level than we would have much larger pool of technically good players. These would then move up from development levels to elite levels and thus not requiring only the richest academies to develop our players.

Replicating what Barcelona have done will prove extremely difficult, and I predict, impossible. They have a culture which is different to ours and a style which does not resemble us either. We are much more suited to the German model of youth development and this involved a combined effort of clubs and governing bodies.

The Premier League itself is adamant that EPPP is a fair system and the reforms are necessary. But they could cause a long-term problem that will transform the landscape of youth development in the Football League, these are massive changes in the game, and call me a cynic, but I don’t see the value in these plans. More people should be questioning these plans and making sure we don't push England back another decade.

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