PJ Vaughan takes a look at the obstacles a young player in England has to overcome to make the step up to professional football and questions why those obstacles exist.
Raheem Sterling played the game of his career so far. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
As a Liverpool football supporter there is nothing I like more than seeing an academy graduate making the grade. This season we have seen Raheem Sterling emerge into one of Liverpool’s top performers. Jon Flanagan has also emerged into a very able stand in. We have also seen a number of other young players get opportunities as we push for the title.
However, it is so difficult for academy graduates to make the grade. I will look at some of the barriers preventing youth development and explore ways at addressing these challenges.
Limited Opportunities
There are many factors preventing players developing. Chronic lack of opportunities is one of the key factors hindering young players developing. Young players need a run of games and may need to dip in and out a few times before they are established or conversely sold for a tidy profit.
Earlier this season many fans were calling for Raheem Sterling to be loaned. Very few fans that follow the Liverpool’s academy teams would have though that Jon Flanagan was good enough for Liverpool’s first team. However game time has excelled both of their progression greatly. It may only be due to the fact we have a threadbare squad that Flanagan even got an opportunity in the first place.
We will never know if the likes of Jordan Ibe, Jordan Rossiter, Joao Carlos Teixeira, Ryan McLaughlin or even Kristoffer Petersen are good enough unless they get a run of games.
While the loan system has its advantages, it is easy to discard a loanee if he has one or two below par performances. The loan club don’t know the player as well as the parent club. Young players are often asked to play a role or system that is alien to them. The best place for a young player to develop is at the parent club as long as they get opportunities.
False Economies
I believe that the Premier Leagues equal sharing of TV money is another key factor preventing clubs producing young players. Firstly it creates a false economy. Newly promoted clubs and clubs that are regularly fighting relegation are stockpiled with established internationals.
This prevents young players at smaller clubs from getting opportunities. It secondly offers less opportunity to bigger clubs to play younger players against smaller sides.
Fairer TV Pay
The TV money should go to the clubs that generate the money. An estimated 500 million people globally tune in to watch Liverpool v Manchester United twice a year. How many tune in globally to see Stoke City v Norwich City, Hull City v Southampton or Fulham v WBA?
The money should go to the teams that generate the money and not shared equally causing false economies. The false economies are continued into the Championship with the parachute payments, which is again preventing young players from developing. The average number of academy graduates in the Championship in November 2012 was 1.29 players per club.
The Spanish Way
The Primera Liga is in complete contrast to the Premier League. The majority of the TV money goes to Barcelona and Real Madrid. Valencia, Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao get small slices but the rest merely get crumbs. Smaller clubs have no choice but to produce their own players in order to be sustainable. Bigger clubs feel less pressure in playing their own young players as they are not playing against clubs stockpiled with international players.
Barcelona fielded 11 academy graduates in the Primera Liga against Levante in November 2012. The same weekend in the Premier League only 25 academy graduates played for the 20 clubs. That is 1.25 academy graduates per club. (Liverpool was above average fielding 2 academy graduates).
Premier League v Primera Liga
In the last 15 years (approx.) Real Madrid have produced the likes Iker Casillas, Esteban Granero, Alvaro Arbeloa, Antonio Adán, Guti, Juan Mata, Roberto Soldado, Daniel Parejo, Jese Rodrigues, Álvaro Morata and Daniel Carvajal. In the same time only Manchester United has come anyway close to that in terms of quality and quantity.
If you contrast Atletico Madrid (Koke, Fernando Torres, Gabi, Oliver Torres and David De Gea) and Valencia (David Albelda, Pablo Hernandez, Vicente, Paco Alcacer and Juan Bernat) with Tottenham Hotspurs (Ledley King, Steven Caulker and Andros Townsend) and Chelsea (John Terry and Ryan Bertrand) you can see the Premier League clubs are not producing the same quantities of top players.
If you look at clubs like Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad who consist of primarily local Basque players. They have collectively produced the likes Joseba Etxeberria, Iker Muniain, Ander Herrera, Fernando Llorente and Xavi Alonso in recent years. Imagine if Newcastle and Sunderland adopted a similar policy of having teams consisting of lads from the north-east. It might mean taking a step backward to take two forward. It’s not like they will win the league any time soon with their current policies. (It has being 78 years since Sunderland’s last league Championship and 87 years since Newcastle’s).
Conclusions
In the next part of “Making the grade”, I will look at how stockpiling younger players and excessive loaning is preventing young players from making the grade. I will also look at ways of restructuring academy teams and how to develop B teams in order to improve the loan system.
PJ Vaughan takes a look at the obstacles a young player in England has to overcome to make the step up to professional football and questions why those obstacles exist.
Raheem Sterling played the game of his career so far. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
As a Liverpool football supporter there is nothing I like more than seeing an academy graduate making the grade. This season we have seen Raheem Sterling emerge into one of Liverpool’s top performers. Jon Flanagan has also emerged into a very able stand in. We have also seen a number of other young players get opportunities as we push for the title.
However, it is so difficult for academy graduates to make the grade. I will look at some of the barriers preventing youth development and explore ways at addressing these challenges.
Limited Opportunities
There are many factors preventing players developing. Chronic lack of opportunities is one of the key factors hindering young players developing. Young players need a run of games and may need to dip in and out a few times before they are established or conversely sold for a tidy profit.
Earlier this season many fans were calling for Raheem Sterling to be loaned. Very few fans that follow the Liverpool’s academy teams would have though that Jon Flanagan was good enough for Liverpool’s first team. However game time has excelled both of their progression greatly. It may only be due to the fact we have a threadbare squad that Flanagan even got an opportunity in the first place.
We will never know if the likes of Jordan Ibe, Jordan Rossiter, Joao Carlos Teixeira, Ryan McLaughlin or even Kristoffer Petersen are good enough unless they get a run of games.
While the loan system has its advantages, it is easy to discard a loanee if he has one or two below par performances. The loan club don’t know the player as well as the parent club. Young players are often asked to play a role or system that is alien to them. The best place for a young player to develop is at the parent club as long as they get opportunities.
False Economies
I believe that the Premier Leagues equal sharing of TV money is another key factor preventing clubs producing young players. Firstly it creates a false economy. Newly promoted clubs and clubs that are regularly fighting relegation are stockpiled with established internationals.
This prevents young players at smaller clubs from getting opportunities. It secondly offers less opportunity to bigger clubs to play younger players against smaller sides.
Fairer TV Pay
The TV money should go to the clubs that generate the money. An estimated 500 million people globally tune in to watch Liverpool v Manchester United twice a year. How many tune in globally to see Stoke City v Norwich City, Hull City v Southampton or Fulham v WBA?
The money should go to the teams that generate the money and not shared equally causing false economies. The false economies are continued into the Championship with the parachute payments, which is again preventing young players from developing. The average number of academy graduates in the Championship in November 2012 was 1.29 players per club.
The Spanish Way
The Primera Liga is in complete contrast to the Premier League. The majority of the TV money goes to Barcelona and Real Madrid. Valencia, Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao get small slices but the rest merely get crumbs. Smaller clubs have no choice but to produce their own players in order to be sustainable. Bigger clubs feel less pressure in playing their own young players as they are not playing against clubs stockpiled with international players.
Barcelona fielded 11 academy graduates in the Primera Liga against Levante in November 2012. The same weekend in the Premier League only 25 academy graduates played for the 20 clubs. That is 1.25 academy graduates per club. (Liverpool was above average fielding 2 academy graduates).
Premier League v Primera Liga
In the last 15 years (approx.) Real Madrid have produced the likes Iker Casillas, Esteban Granero, Alvaro Arbeloa, Antonio Adán, Guti, Juan Mata, Roberto Soldado, Daniel Parejo, Jese Rodrigues, Álvaro Morata and Daniel Carvajal. In the same time only Manchester United has come anyway close to that in terms of quality and quantity.
If you contrast Atletico Madrid (Koke, Fernando Torres, Gabi, Oliver Torres and David De Gea) and Valencia (David Albelda, Pablo Hernandez, Vicente, Paco Alcacer and Juan Bernat) with Tottenham Hotspurs (Ledley King, Steven Caulker and Andros Townsend) and Chelsea (John Terry and Ryan Bertrand) you can see the Premier League clubs are not producing the same quantities of top players.
If you look at clubs like Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad who consist of primarily local Basque players. They have collectively produced the likes Joseba Etxeberria, Iker Muniain, Ander Herrera, Fernando Llorente and Xavi Alonso in recent years. Imagine if Newcastle and Sunderland adopted a similar policy of having teams consisting of lads from the north-east. It might mean taking a step backward to take two forward. It’s not like they will win the league any time soon with their current policies. (It has being 78 years since Sunderland’s last league Championship and 87 years since Newcastle’s).
Conclusions
In the next part of “Making the grade”, I will look at how stockpiling younger players and excessive loaning is preventing young players from making the grade. I will also look at ways of restructuring academy teams and how to develop B teams in order to improve the loan system.
Following the recent debut of Joao Carlos Teixeira, Jack Lusby (@LusbyLatest) ponders what’s next for Luis Alberto at Liverpool.
Aspas and Alberto arrived for a combined £14m in the summer. Pic: David Rawcliffe/Propaganda
In recent weeks, Brendan Rodgers has commendably offered cameo roles in the Premier League for some of his brightest young attacking talents.
Entering the final stages of the emphatic destruction of Arsenal last weekend, Liverpool fans were treated with the introduction of highly-rated winger 18-year-old Jordon Ibe, who responded with a promising showing.
Similarly, Joao Carlos Teixeira was a surprise inclusion in the match at Fulham, handed his debut with 10 minutes to go and with The Reds chasing a winning goal. Much like Ibe, the 21-year-old impressed, even providing the through-ball with which Daniel Sturridge won the match-winning penalty.
Conspicuous in his absence was Luis Alberto, not among the subs in either of the last two fixtures at Fulham and Arsenal.
Arrival
After arriving from Sevilla in the summer, in a reported £6.8m move, much was made of the Spaniard, particularly so of his versatility in the attacking positions.
“I can play in any number of positions from midfield all the way to up front, I don’t feel out of place anywhere,” said Alberto upon his arrival. Such versatility would surely help his cause at his new club.
This would have appealed to Rodgers who, earlier this season, commended the output of Jordan Henderson across many positions. “Wherever he plays there’s no drop-off – you still get the same” he told The Independent .
With Liverpool’s attacking options (beyond the infinitely esteemed Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling) undoubtedly thin, it would surely make sense for Alberto to have featured more for the club so far.
Last season, according to Transfermarkt, on loan at Barcelona ‘B’ Alberto managed 11 goals and 18 assists, often deployed in the ‘false nine’ role.
Albeit this was in a much less demanding league, with Barcelona ‘B’ restricted to the Spanish equivalent of the Championship, however this is still a commendable output.
Gerard Deulofeu, another player who has graduated from Barcelona ‘B’ to the Premier League – in his case on loan at Everton – has proven that the step up in quality can be taken in one’s stride.
A more direct attacking option, Deulofeu boasts a record of 18 goals and six assists in 33 games for the Spanish side last season – again, according to Transfermarkt.
Where Everton manager Roberto Martinez has been bold and often deployed the 19-year-old winger, Rodgers has restrained the talents of his counterpart prospect.
In the disappointing 2-1 FA Cup loss, again to Arsenal, Alberto wasn’t even afforded a place on the substitute’s bench.
Mediocre, but more established, attacking options Victor Moses and Iago Aspas, along with Teixeira, were preferred to the Spaniard.
If recent showings are to be taken as evidence, it seems now that Luis Alberto is way down the pecking order.
Luis Alberto in pre-season action at Preston (Pic: David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Performances
From the limited appearances gifted to the youngster so far, there is no performance-related evidence to suggest that Alberto should be ostracised.
Statistically, Alberto matches up to perhaps his closest comparison figure in the Liverpool squad: Philippe Coutinho. Figures courtesy of Squawka attest to this.
As referenced in my previous article ‘Why Liverpool Can Cope Without Yevhen Konoplyanka’, Alberto has created a chance every 48 minutes in the Premier League so far, whilst Coutinho has created a chance every 43 minutes.
Again as per my previous, these figures are skewed by a gulf in respective playing times. This by no means suggests Alberto is on par with Coutinho, merely that Alberto is far from inadequate.
Furthermore, Alberto boasts a pass accuracy of 85%, which matches that of Steven Gerrard.
Alberto is clearly a viable option for Liverpool when it comes to an oft-paltry attacking pool.
So does Alberto’s exclusion suggest there is a problem in the works?
It is remarkable how often Rodgers has seemed quick to exile players whom don’t take to his liking.
Last season according to Squawka, Oussama Assaidi completed a mere 77 minutes in the Premier League, and was quickly shown the door.
This season this can be seen with Aspas, who continues to play what would be generous to call a bit-part role for the club, despite moving to Anfield for a similar fee to Alberto this summer.
Whether this is due to committee-sanctioned signings or other factors entirely is mere speculation. Ultimately, this is Rodgers’ squad.
Clearly, we as fans don’t see all that occurs behind closed doors; it could well be that Alberto is slack in training or harbours a poor mentality.
We can judge on performances alone and, as mentioned above, Alberto is yet to underperform.
He is yet to be given the chance to.
So what is next for Luis Alberto?
Whilst it is alarming for the club to spend close to £7m on a player who has barely left the bench this season, the pragmatic view would be to view Alberto as one for the future.
It would be churlish to suggest that just over half a season’s exclusion should warrant the player considering a permanent move away.
As evidenced by successful moves of Fabio Borini and Suso this season, another loan move could well enhance the Alberto’s future prospects.
Moreover, it is important to note that Alberto is only 21, and that Rodgers’ predilection towards youth skews analysis of his development, or lack of, somewhat.
The recent inclusion of Ibe and Teixeira serves to underline Alberto’s lack of appearances, but also to provide encouragement for the young playmaker.
Both have proven that chances need to be ceased with both hands, and this should prove to hearten Alberto for the rest of the season.
Given the chance, Alberto must take it.
Do you feel Brendan Rodgers has treated Luis Alberto unfairly so far this season? What’s next for the Spaniard? Let us know in the comments below.
Following the recent debut of Joao Carlos Teixeira, Jack Lusby (@LusbyLatest) ponders what’s next for Luis Alberto at Liverpool.
Aspas and Alberto arrived for a combined £14m in the summer. Pic: David Rawcliffe/Propaganda
In recent weeks, Brendan Rodgers has commendably offered cameo roles in the Premier League for some of his brightest young attacking talents.
Entering the final stages of the emphatic destruction of Arsenal last weekend, Liverpool fans were treated with the introduction of highly-rated winger 18-year-old Jordon Ibe, who responded with a promising showing.
Similarly, Joao Carlos Teixeira was a surprise inclusion in the match at Fulham, handed his debut with 10 minutes to go and with The Reds chasing a winning goal. Much like Ibe, the 21-year-old impressed, even providing the through-ball with which Daniel Sturridge won the match-winning penalty.
Conspicuous in his absence was Luis Alberto, not among the subs in either of the last two fixtures at Fulham and Arsenal.
Arrival
After arriving from Sevilla in the summer, in a reported £6.8m move, much was made of the Spaniard, particularly so of his versatility in the attacking positions.
“I can play in any number of positions from midfield all the way to up front, I don’t feel out of place anywhere,” said Alberto upon his arrival. Such versatility would surely help his cause at his new club.
This would have appealed to Rodgers who, earlier this season, commended the output of Jordan Henderson across many positions. “Wherever he plays there’s no drop-off – you still get the same” he told The Independent .
With Liverpool’s attacking options (beyond the infinitely esteemed Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling) undoubtedly thin, it would surely make sense for Alberto to have featured more for the club so far.
Last season, according to Transfermarkt, on loan at Barcelona ‘B’ Alberto managed 11 goals and 18 assists, often deployed in the ‘false nine’ role.
Albeit this was in a much less demanding league, with Barcelona ‘B’ restricted to the Spanish equivalent of the Championship, however this is still a commendable output.
Gerard Deulofeu, another player who has graduated from Barcelona ‘B’ to the Premier League – in his case on loan at Everton – has proven that the step up in quality can be taken in one’s stride.
A more direct attacking option, Deulofeu boasts a record of 18 goals and six assists in 33 games for the Spanish side last season – again, according to Transfermarkt.
Where Everton manager Roberto Martinez has been bold and often deployed the 19-year-old winger, Rodgers has restrained the talents of his counterpart prospect.
In the disappointing 2-1 FA Cup loss, again to Arsenal, Alberto wasn’t even afforded a place on the substitute’s bench.
Mediocre, but more established, attacking options Victor Moses and Iago Aspas, along with Teixeira, were preferred to the Spaniard.
If recent showings are to be taken as evidence, it seems now that Luis Alberto is way down the pecking order.
Luis Alberto in pre-season action at Preston (Pic: David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Performances
From the limited appearances gifted to the youngster so far, there is no performance-related evidence to suggest that Alberto should be ostracised.
Statistically, Alberto matches up to perhaps his closest comparison figure in the Liverpool squad: Philippe Coutinho. Figures courtesy of Squawka attest to this.
As referenced in my previous article ‘Why Liverpool Can Cope Without Yevhen Konoplyanka’, Alberto has created a chance every 48 minutes in the Premier League so far, whilst Coutinho has created a chance every 43 minutes.
Again as per my previous, these figures are skewed by a gulf in respective playing times. This by no means suggests Alberto is on par with Coutinho, merely that Alberto is far from inadequate.
Furthermore, Alberto boasts a pass accuracy of 85%, which matches that of Steven Gerrard.
Alberto is clearly a viable option for Liverpool when it comes to an oft-paltry attacking pool.
So does Alberto’s exclusion suggest there is a problem in the works?
It is remarkable how often Rodgers has seemed quick to exile players whom don’t take to his liking.
Last season according to Squawka, Oussama Assaidi completed a mere 77 minutes in the Premier League, and was quickly shown the door.
This season this can be seen with Aspas, who continues to play what would be generous to call a bit-part role for the club, despite moving to Anfield for a similar fee to Alberto this summer.
Whether this is due to committee-sanctioned signings or other factors entirely is mere speculation. Ultimately, this is Rodgers’ squad.
Clearly, we as fans don’t see all that occurs behind closed doors; it could well be that Alberto is slack in training or harbours a poor mentality.
We can judge on performances alone and, as mentioned above, Alberto is yet to underperform.
He is yet to be given the chance to.
So what is next for Luis Alberto?
Whilst it is alarming for the club to spend close to £7m on a player who has barely left the bench this season, the pragmatic view would be to view Alberto as one for the future.
It would be churlish to suggest that just over half a season’s exclusion should warrant the player considering a permanent move away.
As evidenced by successful moves of Fabio Borini and Suso this season, another loan move could well enhance the Alberto’s future prospects.
Moreover, it is important to note that Alberto is only 21, and that Rodgers’ predilection towards youth skews analysis of his development, or lack of, somewhat.
The recent inclusion of Ibe and Teixeira serves to underline Alberto’s lack of appearances, but also to provide encouragement for the young playmaker.
Both have proven that chances need to be ceased with both hands, and this should prove to hearten Alberto for the rest of the season.
Given the chance, Alberto must take it.
Do you feel Brendan Rodgers has treated Luis Alberto unfairly so far this season? What’s next for the Spaniard? Let us know in the comments below.
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