My Season 1 Youth intake contained sixteen 15-16 year olds of varying potential. Seven of these youngsters were signed permanently and the other nine were left to hone their skills elsewhere. Why don't I just keep them all you ask? Well the answer is that I have a cap of around twenty within the U18s. I like to see their progression in games and work closely with them. Ask any primary school teacher what they prefer: a class of thirty three or eighteen.
Of the seven youngsters lucky enough to attempt to forge a career with me, two stand out: Marco Simon and Remo Mahrer (below screenshot in March 2016). Remember their names, because I think these two will go far. The purposes of this blog is to introduce them, evaluate them and then predict where they will be in 5, 10 and 15 years time.
Marco Simon - future captain of GCZ?
Remo Mahrer - awful hair but a potentially gifted goal scoring AMC
Now it's worth mentioning the initial benefits of having a professional and determined youth coaching set up, as I explain in a previous blog. We're seeing the first fruits of Arne Friedrich and MIchael Ballack's influence, in terms of personality traits coming into GCZ. Personality is the most important influencer on a young players development. It affects how they train and progress in terms of their current ability. Determined and professional individuals will look to train hard and aim to break into the 1st team.
Marco Simon - future GCZ captain?
Like in real life, it is quite rare to find leaders at the age of 15-16. But in Marco Simon I have a capable determined leader. So far he has modest Teamwork and Workrate stats that will develop over time. He also has great Vision for his age, something I aim to make use of by developing his Passing stat. His Preferred Player Move (PPM) of 'Gets Into Opposition Area' is worth keeping, within my current system he seems to fit the bill as a perfect Box To Box Central Midfielder.
It's too early to say whether Marco will get game time at GCZ next season. He will only be 17 in October 2016 and I like to keep my young players away from the first team for at least a season. But I expect in 2-3 years he will be breaking through, he is that good already.
So then, my predictions which I am hoping to see if the come right (providing my save does not corrupt):
5 Years: GCZ captain at the age of 21?
10 Years: A Champions League winning captain?
15 Years: Swiss captain with over 60 International caps?
Remo Mahrer - Swiss Bergkamp?
What I really like about Remo Mahrer is his already great Physical stats, especially his Natural Fitness...which regular readers here will know I love. His exceptional Flair and First Touch make me initially think he is like a Dennis Bergkamp type of player. But I would be interested to hear peoples' thoughts as to who he makes them think of. He also has a PPM that sees him 'Beat The Offside Trap'...should I therefore consider this kid as a future Shadow Striker?
If I can polish a few Mental stats, like Decisions, Composure & Off The Ball, I believe I will have a real goalscoring midfielder on my hands. Perhaps like a Frank Lampard (note the PPM of Long Range Freekicks).
Now on to predictions:
5 Years: Score a Champions League hat-trick before the age of 21 years old? (Like Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney and Gareth Bale before him)
10 Years: Win the European Golden Shoe?
15 Years: Top scorer at a Major International Championship?
I hope you enjoyed today's blog. I will of course update you as to their progress via my Twitter account. I will also write up special blog posts (using the title of 'The Marco & Remo Diaries'). I would welcome your thoughts on these two Newgens and opinions on how best to utilise them going forward.
Thank you for reading,
FM Grasshopper