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View from the Kop

Should winning actually matter for our young players?

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The answer to the question posed in the title could be answered with a simple: ‘Yes, of course it does.’ To some extent I believe this to be true also as after all, if you have a successful winning team, it invariably means you have some good talented individuals. Liverpool U18s coach Rodolfo Borrell talked in such terms when speaking about the FA Youth Cup:

“I know we often talk about how results are not that important in youth football, but personally, I don’t necessarily agree with that. If you are not winning it does not help developing players. The week after a win contrasts greatly with the week after defeat. You need to experience winning, drawing and losing. I think winning is very important in football. Liverpool is a club with a winning atmosphere and a history of picking up trophies. You should therefore instil that winning mentality into the players of all ages.”

A winning mentality can only be a good thing, but for me, it can’t come at the expense of the development of individual skills and the flourishing of better technical players. It has been said for a long while in this country that we focus on getting youth players to play on full sized pitches too young, encouraging youngsters to win games rather than to improve technical skills. One of the consequences of such a mindset among youth coaches is that to pursue this philosophy of winning, they have invariably picked out stronger, taller players, who may not have the technical skills of other youngsters but can bully such players off the ball and can use their physical attributes to their advantage.

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4 comments

  • kenny says:

    Football is a contact sport, and if a player isn’t physically big enough and strong enough to deal with that aspect of the game then he has no business being on the pitch. The Liverpool team from 1977 to 1984 was a perfect example of a winning mentality allied to excellent technique on the ball-the two criteria go hand in hand. No matter what the age group winning the game is paramount, any player who doesn’t mind losing has no business being on a football pitch. The enjoyment of the sport comes from winning and playing well and not from losing but playing well.

  • The truth says:

    I think you misunderstand the point of the storey. In the uk physicality, size and stength takes priority over technical development. Sure by the time footballers become adults they need to be able to cope with opposing players who will kick and intimidate them but as kids technical development should come first, second and third. Even if that means a lower win percentage. This is the Spanish way and football is the winner.

  • kenny says:

    In response to the truth you cannot equate club football and international football. Spain scored a miserly eight goals in 7 games to win the world cup, if you call that entertaining you are seriously deluded. Look at the way Inter Milan overpowered Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final and knocked them out. Promoting an attitude of winning isn’t important into young players leads to a loser mentality. The Spanish League is a joke. The standard apart from Real and Barcelona is abysmal-look at the finished table last season but yet Real finished nowhere in the Champions League last season because they were a soft touch.

  • kenny says:

    Liverpool play in England and not in Spain, Borrell would want to realise that. Arsenal play lovely football but Man Utd always overpower them and Arsenal fail in the Premier League again this season. Maybe they and Liverpool should ask UEFA can they play in La Liga instead. That would please Borrell and all the Spain loving fanatics.

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