One of the most hotly debated issues in football’s recent history, especially when it comes to the England national team, is how to develop and nurture young talent. The sustained success of the Spanish national team and the core of the teams coming from two clubs showed the world that young players can learn to grow and develop in a system. Frank Lampard believes that it is the lack of playing time that is holding English youngsters back.
Frank Lampard was part of England’s supposed golden generation along with John Terry, David Beckham, and Michael Owen and has recently retired from international football. The common theme with Frank Lampard’s career and the others is that they played regular first team football very early on. Owen was a first teamer at 17, Lampard at 18, Terry at 20, and Beckham at just 19.
Compare that to some of England’s other youngsters these days who can barely get a game at the top clubs around the Premier League. That is a product of the pressure on players and managers at these clubs and the fact that they would rather trust a 25 year old foreign player than an 18 year old English player even if they came up through the academy.
Frank Lampard spoke about that very subject of young players at big clubs and said, “I made my West Ham debut at 17 and was a regular a year later. If I was the same age now I wouldn’t be anywhere near the Chelsea or Manchester City sides. Like the other kids I’d have had to go out on loan.”
Lampard continued, “If it was my boy I’d think about sending him to Chelsea to have the best coaching from eight to 15 and, if possible, then send him to a club with less resources to try and get him in the first team at 18. Rio Ferdinand and I were fortunate we experienced it at a young age. But the kids these days get lost. There’s a stagnant patch where we hear of these good players of 15 and 16 and wonder where they are at 21.”
Nothing helps a player’s development like regular football and that translates to the national team as well. If young English players are not playing regularly and having to deal with tough loan spells then they may not grow and develop the way they should be. That leaves the national team in a poor state as they depend on these clubs to develop young players once they leave the academies and the top clubs simply cannot afford to do that.
Clubs like Manchester City and Chelsea and many others have to put out the best players week in and week out because of the pressures associated with the club. There are domestic cup competitions but even in those these big clubs are expected to perform well so there are more first teamers than youngsters in the lineups.
There is no easy answer to what Frank Lampard is suggesting but he is making an interesting point. It is tied to the question of whether young English players should look overseas to play regularly and get a chance to develop to their full potential.
Instead of short loan spells they can spend years at other clubs in Europe until they are good enough to warrant a first team place at the top clubs in the Premier League. Once they do that they can wear the England shirt with pride and take the Three Lions to the next level.
Source: Sky Sports
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