kaka2za wrote:The youth system has not delivered the expected results. It has failed spectacularly in England in particular. It would be difficult to name players in the top 10 EPL teams who are products of the youth system.It worked in Ajax but has not been replicated elsewhere.
A trend is emerging in which youth prodigies are falling by the way side and and players are coming of age quite late in the careers. Did anybody know of Drogba in his youth days?
http://www.just-football...dy-adu-martin-odegaard/
Meanwhile...
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Maybe the Brits are doing a shoddy job of youth development. In Germany the system has been a roaring success. Everytime I look at the wikipedia page of a German player, I notice that he joined a top club very early.
Take Mario Gotze for example. He is famous for having scored the winning goal in the 2014 world cup final.
His wikipedia page says he joined Borussia Dortmund when only 9 years old. He then went on to play for Germany U15, U17 and U21.
Do you still wonder why Germany are always world cup contenders?
The goal Gotze scored in the final evidences excellent technique and tactical awareness that he harnessed in these youth schemes.
He made an excellent run off the ball. Positioned himself in the right spot. Calmly controlled the ball then planted it past the keeper using his weaker foot. These finer elements are what separate a team like Germany from any African team. The players have excellent technique and tactical awareness that they have been learning since they were 9 years old. When you have been doing the right thing for so long, it becomes second nature. You don't even have to think about it.
For those who havent read about Germany's youth program,
please read it