It’s been coming for a long time. Rafa isn’t happy with the youth and reserve set up in England. Today he finally expressed his contempt for the current system.
Benitez, who was coach of Real Madrid B for a time, has in the last week been forced in to loaning out several promising Liverpool youngsters because of the lack of games, and lack of demanding games, for these players. Many of these players are often young English or British players who are trying to break in to the reds first team.
In Spain, some of the top sides, such as Real, have ‘B’ times that play in lower leagues – an idea he thinks would be of benefit in England.
Speaking in the media today he had this to say:
“It is clear that the reserve league doesn’t work.”
“You can see youngsters playing just 18 games a season – that is nothing. It’s certainly not enough for the development of these players.
“It is something that we can improve in this country. If we do not change we will find other solutions, such as sending youngsters out on loan like I have done recently.
“Between 18 and 21-years-old in this country, the players do not know what to do. If they are good enough at 18 they are with the first team but on the bench all the time.
“I would like to see reserve teams of the big clubs like ourselves playing in the Football League. Why not if they have enough quality?
“That will bridge the gap between the youngsters and the first team. If you do not give young players the chance to play competitive football and to learn things, things become impossible.
“I have been here three years and have talked to many people about this, and what I see is players who are 17-years-old and cannot progress.
“How can you use a 17-year-old in the first team, unless he is a really top talent like Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney or Michael Owen?
“Players of that ability can play in the Premier League, but you have to be special to do that so young.
“The rest of the lads need to play at another level, but the reserve league is nothing.
“I am not sure about them playing in League Two, either, they need to be playing against good players, then they will learn more.”
“I was the manager of Castille, Real Madrid’s reserve side, and I had players who were 18 or 19-years-old playing in the Spanish second division championship,” he explained.
“They were playing against men. They were winning and we finished sixth and fourth. The question is what improves the quality of the players.”
Do you think a Liverpool B team in the lower divisions would be a good idea?
I think the reserves league does need beefing up. A Liverpool B in the Championship? I assume ‘when’ 😉 they win the league they won’t be promoted. What about cup draws? Complicated.
Surely it would just make the big rich clubs (like us) even bigger and just push out some of the smaller clubs in to the non-league divisions?
Beef up the reserve league system – maybe with SKY losing some footie next season they might have some spare cash knocking around?