But it is handicapped by a major problem. As has often been pointed out, money can’t buy success at youth level. It never has, and never will. If it did, then why are the likes of West Ham and Middlesbrough the most successful in England when it comes to academies? Why have Crewe produced so many talented youngsters?
City have claimed they are trying to emulate Barcelona, but in England. This is such a silly statement it doesn’t deserve recognition, except large swathes of the media, from the Telegraph to Guardian, have swallowed the PR whole and have presumably succumbed to excessive public relations exercises from City to proclaim the club’s brilliance.
It has been a strange theme of this season, that though they have had a great start, the media have so fully swallowed the ‘City and United’ are above the rest line. The reality is that Manchester United are above the rest – four league titles in five years prove this. City have not proven themselves any better than Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal or Tottenham. They may have been the best of the five over the brief unrepresentative five week period that has been this season so far, but five week periods are not accurate reflections of anything. If they were, then every May when Everton have their best run of the season they could be called ‘above the rest.’ A team’s quality is judged on their achievements over a number of seasons. In the last two years, Tottenham have qualified for the Champions League and reached its quarter finals. In the last two seasons, City have so far qualified for the Champions League and failed to reach the last eight of the Europa League, losing to Dynamo Kiev. At this moment, City can’t claim to be even be better than Spurs. They can just about claim to be better than Liverpool, but are still inferior to Arsenal, and miles away from Chelsea as yet.
Ciy’s PR team have presumably been trying to paint this picture, but it is false, and the academy is a great example of this. Barcelona’s success was not bought overnight. It was the product of a vision by Johan Cruyff, perhaps football’s greatest visionary. Cruyff instituted the La Masia complex with its emphasis on player’s receiving the ball, offering themselves up for a pass and then moving. Receive, offer and give. It is the mantra of the Barcelona way. It is why the club have been so adept at producing so many superb players, who have now been crowned European champions.
City can spend billions of pounds on their academy, they won’t get anywhere near Barcelona’s success unless they take this approach. And it is not just as easy as that. Barcelona look for players who are able to fit their philosophy. This is far easier in Spain than England, where the mentality is suited to the pass and move style. In England, despite it being long exposed that to be successful internationally you need to pass the ball and be patient, as well as tactically aware, youngsters are taught kick and rush. The second a young player gets the ball, they are told to release it, and holding the ball for more than a second is frowned upon. Players at a young age in England who take a touch as Barcelona would encourage, are ostracised for ‘team’ players; players who are usually bigger, stronger and faster, and who kick the ball aimlessly forward in the neanderthal style English players do. It is entirely backwards, and it is even harder to pick out the few rough diamonds from the hurly burly of English youth football as those who are talented enough to take a touch and develop their technique don’t get the chance.
So City can spend gazillions on fancy projects, PR and training complexes. It will make little difference. How do Santos produce the likes of Paulo Henrique Ganso and Neymar. Or River Plate produce Javier Mascherano, Gonzalo Higuain, Erik Lamela, Radame Falcao, Alexis Sanchez and Esteban Cambiasso? These teams do not have huge oil wealth bankrolling them, yet take the average River Plate or Santos youth team and field them against Manchester City’s, and the English side would suffer an embarrassing defeat most likely.
City have proven one thing. Spending millions can buy you the world’s best players and managers. But spending millions has never in the history of the game produced a talented young player. Only a visionary philosophy and genuine attention to detail can do that. Fanciful PR projects will never achieve anything.
