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Chelsea Comment: Green Shoots Of Recovery For Blues As Academy Graduates Blossom
Once-ridiculed youth policy suddenly seems to be paying dividends...
| Bet: | Returns: | Everton £31.00 | Draw £32.50 | Chelsea £22.50 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Everton £31.00 | Draw £32.00 | Chelsea £23.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Everton £32.00 | Draw £32.50 | Chelsea £23.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Everton £30.00 | Draw £32.50 | Chelsea £24.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Everton £31.00 | Draw £33.00 | Chelsea £24.50 |
|
Dec 10, 2009 1:23:31 PM
Carlo Ancelotti may have arrived at Chelsea with a reputation for preferring experience over youthful exuberance, but it hasn’t taken him long to change that perception.
At AC Milan, the Italian oversaw the progression of one of the oldest squads in European football, as the likes of Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Costacurta, and Filippo Inzaghi played well into their thirties — and even on into their forties.
Alongside such stalwarts was the odd fresh-faced youngster — Alexandre Pato burst onto the scene under Ancelotti — but the 50-year-old’s failure to incorporate the likes of Yoann Gourcuff (who has excelled since leaving San Siro for Bordeaux) into the first-team led many to believe that Ancelotti will never rival Arsene Wenger as a disciple of youth development.
Consequently, upon his announcement as the new Chelsea manager many pundits wondered whether he was the right man for the job, especially considering the Blues had an ageing squad in need of an injection of fresh blood.
Since arriving in West London, however, Ancelotti has slowly gone about proving all such criticism wrong.
Perhaps the lingering threat of a FIFA transfer embargo has forced his hand, but the former Italy international has shown himself increasingly willing to give the Blues’ academy graduates a chance in the first team — and has gone on to reap the rewards.
So far it has been Gael Kakuta who has profited most from Ancelotti’s approach, an irony considering it was the means by which the club acquired the exciting Frenchman that could yet lead to their transfer ban.
Nevertheless, the attacking midfielder has excelled in his handful of appearances this season, including Tuesday night’s first start against APOEL Nicosia in the Champions League.
“[The manager] said I would start the game and that's a good thing for me. I have been waiting since I was young,” Kakuta said after the disappointing 2-2 draw.
“It's the first game I started and I wanted to win the game, so it's hard but you just have to keep going, I was in the action, and that was good for me.”
Believe the hype | Kakuta has shown great promise
Having trained with the first-team from the start of the season, his team-mates are well aware of his talent, but are careful not to put too much pressure on the former RC Lens youngster.
“He has a lot of skill and has a big future for Chelsea and France, but we need to keep the pressure off him, have him play a game here and a game there and enjoy his football,” Joe Cole said.
"He shouldn't have too much pressure on him. He has all the talent in the world and just wants to learn. He's very intelligent, he knows what he wants and is a really big player for the future, but we need to keep the pressure off him so he can keep learning."
But it isn’t just Kakuta that has emerged this season. Italian striker Fabio Borini — a player his manager has already described as “very, very interesting” — has also forced his way onto the substitutes bench on a number of occasions, and made his full debut against QPR in the League Cup in October.
Defender Jeffrey Bruma is the next on the likely list for a first-team start, especially after he was singled out for praise by Ancelotti after an impressive 75 minutes against Blackburn Rovers in the club’s Carling Cup penalty shootout defeat last week.
Since arriving at the club as a 15-year-old, Bruma has impressed everyone at the club with his potential. With a brother, Marciano van Homoet, playing for Barnsley (the differing surname is just a result of league bureaucracy), the central defender has an obvious role model, not to mention the respective talents of John Terry, Ricardo Carvalho and Alex he sees every day in training.
But he also makes sure to learn all he can from the very best in the game from across Europe.
"I look at a lot of defenders,” Bruma confirmed to his club’s official website.
Real deal | Bruma admires the likes of Pepe
“With Chelsea there are obviously so many good ones to look at and I also watch Pepe from Real Madrid because he is tall, athletic and maybe a little bit how I am built - and Rio Ferdinand and [Nemanja] Vidic, they are all players that I can take something from."
Adaptable enough to play at full-back, Bruma is already showing himself as a cultured all-round footballer, strong in the tackle but equally confident as a distributor of the ball.
What is more, he takes a mean free-kick, and regularly stays behind after training to work on his dead-ball technique with Didier Drogba.
“I know I have a good free-kick in my locker,” he said.
“I [practise] them a lot and this season I have scored once in a friendly and I hit the post at Arsenal for the reserves. I keep working everyday with Ray [Wilkins, assistant first-team coach] and I think practice will pay off.
“Didier has a crazy style that makes the ball go up and down so quick and I have another style with the inside of my foot to clip it over the wall. I look how he takes it but it is difficult to do it like him, and maybe for him it is difficult to do it like me, everyone has their own talents.”
Bruma is leading the charge of young academy graduates pushing for the first-team. If he can finally put his injury worries to bed, fellow defender Sam Hutchinson is highly regarded by the coaching stuff, and the English pair of Nikki Ahamed and Daniel Phillishirk are also nearing the top table after being considered for a place on the bench in midweek.
Add to that the various Chelsea players who are currently out on loan, and Chelsea have enough talent to put together a formidable youth XI.
Striker Franco Di Santo is thriving at Blackburn Rovers, while Michael Mancienne and Scott Sinclair are learning about the Premier League (sometimes the hard way) at Wolverhampton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic respectively.
Then there is spritely young winger Miroslav Stoch, who has helped lead Steve McClaren’s FC Twente to the top of the Dutch Eredivisie.
"We are doing well and winning all the time so I am getting opportunities to play every game, and that is why I came to Holland,” Stoch said recently.
Taking Stoch | Winger, left, celebrates another goal
“I am starting every game. I missed just one against Feyenoord when I was injured. I have scored eight goals, six in the league and two in the Europa League."
The Slovakian will also be going to the World Cup next summer, further progressing his development:
“I don't know if I am a better player now but I hope so. I need to improve many things but I am getting some experience which is good.”
Despite being across Europe, Stoch and his club still maintain a very close relationship.
"I am watching all the time the Chelsea first team games, and the reserve team also," he says. "I know everything that is happening. I speak with some lads from the reserves.
“After almost every game Frank Arnesen [the club's sporting director] calls me and asks how was the game, how did I do. It is very open with Frank.”
The club will welcome the 20-year-old back after the World Cup when, like many of his young team-mates, he will set about making his case for the first team.
Kakuta might be the first to emerge under Ancelotti, but it looks highly unlikely he will be the last.
Alex Dimond, Goal.com UK
At AC Milan, the Italian oversaw the progression of one of the oldest squads in European football, as the likes of Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Costacurta, and Filippo Inzaghi played well into their thirties — and even on into their forties.
Alongside such stalwarts was the odd fresh-faced youngster — Alexandre Pato burst onto the scene under Ancelotti — but the 50-year-old’s failure to incorporate the likes of Yoann Gourcuff (who has excelled since leaving San Siro for Bordeaux) into the first-team led many to believe that Ancelotti will never rival Arsene Wenger as a disciple of youth development.
Consequently, upon his announcement as the new Chelsea manager many pundits wondered whether he was the right man for the job, especially considering the Blues had an ageing squad in need of an injection of fresh blood.
Since arriving in West London, however, Ancelotti has slowly gone about proving all such criticism wrong.
Perhaps the lingering threat of a FIFA transfer embargo has forced his hand, but the former Italy international has shown himself increasingly willing to give the Blues’ academy graduates a chance in the first team — and has gone on to reap the rewards.
So far it has been Gael Kakuta who has profited most from Ancelotti’s approach, an irony considering it was the means by which the club acquired the exciting Frenchman that could yet lead to their transfer ban.
Nevertheless, the attacking midfielder has excelled in his handful of appearances this season, including Tuesday night’s first start against APOEL Nicosia in the Champions League.
“[The manager] said I would start the game and that's a good thing for me. I have been waiting since I was young,” Kakuta said after the disappointing 2-2 draw.
“It's the first game I started and I wanted to win the game, so it's hard but you just have to keep going, I was in the action, and that was good for me.”
Believe the hype | Kakuta has shown great promise
Having trained with the first-team from the start of the season, his team-mates are well aware of his talent, but are careful not to put too much pressure on the former RC Lens youngster.
“He has a lot of skill and has a big future for Chelsea and France, but we need to keep the pressure off him, have him play a game here and a game there and enjoy his football,” Joe Cole said.
"He shouldn't have too much pressure on him. He has all the talent in the world and just wants to learn. He's very intelligent, he knows what he wants and is a really big player for the future, but we need to keep the pressure off him so he can keep learning."
But it isn’t just Kakuta that has emerged this season. Italian striker Fabio Borini — a player his manager has already described as “very, very interesting” — has also forced his way onto the substitutes bench on a number of occasions, and made his full debut against QPR in the League Cup in October.
Defender Jeffrey Bruma is the next on the likely list for a first-team start, especially after he was singled out for praise by Ancelotti after an impressive 75 minutes against Blackburn Rovers in the club’s Carling Cup penalty shootout defeat last week.
Since arriving at the club as a 15-year-old, Bruma has impressed everyone at the club with his potential. With a brother, Marciano van Homoet, playing for Barnsley (the differing surname is just a result of league bureaucracy), the central defender has an obvious role model, not to mention the respective talents of John Terry, Ricardo Carvalho and Alex he sees every day in training.
But he also makes sure to learn all he can from the very best in the game from across Europe.
"I look at a lot of defenders,” Bruma confirmed to his club’s official website.
Real deal | Bruma admires the likes of Pepe
“With Chelsea there are obviously so many good ones to look at and I also watch Pepe from Real Madrid because he is tall, athletic and maybe a little bit how I am built - and Rio Ferdinand and [Nemanja] Vidic, they are all players that I can take something from."
Adaptable enough to play at full-back, Bruma is already showing himself as a cultured all-round footballer, strong in the tackle but equally confident as a distributor of the ball.
What is more, he takes a mean free-kick, and regularly stays behind after training to work on his dead-ball technique with Didier Drogba.
“I know I have a good free-kick in my locker,” he said.
“I [practise] them a lot and this season I have scored once in a friendly and I hit the post at Arsenal for the reserves. I keep working everyday with Ray [Wilkins, assistant first-team coach] and I think practice will pay off.
“Didier has a crazy style that makes the ball go up and down so quick and I have another style with the inside of my foot to clip it over the wall. I look how he takes it but it is difficult to do it like him, and maybe for him it is difficult to do it like me, everyone has their own talents.”
Bruma is leading the charge of young academy graduates pushing for the first-team. If he can finally put his injury worries to bed, fellow defender Sam Hutchinson is highly regarded by the coaching stuff, and the English pair of Nikki Ahamed and Daniel Phillishirk are also nearing the top table after being considered for a place on the bench in midweek.
Add to that the various Chelsea players who are currently out on loan, and Chelsea have enough talent to put together a formidable youth XI.
Striker Franco Di Santo is thriving at Blackburn Rovers, while Michael Mancienne and Scott Sinclair are learning about the Premier League (sometimes the hard way) at Wolverhampton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic respectively.
Then there is spritely young winger Miroslav Stoch, who has helped lead Steve McClaren’s FC Twente to the top of the Dutch Eredivisie.
"We are doing well and winning all the time so I am getting opportunities to play every game, and that is why I came to Holland,” Stoch said recently.
Taking Stoch | Winger, left, celebrates another goal
“I am starting every game. I missed just one against Feyenoord when I was injured. I have scored eight goals, six in the league and two in the Europa League."
The Slovakian will also be going to the World Cup next summer, further progressing his development:
“I don't know if I am a better player now but I hope so. I need to improve many things but I am getting some experience which is good.”
Despite being across Europe, Stoch and his club still maintain a very close relationship.
"I am watching all the time the Chelsea first team games, and the reserve team also," he says. "I know everything that is happening. I speak with some lads from the reserves.
“After almost every game Frank Arnesen [the club's sporting director] calls me and asks how was the game, how did I do. It is very open with Frank.”
The club will welcome the 20-year-old back after the World Cup when, like many of his young team-mates, he will set about making his case for the first team.
Kakuta might be the first to emerge under Ancelotti, but it looks highly unlikely he will be the last.
Alex Dimond, Goal.com UK
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