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Solving the player development conundrum

By on February 18, 2015

Remember Jack Rodwell? Scott Sinclair? Remember Ravel Morrison and even Andros Townsend? Too many promising English prospects have been lost to the world of football rusting on the bench. Both Rodwell and Sinclair presented themselves as England’s next big thing at Everton and Swansea City, respectively, but after making big-money moves to Manchester City their development was suddenly cut short. City couldn’t give either of them enough time to grow into their full potential.

Townsend also succumbed to the cut-throat world of football at Tottenham; last season the full-back blasted onto the scene, yet he has made just four appearances this season. At the age of twenty-three, he too is starting to run out of time to blossom.

This is a problem too often seen throughout the upper echelons of football. It is gratifying to have the best young talent at one’s disposal, but all too often it is a resource that goes wasted. Real Madrid and even Barcelona, which forced away Xavi’s heir apparent Thiago Alcantara due to a lack of playing time, fall into this category as well. Results are immediate, but player development is not something that can happen immediately.

These problems are exacerbated higher up the football pyramid, as the bigger the league, the more impatient clubs tend to become about results. This may be contribute to the struggles internationally for teams such as England, even Spain and Russia. To an extent (of course, the facilities for development are still needed), the more money that is poured into their domestic leagues, the more development is hindered and younger players replaced with players in their prime, perpetually foreign.

On the same note, this may aide the progress of emerging talent in countries such as The Netherlands and Portugal. With smaller domestic leagues, they provide ample opportunities for eighteen-year-olds and nineteen-year-olds to gain valuable experience and develop. For example, the average player age in the Eredivisie is just 23.4, and the Netherlands’ third place World Cup 2014 squad contained ten players still plying their trade in the country. In comparison, the age of the average Premier League player is 26.8 and in La Liga 26.2. In Italy, that number is 26.9 and in Russia an astonishing 27.9. Notice, England, Italy, and Russia all disappointed at the past World Cup, but the Netherlands and Uruguay (24.8) exceeded expectations. Colombia (26) and Costa Rica (25.3) also fielded promising, young World Cup squads.

data from Transfermarkt.com

 

Perhaps this factor adds to the strengths of Brazil and Argentina, so good at creating boatloads of young stars — as the latest batch departs for Europe they go back to their youth ranks to create the next generation.

Nowhere does this model fit better than in Belgium, where the average player age in their top division is 24.2. While fortune clearly also plays it’s part, the country is currently enjoying a “golden generation” with some of Europe’s most promising players in Thibaut Courtois, Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, Divock Origi, Adnan Januzaj, Christian Benteke, and Kevin De Bruyne.

Perhaps it would do English players or young Spanish starlets (likely to wind up at Real Madrid or Barca), to go abroad at that key point in youth development where match experience is critical. In England, Sinclair and Rodwell both missed that boat, and Townsend may be running out of time. This is why loaning young stars out to smaller clubs has become increasingly popular in the EPL, yet the players could also be well served by going abroad.

This is where MLS may be able to step in and provide young talents (not the very brightest, perhaps, at least not yet) a place to develop. Currently, especially with the importance the league is placing upon development, the US is set for an increasingly national team as the 2022 and 2026 World Cups approach. The MLS could incubate the next batch of young stars; shedding its (unfair) image as a “retirement league” for fading European stars, it could target youth development if it marketed itself that way more. The Eredivisie is known for such expertise and reaps rewards on the international level.

Photo credits: ING Nederland, Кирилл Крыжановский, and Agencia Brasil

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.