Inside Bayer Leverkusen’s academy: Bundesliga champions wish to maintain their success and know youth is vital

What’s there left for Bayer Leverkusen to realize? Placing that query to sporting director Simon Rolfes on a latest go to to the Bundesliga champions, his reply is a stunning one. He talks not of extra glory however of growing the academy.

“We solely have two gamers in the intervening time in our squad from the academy,” Rolfes tells Sky Sports activities. A type of is Florian Wirtz, who spent a lot of his growth at FC Koln. The opposite is back-up goalkeeper Niklas Lomb who’s now 31 years outdated.

“To have the identical degree we’ve got now, however with 5, six, seven, eight or 9 gamers from the academy, could be improbable,” provides Rolfes. “I believe that will additionally give this membership one other increase by way of growth and our identification. It’s a long-term undertaking.”

He continues: “We’re making massive steps within the academy with much more nationwide crew gamers. 5 years in the past, there have been possibly two or three, now it’s nearly 20. We’re bettering however we’ve got to show we’re capable of develop them. It’s nonetheless a giant problem.”

Talking to chief govt Fernando Carro, he expressed a lot the identical sentiment, underlining the truth that this isn’t a flight of fancy by Rolfes however a problem central to Leverkusen’s pondering as they give the impression of being to construct on their shock title triumph.

“One very crucial and vital factor for us is to strengthen our academy,” says Carro. “We now have to be extra profitable in getting academy gamers to the primary crew. However after all due to the upper degree of our first crew it’s all the time an increasing number of troublesome.”

So, how do Leverkusen do it? The person tasked with delivering the change his bosses demand is Jefta Bresser, the academy director. The affable Dutchman is unconcerned. “I can cope with the stress,” he tells Sky Sports activities. “If not, I’m not the suitable man.”

Bresser solely arrived at Leverkusen in October, by which era the primary crew have been already on their astonishing run to glory. We’re talking after watching the U19 aspect come from behind to win 4-3 late on. “I have no idea what’s unsuitable with this membership,” he jokes.

However coming at it with recent eyes would possibly permit him to have the solutions Leverkusen are on the lookout for. Bresser factors to analysis that exhibits Germany produces lower than one skilled per million inhabitants. In Portugal and the Netherlands, it’s practically 5.

“England is between two or three per million. That statistic can solely imply two issues. Both there isn’t any expertise in Germany or we’re not growing them correctly. And I believe it should be the latter as a result of soccer can be the primary sport in Germany.”

Bresser already has concepts. An apparent change was to enhance the choice course of. “We had near 80 per cent of our boys from 12 to 19 born within the first six months.” This was a worrying bias based mostly on relative-age impact. They have been lacking the late builders.

Symbolically, Bresser moved the top coach of the U19s to a brand new function educating the coaches of the eight-to-15 age-groups. It despatched a message about what was vital. “Creating coaches helps to develop gamers. All of it begins with high quality teaching.”

Bresser’s personal background was as a technical coach at Fulham beneath Martin Jol after which beneath Andre Villas-Boas and Luciano Spalletti at Zenit Saint Petersburg. He has by no means overlooked the significance of one-on-one work in serving to to develop gamers.

“Individuals neglect how vital this particular person consideration is, even at first-team degree. It’s not all the time about particular workout routines. It’s about that spotlight from the coach. That brings confidence, that brings good feeling and that contributes to efficiency.”

One other vital change deliberate is to dramatically enhance the variety of academy gamers. “I’m wanting on the fashions of Benfica and PSV. I want to deliver extra children into the academy at a youthful age so there’s a greater basis, a wider pyramid.”

Bresser’s ambition is to have “roughly double groups” for every age group. Not with a view to releasing extra of them however providing better ensures as a substitute. “I don’t wish to deselect gamers too early.” From this season, the U11 boys crew obtain a promise.

“We promise them they’ll stick with us from fifth grade at school until the tenth grade at school. So they aren’t solely in our faculties for a very good quantity of years, but in addition in our soccer academy. I believe that could be a highly effective factor. And that’s what we’re going to do.”

That safety helps the gamers. “There may be nonetheless that susceptible interval for them once they begin having Osgood-Schlatter illness and the rising pains and so forth. However now they won’t be so confused that they’ve to go away the membership yearly. That may be a massive factor.”

He additionally hopes that it encourages the coaches to deal with particular person growth quite than crew success. “The coaches must really feel comfy and never really feel the stress of profitable video games. Generally we’ll lose video games. It’s no downside in any respect.”

Bresser explains: “Our particular person method mixed with the truth that we commit longer to the youngsters’ growth may be the distinction for us, a extra holistic method. We can’t be enthusiastic about all the time discovering that greater, stronger child subsequent door.”

There’ll nonetheless be the chance so as to add gifted gamers to the academy because the older age teams require extra gamers on either side. “There may be all the time room to herald new children. However they should be high 5. If they’re similar to the remaining, they aren’t coming.”

Bresser needs to get the bottom proper first however that ultimate step from academy graduate to first-team soccer stays the largest leap. Carro is exploring choices, whether or not that could be a strategic relationship with a membership in Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria or elsewhere.

“We would not have what different golf equipment have, maybe opponents with multi-club possession have, the place there’s a second crew,” explains Carro. “That is one thing that we’ve got to have a look at. In the intervening time, we’re analysing it and we should focus on the technique.”

Bresser admits that the leap from academy to Champions League is “manner too massive” for many younger gamers. “In soccer, we are likely to deal with the exceptions. Florian Wirtz was prepared at 17 however he’s the exception. Many of the boys are prepared when they’re 21 or 22.

“To be trustworthy, must have some options. As talked about, do we want a second crew? Do we want companion golf equipment or assistant golf equipment? “We now have a really gifted group born in 2007. Which means in a single 12 months we want the answer for the following steps for these boys.”

However the message from Leverkusen, who’re taking a look at a very new coaching floor earlier than the top of the last decade, is that the seek for these options is on. Discovering a approach to maintain that success is the following problem and the academy is a manner of doing that.

“Possibly it’s a dream however I completely need Leverkusen to be among the many high three academies in Germany,” says Bresser. “I need Europe to talk about our academy.” Exhausting to think about? So was the Bundesliga title. In Leverkusen, goals can come true.