At smaller clubs, especially where the physical nature of the lower leagues is a consideration, it means that the development of youth talent generally skews towards those players who are more capable of dealing with the physical demands of that league. Due to the catchment area problems in this country then, this means that many talented players could lose out as big clubs, with high standard academies who wish to see technically gifted players in their youth ranks, are not allowed to poach players from other catchment areas even if the smaller club within that area have less interest in developing players in the way Premier League teams would like them to.
You only have to look back at the winners of the FA Youth Cup in the last ten years to know that winning doesn’t necessarily mean you have a good group of young players. Liverpool have won the Youth Cup twice over the last ten years while Man U have won it only once. I doubt there are many willing to argue that our academy would be said to be twice as good as United’s.
Like at many of the best youth academies around the world, Liverpool should primarily be focused on improving the individual technical talents of its players. If such developments lead to cup successes then so be it, but it shouldn’t be the be all and end all of showing where our academy is at. Rodolfo Borrell, Pep Segura and Frank McParland fully understand this and it would be good for both Liverpool and English football in general if the rest of England’s professional clubs realised it as well.
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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.
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.
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.
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.