The potential acquisition of Joao Carlos led me to think about the lack creative talent not finding its way through to the first team through the ranks. We have numerous players of that ilk in the Liverpool reserves and youth team from Suso to Tony Silva, from Raheem Sterling to David Amoo. But one is often struck by how rarely a teenager comes through the ranks to become a part of the first team set-up, especially at a time when opportunities in the midfield and attack seem there for the taking.
I am extremely passionate about giving players the opportunity at the right time as I believe its stunts there growth as footballers is they don’t have the character to hold it together. Players like Ces Fabregas come along once in a blue moon and make debuts at the age of sixteen, but what Wenger has always been exceptional at is bringing on players and have them mentally prepared to accept the challenges of the first team even as teenagers. I am convinced that Liverpool players spend to long festering in the reserves and regress rather than pushing on. It’s ridiculous that Jay Spearing at the age of 24, has started just 18 League games and is still at the club (that’s not to say he can’t to a job). I wonder is there a concerted belief that the Jay Spearing of 2012 is twice the player of Jay Spearing of 2010 or 2009?
Tom Ince, is a perfect example. Rated highly, sent out on loan, taken back from a loan period just to sit out in the reserves again and offered a three year contract at the age of nineteen. He had already realised that he was probably destined for another stint in the reserves. When Dani Pacheco left Barcelona, the indignation from the club which had nurtured him was along the same lines as those muttered when Fabregas moved to Arsenal because they knew they had lost a prodigious talent, but I truly believe that there are players like him who become disenchanted if they do not break through early enough. We saw snippets of his talent in the first team and plenty in the in the 2010 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship, where he scored twice four goals and an assist and then went on to play in the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
What irks about the Carlos transfer is to hear that he is to young at 19 to play with the first team. In Jon Flanagan I see a lot of Stephen Darby and if we are not careful he will go the same way. A right-back, strong in the tackle and excellent coming forward, but it is quite obvious he is third choice in that position, so much so that he came on in the left back role against Oldham. Loaned out to another Premier League club having already proved his capabilities would be a better proposition than playing in the reserves or Championship football.
Players need goals to aim for and many of the these players were the best of the age group and some were even started playing in the professional ranks. In the great scheme of things the percentage of players who make it through the ranks is minimal, but I wonder whether Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain would have made any first team appearances had he chosen Liverpool.
As we are unable to compete with the likes of Man City and Chelsea at the moment on the quality of players we can purchase, we have to take a completely different route to try and get back to the top of the English game - we need to bring in players from within our youth and scouting system.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately for the past 10-15 years we have been unable to bring through enough quality youth players to get into the first team or to generate further funding through sales.
I believe this is mainly down to the fact that the so-called bright sparks such as Richie Patridge, Paul Anderson, Danny Guthrie, Adam Hammill when they were at LFC were never given any games to prove themselves.
In more recent times we have had Nemeth as our future goalscorer who left without getting a chance to prove himself and Pacheco & Suso as technical wizards who are totally overlooked by the management team.
If we continue to overlook the players we have invested so much time and money in we will never get the best out of them and the initial investment will not be warranted.
We are currently on the outside of the top 4 looking in and with our current investing in just British players with good stats last season we are gambling on this philosophy to get us back into the top 4.
We have no youth players on the bench on matchdays to encourage them that they can aim for at least a spot on the bench and that is the problem with our management - they don't look beyond the now - if there was a creative spark such as Suso or a finisher like the young striker Adam Morgan - who can be used when needed it will provide the necessary incentive for the reserve and youth teams to realise if one can make it to the bench why can't others.
I don't thnk it matters where we are in terms of our standing we should still be bringing through players of a high standard. I've always said that it's beyond my understanding how Everton have churned out top class talent from the city and ourselves who share the same air. Never mind that he is no longer playing for them, but Man City have produced Daniel Sturridge and a international right-back in Micah Richards. Man U have produced Danny Welbeck again another International and bought in teenager Phil Jones who has gone straight in the set-up and already has made his marked. And with Tom Cleverley and the Da Silva they are already looking they will be crucial members of the next generation. In that time we can only claim to have brought through Martin Kelly.
DeleteAs stated in the blog it seems to take Liverpool players an exceptionally long time to make it or develop in to the required standard with Spearing and Lucas being the examples. It's strange that they have become final made it through at the age of 24, where as in most top clubs they would probably have been jettison at least two to three years ago. It's debatable whether they are better than Newcastle's Cheick Tiote who is probable the nearest to Chelsea's Claude Makelele the Premiership has seen. It suggest that Liverpool's much vaunted scounting system is not operating at full throttle when Ba a French speaker who is French (although a Sengalese International)ends up at Newcastle as does his international colleague Papiss Demba Cisse.
We have two Brazilian's at the club, one of those Lucas is a current and important member of the their squad, yet we seem to be having problems enticing any of them which highlights the clubs current predicament, but that is way we employed Damian Camolli. Some how if we buy, we must either buy a player than has gone under the radar like Suarez or a tried and trusted top class player which makes a statement.
Intriguing times at the Reds!