Jude Bellingham

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

Not quite how football works these days, if you don't keep adding the best, you get left behind and it's clear to see the Spanish, Brazilian, Portuguese youngsters etc tend to be more naturally gifted

really? Some of our most naturally gifted players are English. Foden and grealish in particular. Your point would have been relevant about 10 years ago, but English youngsters are the best or becoming the best now

 

[Metalartin]

Not quite how football works these days, if you don't keep adding the best, you get left behind and it's clear to see the Spanish, Brazilian, Portuguese youngsters etc tend to be more naturally gifted

Belgian players never used to be put in the same bracket as those either but they definitely are now. England genuinely do have some of the best young talent coming through these days, with just as much flair and skill as players from any of those nations you mention.

 

[kun]

Not anymore and let's stop spending and adding top players and chuck in mcatee,delap and a few others and see how it turns out

There has to be a balance found surely.
One player isn't really enough. Most top clubs around Europe have at least 3 or 4 academy players.
A team of academy players wouldn't be good enough. You can't just promote anyone and everyone like United and Arsenal if you want to be as successful as City. But if you slowly integrate several top drawer players we would be no worse off IMO. Probably 2 of our current list (most likely 2 of Delap/Lavia/Palmer/McAtee) will make it while others won't quite hit the heights, some will leave out of frustration, and some for unaccountable personal reasons.
The next generation will have 1 or 2, the generation after 1 or 2 more. By the time Foden is at his peak it is entirely possible we could have 5+ academy players in the squad, but only if it is something the club actually deem important.

Otherwise we will continue to use the academy as a cash cow to help finance signing big name senior players.

 

[Thenumber1blue]

There has to be a balance found surely.
One player isn't really enough. Most top clubs around Europe have at least 3 or 4 academy players.
A team of academy players wouldn't be good enough. You can't just promote anyone and everyone like United and Arsenal if you want to be as successful as City. But if you slowly integrate several top drawer players we would be no worse off IMO. Probably 2 of our current list (most likely 2 of Delap/Lavia/Palmer/McAtee) will make it while others won't quite hit the heights, some will leave out of frustration, and some for unaccountable personal reasons.
The next generation will have 1 or 2, the generation after 1 or 2 more. By the time Foden is at his peak it is entirely possible we could have 5+ academy players in the squad, but only if it is something the club actually deem important.

Otherwise we will continue to use the academy as a cash cow to help finance signing big name senior players.

Someone's original point was he's been given enough shiny toys and it's time to use all the youngsters he has, that just won't work in football these days

 

[BlueMoonRisin’]

Too old now ....look elsewhere

That's what Bill Wyman said.

 

[Legal Alien]

Not sure he fits Pep's style of play, because his box to box style is similar to how Yaya played. I'd have him in a heartbeat though.

 

[Dribble]

Not quite how football works these days, if you don't keep adding the best, you get left behind and it's clear to see the Spanish, Brazilian, Portuguese youngsters etc tend to be more naturally gifted

They're not more naturally gifted, they're just better trained. When my youngest was 10, he went on a football trip to Spain & told me the 10 year old Spanish kids were ridiculous.

He said they didn't seem interested in scoring, they just kept possession, & passed my son's team to death. This is something Guardiola alluded to when he first arrived, but look at English football today compared to 2016.

The ManUre philosophy of big, fast & strong players, has been replaced by Guardiola's playing out from the back & retaining possession, with players who are more skillful & tactically aware than the average British player 5-6 years ago.

England have benefitted from Guardiola's philosophy. The Premier League has benefitted from Guardiola's philosophy, & now it seems so are the teams in the lower echelons of UK football.

Premier League teams realised they couldn't beat us, so the best way to compete was to follow us, hence the quality of the PL, is probably higher than it's ever been. This is all down to better training & better tactical awareness based on what City have done.

It's taken years of trial & error, but we're finally seeing the CFA bearing the fruit of Guardiola's labour. Zinchenko, Foden, Delap, McAtee, Doyle, Palmer & Lavia are the first off the production line with a realistic chance of having a sustained career at the very top of football, playing it the right way.

These players are the product of enhanced training methods, who are more tactically aware & astute than British academy players of yesteryear. Kids are kids regardless of where they're born. I can say 100% that even as a youngster, we were told to give me & another the ball to beat the opposition defence with pace & to get crosses in to the strikers & CDM's.

I can't recall a time when we were taught how to pass properly, retain possession or given any tactical training. British football is only now just catching up to the rest of the world in terms of training. This is not the fault of our talented youngsters, it's the fault of how they were trained.

Thankfully Guardiola seems to have changed that crap training culture forever.

 

[kun]

Not sure he fits Pep's style of play, because his box to box style is similar to how Yaya played. I'd have him in a heartbeat though.

Yaya did alright under Pep.

 

[Segga]

Crying out as Gundo replacement in 2 years time, a deal might even suit with a gundo swap back to Dortmund plus cash.

 

[Tugay One Cup]

England have benefitted from Guardiola's philosophy. The Premier League has benefitted from Guardiola's philosophy, & now it seems so are the teams in the lower echelons of UK football.

I really don't think his impact on English football will be fully appreciated until he leaves and the bitterness of from our rivals subsides.