Quote Originally Posted by cherrypie7 View Post
On a serious note, this Michael Cuisance is an excellent acquisition. Like so many other young French players, he is tremendous technically and very good in tight spaces. He can play where klich plays or where phillips plays. Just 21.

From 12 years old in France all kids are introduced to participate in one football system which basically is 'Total football' in which any outfield player can take over the role of any other player in a team so no outfield player is fixed in a predetermined role - thus anyone can successively play as an attacker, a midfielder and a defender.

Ligue 1 Nantes Academy do a 1 hour introduction presentation for new recruits & parents stating why the above philosophy works so well at youth level and I was surprised to see film footage of Harry Potts,the Burnley manager of the 50s/60s and the 1962 Spurs double winning team playing a very similar football philosophy way before Cruyff and the 70s.
The multicultural densely populated cities of France align all the elements required for an 'ideal football breeding ground' with an extremely high concentration of young players,plentiful supply of modern municipal sports facilities and a culture of fast paced informal matches on small sized pitches where technical dexterity and individual expression are allowed to flourish and encouraged.

All pro clubs have a psychological wellness programme that offers access to mental preparation coaches for players aged 12 and above. The hope is that by treating young players more attentively fewer talented youngsters will slip between the cracks even those with temperamental issues from difficult backgrounds.All this detail produces intelligent, mature and confident responsible young adults which I'm sure Southgate wishes he had at this moment in time and I'm sure Bielsa noted this aspect of footballing development within his time in France too - so hopefully our future will be better for it !

MOT