U-18/U-21/Loans/Development Squad (2011-2018)

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WindyCOYS WindyCOYS

Be interested to hear what you think of the current set up windy? I haven't seen much of the younger age teams but the U21's under Ehiogu have looked very unlike most of what we've been used to watching for the last few years from our academy teams. We seem to have been following a very distinct philosophy, high tempo, high press, pass-move-pass-move. What has been impressive about our academy is that we've been teaching players how to think tactically as a cohesive group, with and without the ball, making even the lesser talented players more likely to have careers and making the more talented players an even more rounded package (i.e. not just talented but giving them some tactical schooling and work ethic).

But lately the U21's have looked very disjointed and incoherent. I know this side is missing some of it's better players to loans etc, and it is lacking a LB and striker and the type of creative and general talent of recent generations in midfield (no Carroll, Bentaleb, Onomah, Winks, Pritchard etc, do you think it is just about the personnel or Ehiogu ?

How well are the U18's playing tactically ?
 
WindyCOYS WindyCOYS

Be interested to hear what you think of the current set up windy? I haven't seen much of the younger age teams but the U21's under Ehiogu have looked very unlike most of what we've been used to watching for the last few years from our academy teams. We seem to have been following a very distinct philosophy, high tempo, high press, pass-move-pass-move. What has been impressive about our academy is that we've been teaching players how to think tactically as a cohesive group, with and without the ball, making even the lesser talented players more likely to have careers and making the more talented players an even more rounded package (i.e. not just talented but giving them some tactical schooling and work ethic).

But lately the U21's have looked very disjointed and incoherent. I know this side is missing some of it's better players to loans etc, and it is lacking a LB and striker and the type of creative and general talent of recent generations in midfield (no Carroll, Bentaleb, Onomah, Winks, Pritchard etc, do you think it is just about the personnel or Ehiogu ?

How well are the U18's playing tactically ?
Hello mate.

I couldn't agree more, they are a disjointed mess this year. The Under-21s can be a bit of a mish-mash anyway - you get injured players recovering, squad players getting minutes, in-betweeners (players between U18s and U21s), players promoted early from U18s, players who are not being kept in to fill squad places (i.e. Chris Paul), etc etc etc. And I get that it's tricky when key players are out on loan (Ball, Oduwa, Ward) or with the first team (Onomah, Winks). But the team selections have been bad for individuals and the team as a whole.

A prime example of Luke Amos - he's gone form England U18 defensive midfielder and 4th in line for a talented England U19 midfield to filling in at left-back and losing form/momentum (which are so important at this stage of his career).
 
Hello mate.

I couldn't agree more, they are a disjointed mess this year. The Under-21s can be a bit of a mish-mash anyway - you get injured players recovering, squad players getting minutes, in-betweeners (players between U18s and U21s), players promoted early from U18s, players who are not being kept in to fill squad places (i.e. Chris Paul), etc etc etc. And I get that it's tricky when key players are out on loan (Ball, Oduwa, Ward) or with the first team (Onomah, Winks). But the team selections have been bad for individuals and the team as a whole.

A prime example of Luke Amos - he's gone form England U18 defensive midfielder and 4th in line for a talented England U19 midfield to filling in at left-back and losing form/momentum (which are so important at this stage of his career).

I keep reading stuff about playing players out of their natural positions to develop their all round game etc and I can buy that, and that results are meaningless at development level, and I can buy that as well, but performance, both individual and collective and tactical education are important and we are not seeing great things at the moment from the U21 level.

To be fair to Ehiogu he is having to cope with a pretty difficult set of circumstances, all the best U21 players are either out on loan or with the first team squad. That team against Liverpool was made up of a lot of 17/18 yo's, players not quite ready for loans, I don't even think Townsend being there helps as he's poor without the ball, terrible at pressing and winning it back.

I seem to remember watching a much stronger U21 play away at Chelsea, back end of last season and play very well (0-0 I think) under Ehiogu. I seem to remember Winks, Onomah, Yedlin, Harrison playing in that game, can't remember who else.

Have you seen much of the other age groups, ignoring results, how would you say they are performing, including tactically ? How are they setting up formation wise (we've mostly used 433 and 4231 at development level) ? Are they working well without the ball ?
 
I keep reading stuff about playing players out of their natural positions to develop their all round game etc and I can buy that, and that results are meaningless at development level, and I can buy that as well, but performance, both individual and collective and tactical education are important and we are not seeing great things at the moment from the U21 level.

To be fair to Ehiogu he is having to cope with a pretty difficult set of circumstances, all the best U21 players are either out on loan or with the first team squad. That team against Liverpool was made up of a lot of 17/18 yo's, players not quite ready for loans, I don't even think Townsend being there helps as he's poor without the ball, terrible at pressing and winning it back.

I seem to remember watching a much stronger U21 play away at Chelsea, back end of last season and play very well (0-0 I think) under Ehiogu. I seem to remember Winks, Onomah, Yedlin, Harrison playing in that game, can't remember who else.

Have you seen much of the other age groups, ignoring results, how would you say they are performing, including tactically ? How are they setting up formation wise (we've mostly used 433 and 4231 at development level) ? Are they working well without the ball ?
I've not mate, due to personal circumstances I've not got to many games this year, although I'm hoping to get to two more before the season's end. They use 4-2-3-1 though, and Edwards typically plays from the right.

Ehiogu's had some difficult circumstances, you're right, but no more so than other coaches. For the level of talent at his disposal, he's not got us playing well.
 
I've not mate, due to personal circumstances I've not got to many games this year, although I'm hoping to get to two more before the season's end. They use 4-2-3-1 though, and Edwards typically plays from the right.

Ehiogu's had some difficult circumstances, you're right, but no more so than other coaches. For the level of talent at his disposal, he's not got us playing well.

When you look at he group he's got now though, no Winks, Onomah, Harrison, Ogilvie, Oduwa, Ball and certainly no-one of the calibre of Carroll, Bentaleb, Pritchard, Kane. It just looks a bit bereft of top quality creative talent right now.

Like you, what I'd expect is to still see us press well and work hard off the ball, and I think that aspect hasn't been great but maybe what's really missing most is the lack of actual creative quality in the midfield/attacking midfield. Lesniak is a tidy little busy ****, same Amos, but there hard work isn't being gilded by the likes of the Winks's, Onomah's, Oduwa's, Kane's, Pritchard's, Carroll's, Bentaleb's etc. Players that were really good at the approach play and creative side of things ?
 
I haven´t seen any of the matches, but judging by the resent scorelines of the U21s we might expect to be sourcing defenders for the first team from outside the academy for some time to come.
 
Tottenham boys in U17's vs Zi Germans
currently 0-2 up

CanYEqDWcAErOEV.jpg:large
 
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