The Squad planning thread

Tolmie scores said:
The gap between academy and first eleven for any premier league club has never been wider. Hardly anyone comes through as the academies develop players for £10to 20m sales to championship and div 1. Just a factory really. You get a few who play abit nit thats more of a promotion tactic..like buying tv add space a few years b4 social media. Not many from Real or Barca make it regularly into 1st team. Odd superstar but its rare
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Think Barca had 6 ex academy players feature in their last match. 3 start, 2 off the bench and Eric Garcia.

I'd say they have 4 graduates who are guaranteed starters too. Pedri, Yamal, Balde and Cubarsi. Plus a few that get regular playing time
 
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Mancini’s Pastilles said:
Just looked at our 2019 squad again and just wow. Both Silvas Kdb Kompany Aguero Walker Sterling Dinho. How our squad has regressed is a travesty.
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That has something to do with the lack of quality worldwide. I couldn't name a better midfield player than David Silva in world football right now. Back then you had Iniesta, Xavi, Modric, Mata, Ozil and many more. There's a clear lack of quality in the market to buy from today.

If you're talking about top strikers to buy, you're scratching your head. Back then you had the luxury of Aguero, David Villa, Suarez, Torres, Lewandowski, Benzema, Van Persie, Rooney, Drogba etc.
 
01cravend said:
Think Barca had 6 ex academy players feature in their last match. 3 start, 2 off the bench and Eric Garcia.

I'd say they have 4 graduates who are guaranteed starters too. Pedri, Yamal, Balde and Cubarsi. Plus a few that get regular playing time
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This is nitpicky because generally you're right, but they bought Pedri from Las Palmas where he was already playing in the first team.
 
01cravend said:
Think Barca had 6 ex academy players feature in their last match. 3 start, 2 off the bench and Eric Garcia.

I'd say they have 4 graduates who are guaranteed starters too. Pedri, Yamal, Balde and Cubarsi. Plus a few that get regular playing time
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Fair enough but not many prem teams have that..even those at the foot of the league
. Moneys too big..stakes too high..even mid table teams are spending north of £50 to £60m in a window...and theres a world of players to pick from..makes academies feeding grounds for champ / div 1 and a cash cow.
 
Berti No Show said:
That has something to do with the lack of quality worldwide. I couldn't name a better midfield player than David Silva in world football right now. Back then you had Iniesta, Xavi, Modric, Mata, Ozil and many more. There's a clear lack of quality in the market to buy from today.

If you're talking about top strikers to buy, you're scratching your head. Back then you had the luxury of Aguero, David Villa, Suarez, Torres, Lewandowski, Benzema, Van Persie, Rooney, Drogba etc.
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Something to be said about quality nowadays. You get a lot of kids playing but they stop at 14 if they either dont get in an academy orget kicked out of one. The pool of players is pretty small compared to yester year....really evident in quality of non league teams. They play on better pitches but even with more time spent on fitness the standard is way lower now. I think its because kids only play in organised sessions now. Even the 70's we had 20 a side going with a tennis ball in a street and that was on a hill in chadderton as well!
 
Tolmie scores said:
Something to be said about quality nowadays. You get a lot of kids playing but they stop at 14 if they either dont get in an academy orget kicked out of one. The pool of players is pretty small compared to yester year....really evident in quality of non league teams. They play on better pitches but even with more time spent on fitness the standard is way lower now. I think its because kids only play in organised sessions now. Even the 70's we had 20 a side going with a tennis ball in a street and that was on a hill in chadderton as well!
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I get what you’re saying, and there’s definitely truth in it – street football bred a different kind of player. When you’re learning the game with 20 lads chasing a tennis ball down a hill, you’re developing instincts and creativity that you just can’t replicate in an academy drill. That sort of environment produces players who think for themselves rather than waiting to be told what to do. That football bred creativity and brains.

But at the same time, I do think modern football has raised the bar in certain ways. Fitness, nutrition, technical coaching, even at grassroots are miles ahead of what they were. The issue isn’t that today’s players don’t have the tools, it’s that the pathway is too narrow. If you’re not in an academy by 14, like you said, you’re basically written off. That cuts out loads of late bloomers who in the past would’ve kept playing and maybe worked their way up. Look at the likes of Lee Trundle who actually worked a regular job. He was playing non-league football into his early 20s and worked as a welder and also did time in a factory/office environment before getting his break at Rhyl, then moving on to Wrexham and Swansea. He was a late bloomer. Others are Stuart Pearce, Ian Wright and Rickie Lambert.

So yeah, non league looks weaker now, but I’d say it’s more about the system than the players themselves. The raw talent’s still there, kids haven’t suddenly stopped loving football – but the culture of just playing for the sake of it has faded, and it's taken the enjoyment out of the game. When everything’s organised, you lose that free, competitive edge that the street gave you. The Ronaldinho's, Neymar's, Messi's, Brazilian Ronaldo's, Jay Jay Okocha's and the Zinedine Zidane's are few and far between nowadays. This is why the likes of Lamine Yamal are a joy to watch in today's game. They take us back to those Mercurial talents.
 
Tolmie scores said:
Something to be said about quality nowadays. You get a lot of kids playing but they stop at 14 if they either dont get in an academy orget kicked out of one. The pool of players is pretty small compared to yester year....really evident in quality of non league teams. They play on better pitches but even with more time spent on fitness the standard is way lower now. I think its because kids only play in organised sessions now. Even the 70's we had 20 a side going with a tennis ball in a street and that was on a hill in chadderton as well!
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This is why we need to enjoy Rayan Cherki for what he is. His football is joyous - full of risk, imagination and that street learned instinct you just don’t see much of anymore in today's game. He plays like a kid still trying to nutmeg his mates with a tennis ball on his local boggy park, not someone drilled endlessly on a pristine academy pitch, or under the glare of tactics boards and video analysis. That kind of creativity feels so rare nowadays, and it’s why watching him is such good fun!

That’s the bigger point really. Academies produce great athletes and technically polished players, but the downside is that we lose a lot of that raw unpredictability. Cherki feels like a throwback, and someone who plays with freedom, who tries things simply because he can. And in a football culture that often crushes that kind of expression, it makes him stand out even more because players like him have become rarer and rarer.

Of course, people will debate whether he’ll "make it," hit certain numbers, or reach the levels expected of him. But maybe that’s missing the point. Players like Cherki remind us that football isn’t just about goal involvements, efficiency or end product – it’s about expression, imagination, and moments that make you smile whilst watching the game. However his career unfolds, we should just appreciate that he brings a bit of joy back into the modern game. And for all his flaws, the Joy he brings with those flicks and tricks is enough to make me believe Football's soul is still alive, like it was in the 90's, early 2000's.
 
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Berti No Show said:
This is why we need to enjoy Rayan Cherki for what he is. His football is joyous - full of risk, imagination and that street learned instinct you just don’t see much of anymore in today's game. He plays like a kid still trying to nutmeg his mates with a tennis ball on his local boggy park, not someone drilled endlessly on a pristine academy pitch, or under the glare of tactics boards and video analysis. That kind of creativity feels so rare nowadays, and it’s why watching him is such good fun!

That’s the bigger point really. Academies produce great athletes and technically polished players, but the downside is that we lose a lot of that raw unpredictability. Cherki feels like a throwback, and someone who plays with freedom, who tries things simply because he can. And in a football culture that often crushes that kind of expression, it makes him stand out even more because players like him have become rarer and rarer.

Of course, people will debate whether he’ll "make it," hit certain numbers, or reach the levels expected of him. But maybe that’s missing the point. Players like Cherki remind us that football isn’t just about goal involvements, efficiency or end product – it’s about expression, imagination, and moments that make you smile whilst watching the game. However his career unfolds, we should just appreciate that he brings a bit of joy back into the modern game. And for all his flaws, the Joy he brings with those flicks and tricks is enough to make me believe Football's soul is still alive, like it was in the 90's, early 2000's.
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Interesting point that, and I do agree I’m most excited by Cherki of all our signings this year.

I reckon a team of players like Zidane, Brazilian Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Bergkamp, Figo, Maldini, Roberto Carlos etc would absolutely dick any team put together of today’s best players.
 
Micky Blue said:
I’ll never understand how that team didn’t win the CL.
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Micky Blue said:
I’ll never understand how that team didn’t win the CL.
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if you watch it again it has very similar features to our current situation. Weakness straight down the middle of our defence, players slipping on their arses and a goalkeeper who was found waning
 
Tolmie scores said:
Something to be said about quality nowadays. You get a lot of kids playing but they stop at 14 if they either dont get in an academy orget kicked out of one. The pool of players is pretty small compared to yester year....really evident in quality of non league teams. They play on better pitches but even with more time spent on fitness the standard is way lower now. I think its because kids only play in organised sessions now. Even the 70's we had 20 a side going with a tennis ball in a street and that was on a hill in chadderton as well!
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If you're talking solely about the UK it's down to one thing - they get hooked on consoles and phones and lose interest imho
 
Semper aggressus said:
Interesting point that, and I do agree I’m most excited by Cherki of all our signings this year.

I reckon a team of players like Zidane, Brazilian Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Bergkamp, Figo, Maldini, Roberto Carlos etc would absolutely dick any team put together of today’s best players.
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I agree, I think the average ability of players has increased but the world class level player has decreased in ability.
 
01cravend said:
Think Barca had 6 ex academy players feature in their last match. 3 start, 2 off the bench and Eric Garcia.

I'd say they have 4 graduates who are guaranteed starters too. Pedri, Yamal, Balde and Cubarsi. Plus a few that get regular playing time
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Under Webb, they would be kicked into oblivion in the EPL
 
WesthoughtonJohn said:
If you're talking solely about the UK it's down to one thing - they get hooked on consoles and phones and lose interest imho
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I don’t live in the UK and my kids don’t play football (they play other sports), but I think this isn’t the whole issue. I think part of this is sports in general get very serious very quickly. The pressure and the “not fun” (nutrition, strategy, off field training) part of sport starts earlier and earlier. Kids specialize far earlier and get burnt out. And kids are told (and see it themselves) even earlier that they don’t have what it takes to make it the next level. Media exacerbates this because they “see” and are able to judge themselves against their peers more easily. But I’ve never seen my kids or their peers sit inside on a phone when they could be out with their friends playing a sport they love informally.
 
Amazes me we didn’t go for Kimmich recently when his contract was up in the air. His ability to play right back and cover/play alongside Rodri in midfield would’ve been massive for us.

Bet Pep and Kimmich would’ve both jumped at the chance to reunite too.
 
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