Stephen Casey MSc

Alex Inglethorpe, Liverpool’s Academy Director, is blunt about early ranking in youth football: "It can tell you very little about what a player may eventually become." He discussed this on the High Performance Podcast, using examples from players he had seen develop across academy football. • Trent Alexander-Arnold wasn’t number one in his group. • Conor Bradley wasn’t number one in his group. • Jarell Quansah wasn’t number one in his group at that stage. You could keep going, every now and again, you get the obvious one. • Jude Bellingham at Birmingham. • Wayne Rooney at Everton. Players who stood out early and continued to stand out, but they are not the only route to the top. Harry Kane is another useful example. ⤷ At Tottenham around 13, Inglethorpe described him as being somewhere around the middle of the group rather than one of the obvious leading players. Then Brad Friedel watched him and made a simple observation: “He finishes like Robbie Fowler.” → "No big backlift" → "Hits the ball hard" → "Finds the corners" That comment changed how Kane was being viewed and that is the wider point. Young players do not develop in a straight line. Physically, technically, psychologically and socially everything can fluctuate. So judging a player too heavily on where they sit in the group at 9, 11, 12 or 13 risks confusing their current level with their future potential. The player at the top may stay there and the player in the middle may have far more development ahead of them. The player struggling today may simply be dealing with a physical, technical or experiential gap that looks very different several years later. The danger is when adults become obsessed with the podium rather than the trajectory. • Who is currently best? • Starts all the time? • Scores most? • Looks physically dominant? • Appears furthest ahead? Those things can be useful information, but they just should not become a verdict. Inglethorpe’s message is a useful reminder: "Stop treating a child’s current position in the group as a prediction of where they will finish." Look at the direction they are moving in. Rather than focusing too heavily on where a young player is at that moment, look at the direction they are heading, their behaviours, the habits they are developing, how they learn, how they respond to challenge, and how much development may still be ahead of them This came from Alex Inglethorpe’s appearance on the High Performance Podcast - @mrjakehumphrey : thehighperformancepodcast.co… We originally shared this post last year, but with more than 10,000 new followers since then, many of you may not have seen it.