Comolli: Get the best out of young players

Nurturing an unpolished talent is like watering a flower - you identify your end goal, formulate a plan to reach this target and follow the schedule with dedication, care and attention to detail.

This is how Damien Comolli feels about youth development.

"To get the best out of a young player, as a club and as a coaching staff, you need to be obsessed with getting the best out of young players," the Frenchman told FFT.

But Liverpool's former director of football has identified a fundamental flaw in the English approach.

"We’ve made some comparisons to how many hours a young kid trains in Germany, France and Spain, compared to England and in those two or three keys years between 12 and 14 or 12 and 15 the contact time is not good enough in England."

Comolli is insistent young players in this country need more technical training, more time to become at one with the ball.

So if you want your crop of talented hopefuls to break through, give them a ball not a bleep test.

For more from Comolli watch this video.

Also see:
Comolli: What you need to reach the top
Tosh Farrell: Get the best out of young players
Developing mental toughness in young players
Building mental strength in young players
Getting the best out of young players
Eric Harrison's 3 top tips for young players
How to catch Wenger's eye
Building confidence in young players
Tony Carr: Dealing with a step up in class
Peter Taylor's 3 top tips for young players
Damien Comolli: How to make it as a young player
Tony Carr: Psychology for young players