Quote Originally Posted by fivetide View Post
Devil's advocate on this one - Pep doesn't do tiki taka and all that. His philosophy is possession with purpose. Looking for the forward pass whenever it is on.

As much as it would cause a huge issue for all the reasons listed, he has a point. The younger, England U21 players for example, could well learn more playing against a crafty defender that knows a few tricks of their own and doesn't fall for fancy footwork, or a woody that knows they don't have pace but will give you a battle in the air or really press you simply because they know their positioning.

We see players with pace all the time but not always the end product. Maybe a system like that would help with the game craft.

Can't see it ever happening or working though.
Then don't hoard players in vast numbers throughout your age groups. Allow them to filter down the system and ply their trade with another team (not an u23 version, an actual football club in an actual community) and then if you think you see a player who could play in your first team then, and only then, go out and buy them for your team. If all these young players weren't hoarded by the few then they would be playing further down the pyramid, thus increasing the quality and their development.

U23 teams have no place in the pyramid. Isn't and never will be up for debate in my own humble opinion. Horrible idea. The game and pyramid is for each and every club and community in the land, not for the richest to hijack and use as training exercises. Hard squad limits, as in increase the squad numbers a touch but anyone who you don't register is free to sign with another side. That's what I'd love to see personally.