Brahim Diaz - 2017/18 Performances

[Armaan]

He should be on the bench for every home game, bring him on if we're up by 3 or more.

 

[ChicagoBlue]

Sadly, we are a team that is trying to win big things, so you have to be good enough to be on the field! High class problem!

That said, if we get to 3-0 in any game, we need to be blooding the youngster on the bench. The reason some clubs, including the Madrids and Barcas of the world can do this is because they play Championship level teams more than half the time AND they have a B team playing Championship level football every week, as opposed to the EDS.

 

[WallyA]

This season will be telling, if I see more games with us up 3-0 and we sub on players like Gundogan, Sane, Sterling instead of Foden, Diaz or Tosin then I think the academy will be pointless.

 

[ADegenerate]

Cliche statement here but we just have to trust in Pep. If he's ready and the situation calls for it then he'll play. Simple as that really for me. We need trophies this year. Less risk is needed right now.

Here's two scenarios...

A) We make a concerted effort to guarantee top academy players game time but then don't buy slightly older young players with clear WC talent that might block their path.

B) We buy young WC talent and don't force academy players into the squad.

Im slightly exhaggerating here but the answer is obviously A. Sign the Leroys, Jesus', Mendys....Or you can force the Sanchos, kelechis, and Angelinos...yeah I think I like our current method.

 

[doobyedoobye]

Top young talent leave elite Academies regularly nowadays and it's probably a very lucrative business for all those involved.

 

[Bill]

Vital we keep this lad.

 

[gazzaa2]

Top young talent leave elite Academies regularly nowadays and it's probably a very lucrative business for all those involved.

Top clubs shouldn't be hoarding talent to the extent they do anyway. Alli came through at MK Dons or Stones at Barnsley and they got a good education, game time at a young age and then got big moves from there when they were ready to play. All top clubs need to stockpile all this young talent to compete with each other though.

Real Madrid's approach does work at times. They get a player like Asnesio or Carvahal in at a young age, loan him for a couple of seasons in La Liga or another big league and then when he's got the experience and is physically developed he's ready for their first team squad and they keep a place in the squad for him so he gets the games. Real will prioritise Spanish players though (hence wanting Diaz) so someone like Odegaard will have to be amazing on loan. Chelsea have tried this approach but when the players come back off loan they don't get the game time, get frustrated and want to leave. The best approach is loans but it's keeping players content on long contracts while they get the experience elsewhere. The likes of Sancho and Diaz etc are less likely to show the patience if they don't see a path to the first team and a place in the squad available to them. The only places in our squad are left back, maybe CM and striker if the likes of Yaya and Delph go.

It's very rare a player will make it through at a top club from the youth team and it'll usually be because an opportunity comes up. Rashford got one at United because no other strikers were fit and he came in, scored and took his chance. Harry Kane got his chance because of how much of a flop Soldado was.

But you look at LIverpool giving Alexander Arnold games, an excellent prospect, but he was ripped to shreds by City last week because he's a kid and inexperienced. It's difficult to just throw them in without that happening. It's also rare that a young player will be that good that he'll improve the team when you have a star studded squad. Fans would moan if we had a youngster in who struggled like that in a game, or moan if we sold, say, Sterling or Sane to open up a squad place for Sancho or Diaz to play. Look at that meltdown when it was suggested Sterling would make way for Sanchez.

 

[dadnlad]

so how's he going to get a game at Real Madrid
though they do have the rag factor teams roll over every week

 

[Steve68]

Top clubs shouldn't be hoarding talent to the extent they do anyway. Alli came through at MK Dons or Stones at Barnsley and they got a good education, game time at a young age and then got big moves from there when they were ready to play. All top clubs need to stockpile all this young talent to compete with each other though.

Real Madrid's approach does work at times. They get a player like Asnesio or Carvahal in at a young age, loan him for a couple of seasons in La Liga or another big league and then when he's got the experience and is physically developed he's ready for their first team squad and they keep a place in the squad for him so he gets the games. Real will prioritise Spanish players though (hence wanting Diaz) so someone like Odegaard will have to be amazing on loan. Chelsea have tried this approach but when the players come back off loan they don't get the game time, get frustrated and want to leave. The best approach is loans but it's keeping players content on long contracts while they get the experience elsewhere. The likes of Sancho and Diaz etc are less likely to show the patience if they don't see a path to the first team and a place in the squad available to them. The only places in our squad are left back, maybe CM and striker if the likes of Yaya and Delph go.

It's very rare a player will make it through at a top club from the youth team and it'll usually be because an opportunity comes up. Rashford got one at United because no other strikers were fit and he came in, scored and took his chance. Harry Kane got his chance because of how much of a flop Soldado was.

But you look at LIverpool giving Alexander Arnold games, an excellent prospect, but he was ripped to shreds by City last week because he's a kid and inexperienced. It's difficult to just throw them in without that happening. It's also rare that a young player will be that good that he'll improve the team when you have a star studded squad. Fans would moan if we had a youngster in who struggled like that in a game, or moan if we sold, say, Sterling or Sane to open up a squad place for Sancho or Diaz to play. Look at that meltdown when it was suggested Sterling would make way for Sanchez.

Good post, especially about Alli and Stones (who are the types of players we should be spotting before rather than after they become superstars) and yea, a young player will have bad days. I hope we stand by them if and when it happens. I hope we stop chasing Sanchez et al each time a tiny gap appears in the squad and leave a route into tbe first team for kids like Diaz. Academy players are never going to break through with us otherwise.

Don't agree with the belief a squad has to be 22 international stars. We could probably do with a couple less in our squad, especially in midfield and wide where we have so many that a plague of biblical proportions would be required to open a path for an Academy kid.

 

[BlueMoonz1977]

I hope we get Diaz putting pen to paper on a new contract but we have to start playing him in some games this season, as previously mentioned the league cup etc would be ideal.

This lad has all the potential in the world and I would be fuming and totally gutted if we lost him.

Sacho wasn't too bothered,

Diaz and Foden we need to bring through