Juventus........finally

Well I have finally got around to writing about my trip to Juventus earlier this year.

Since returning home, my feet have hardly touched the floor as I returned to New Jersey and was straight in to the season here.

Juventus was the last of several trips I made during what I have called my Elite Coaching Roadshow, all completed within a 10 week break back in the UK. I had already written about some fantastic visits and hoped that this would live up to the enjoyment of them.

I was not disappointed.

After a short flight and with complex public transport instructions in my hand, I set off from Turin airport to “The Vinovo”, the training centre of one of the world’s most famous teams.

When I arrived at the Juventus training ground I was warmly welcomed by Riccardo Cavallari (Head of Education and Welfare) who kindly gave me a tour of the facility whilst introducing me to various academy staff and coaches throughout.

The complex included three first team pitches (two of which have under soil heating, and the only two grass pitches not to be covered in snow!) with scaffold towers positioned pitch side for video/performance analysis to occur, four grass pitches for the academy sides, one artificial grass pitch and an indoor artificial pitch soccer dome including academy gymnasium.

Riccardo informed me that pitches are assigned to different age groups within the academy. For example, pitches are assigned to the following squads; first team, U19's (Prima Vera), U17/18, U15/16, U13/14 etc. This means that the pitch layout is methodical so that as teams progress with age through the academy, they step up each year to the subsequent field until they inevitably reach first team level.

Throughout the academy there are 17 teams in total, with up to three teams at the youngest age groups. At the respective age groups teams play 5-a-side, 7-a-side, 9-a-side and 11-a-side when they reach 11 years old. At the youngest age groups also, players play with a size four ball before progressing to size five. Juventus state that this reduces the number of adaptations players have to make to their game in comparison to the size 3 – 4 – 5 adaptations regularly seen in the English game. Further to this Juve believe that smaller balls are often harder to control for advanced level players, so to give to younger players makes little sense. With a size four, however, the ball is easier to control and thus easier to manipulate with small touches than a size 2/3 ball. All academy coaches must be at least UEFA B qualified also.

Riccardo explained that the club’s philosophy was to nurture and produce players capable of representing the first team squad as this process is far more economical than buying in 'ready made' players from elsewhere.

This prompted me to enquire about the scouting process, intrigued at the kind of distance that their recruitment took place over. I was informed that they scout players from all over Italy and even worldwide for older academy sides, but for the younger ones, predominantly local players are sought. Those scouted from further afield are invited to live at the Juventus academy for the football season duration and so spend considerable time away from their parents, siblings and friends back home. Here, Juventus pay for their accommodation, food and education whilst allowing frequent contact to be made back home via telephone calls, emails and letters to family.
To ensure equality throughout the academy, local players continue to live at home with their parents whilst attending their local schools, but the club still pays for their food and education.

So what do Juve look for when scouting players?
First and foremost, they believe that technical ability is fundamental, but also feel that other factors are dependant on the age group (e.g. stronger players for older age groups). Generally though, Juve do not tend to look for physical players as they believe that strength can be developed in the academy

gymnasium utilising the strengths of Ducho Ferrari (Strength and Conditioning Coach) to devise effective fitness programmes.

I mischievously enquired that if a player is scouted from elsewhere, and possesses greater ability than an existing academy player, is it a case of simply replacing them or would Juve seek to add them to their squad? Ricardo was adamant that Juventus would assess whether it was actually worth bringing the player to the academy at all unless they possessed ‘exceptional’ ability. In fact, this would be the only instance that any player would even be granted the opportunity to join the academy, but even if so, no player will be replaced.

Whilst producing their own players is the ultimate objective for their youth system, Juve also look to produce players who are competitive and above all, that all players are enjoying their football. What I discovered next was most striking and to be honest surprised me greatly.

The reason Juventus look to create competitive players is because even at the youngest age groups, contrary to all of the other academies that I have visited on my Elite Coaching Roadshow, the main objective and priority is to win games, irrespective of the performance.

Here then, every coach within the academy places high emphasis on winning. I was advised that coaches want their players to understand that the aim of football is to win, and so this is what is taught. Whilst this is the case at Juventus, they believe winning is taught in an environment where the player has the freedom to be creative and express themselves without pressure from parents. Players, however, must play the way the coach wants them to play, rather than allowing the players to express themselves and find solutions to potential problems that they may encounter on the field. Players as young as 7/8 years old are entered into competitive leagues where the objective is to win every game.

So what does each coach look to achieve from their respective squads?
Ultimately, their objective is to play attractive football that produces results of the highest quality. With such great emphasis on winning, coaches look to develop each player’s technical and tactical awareness that will enable them to win each game. However, coaches also recognise that the likelihood of winning every game is not guaranteed. In this instance, coaches see it as their job to ensure players realise what is required in forthcoming fixtures in order to win.

When asked what Juventus looks to achieve from its players, Riccardo informed me that throughout all age groups the objectives are to play strong, competitive and purposeful football, without looking to play long balls. Teams must play with the ball on the floor including goalkeeper possession.

This prompted me to ask about the style of play that Juve look to adopt, as in the past Italian football has been known and widely reported to be rather defensive.

Riccardo’s response to this was that Italian football was always deemed defensive because of the world class players/defenders that they had produced at that time such as Maldini, Baresi etc so they stuck to their strengths. Now he and the other academy coaching staff believe that the style is changing now that Italy have less 'world class' defenders but more upcoming young attacking players, using Pirlo’s domination of Euro 2012 as an example.

Individual coaching philosophies are not wanted at Juve meaning this style of play must be adopted by all coaches within the club. However, coaches may apply individual tactical knowledge to enable winning of games.

Moreover, all squads at all ages play a 4-3-3 formation apart from the first team who play 3-5-2. Often teams of similar ages will train together to ensure uniformity is kept as players progress through age ranges. This also facilitates players stepping up to play for older age groups without any transitional issues.

I then discovered that coaches are assigned to specific age groups. For example, Claudio Begatta is Juventus U14 coach meaning he will coach the next group of U14’s that step up each year. Juventus believe that this gives players the opportunity to learn and discover new ways of thinking by taking on board and implementing a different coach’s tactical knowledge. This is also believed to create a healthy environment where players compete against one another for starting positions by having to impress a new coach each year.

Squads usually consist of 22-25 players and the reasons for this are two fold: Firstly, Juve believe that with a higher number of players in each squad, tactical knowledge and implementation can be easily imparted and practiced in real game scenarios (i.e. 11v11) in comparison to a squad of 12 players, for example. Secondly, as mentioned previously, Juventus feel that large squad numbers creates greater competition amongst players for starting positions, meaning players demonstrate a greater work ethic and develop a mentality that strives to be the best. This, they feel, will only prove advantageous and beneficial alongside their desire to win.

Up until U12 age groups, players rotate positions with the opportunity to play everywhere on the field during games. However from U12 players have set positions in defence, midfield or forward positions. To prevent players from becoming one dimensional in fixed positions from here onwards, players will rotate within their own units (for example a defender may play right back one week, left back the next and centre back the time after that).

Equal playing time in games is organised so that every player gets an equal portion up until the age of roughly 12/13. After that, competition is seen to be fiercer between players and so the best players tend to play the majority of the game. With such an overwhelming winning mentality, they believe that this is important and creates healthy competition amongst team members, thus increasing the overall team performance.

Parents are not permitted to watch training sessions but are allowed to attend games. However, only encouragement is permitted from the sideline, not instructions. If this agreement is broken parents will be asked to leave the premises as Juve believe in giving the players freedom to be creative without external pressures.

Much like most of the professional clubs I have been fortunate to visit on my travels, scaffold towers beside academy and first XI pitches at Juventus allow for video analysis of training and games to take place.

Aside from the footballing side of Juventus, I was advised that the academy is in its first year of running its own nationally recognised college which provides state education to its players and runs parallel to their football education. All academy players are taught here and so do not attend local schools.

Riccardo informed me that the planning for Juve to run its own college started roughly two years ago and is believed to be making positive steps in the way of combining both football and school education (something Riccardo described as being a rarity in Italy, where it is believed that players must choose one or the other, school or football, with the general consensus that the two cannot be combined effectively). The Juventus college, however, enables its players to do both and have plans to expand and provide university education, although these plans currently have no start date. Currently, their primary focus is on developing and improving the college education that they currently provide.

Juventus see player education as an important part of their life for the aforementioned reasons, and so encourage the players to envisage the benefits of having an education. Whilst they try to be strict with education (i.e. no training if school work is of a poor standard, essentially they are a football academy and that is what the players are here for - to play football). Therefore the onus is on the players to complete their school work.

Players within the academy are on one year rolling contract and are reviewed, reassessed and renewed annually depending on the level of improvement in ability. Players are then offered professional contracts at the age of 18 (at 14 years old players are offered a five year deal but are not professional). At this stage players are given the choice whether they would like to continue with their education alongside their football programme or whether they would like to stop. Juventus claim to encourage players to continue with their school studies as an alternative option and contingency plan should anything unexpected occur such as an injury or alternatively to increase their employability at the end of their playing career. However, the club also recognises that at 18 years old, players are young adults capable of making their own decisions and so the decision is ultimately the player’s.
If players are not offered a contract at this stage, they are released to either lower league clubs (e.g. Serie B or lower) or back to the club from which they were scouted.

Throughout my stay at Juventus I was gratefully afforded the opportunity to observe many training sessions and coaches at work and was overwhelmed with the welcoming nature of all of the academy coaching staff. On day one I was introduced to Claudio Begatta (U14's coach), Ducho Ferrari (Head of Academy Fitness Training) and Stefano (U14 Goalkeeper Coach). It was Claudio who I spent most of my time on the first day observing, who made it his duty to take me under his wing to best explain each of his session objectives, granting me access to observe every session by his side to better my experience. With English language being taught at the Juventus College, Claudio introduced me to the entire U14 squad in order for them to practice their English speaking and pronunciation. Each morning after that, I was greeted onto the complex with a unanimous “Good Morning Mark” from all of the players, a sign of respect that had been instilled into them towards all staff members, visitors and guests.

Stefano was a very humble and self-depreciating man, who also took the time and effort to learn more about myself and my travels as well as granting me similar opportunities to watch him at work with the U14 academy goalkeepers. Whilst Stefano endeavoured to muster up his best English, one phrase that he repeated over and over that has stuck with me was “always remember to smile, whether in football or any other sport, always remember to smile”. Stefano did just this and it was clear that he had a phenomenal relationship with his players, who were all remarkably responsive to his instructions. It was evident that Stefano was both humble and self-depreciating about his position within the Juventus academy and provided a breath of fresh air and sense of reality to all whom he came into contact with.

On day two of my visit, I was introduced to Mauro Sandriano (Academy Technical Director) who had invited me to observe the U14’s once more, but this time in the academy soccer dome. Mauro had a great aura about him and was greeted with the utmost respect by every player without fail. His passion for the game as I observed him on field was extraordinary as he demanded the highest quality and intensity from everyone for the session’s entirety.

After explaining the session objectives, requirements and setup to the players, Mauro made the effort to observe the squad from the sideline, alongside myself. After asking me if I spoke Italian and explaining that his English wasn’t the best, I admittedly felt a little despondent. That was until Mauro asked me if I spoke Spanish. As an A level Spanish student my face lit up and without hesitation I was ready to take on the challenge!! The next ninety minutes was unbelievable. Mauro and I spoke everything football as I rinsed him of every footballing question I could muster up in Spanish inclusive of his academy objectives, the style of play he looks to achieve, his future visions and the rising stars of within the academy, to name a few. Alongside this, Mauro would point out and explain things to me as they occurred on the field, questioning some player’s decision making as well as dipping in and out of the session to raise the overall intensity (this also allowed me to get my breath back and think of some more Spanish words!!).

As the session drew to a close Mauro invited me to join him and the U14 squad in a video analysis session later that afternoon. I was overwhelmed.

I caught up with Mauro roughly an hour later, who took me to the room where the video analysis session was to take place. Black and white chairs filled the floor, with projector lighting up an entire wall. I was then introduced to one other U14 Coach, former Italian International and Juventus player Fabrizio Ravanelli! I was a little star struck but resisted the temptation of lifting my shirt over my head and celebrating!

As the players entered the room I was greeted once more by all, who by now the players had learnt my name, making me feel unbelievably welcome and part of everything within the academy.

Mauro stood at the front of the room and addressed the U14 squad. He had previously explained to me during the prior session that he wants the academy players to learn to pass with greater pace, and this analysis session was geared towards demonstrating that, featuring clips of Barcelona, Spain and Italy’s performances. These clips highlighted that Italians tend to play limp passes whereas Barcelona/Spain use open body positions as well as the angle of their first touch to create options that allow them to play short, fast paced passes. Whilst the analysis session was delivered in Italian, the objectives that Mauro was trying to put across were easily identifiable and informative, using diagrams to highlight different concepts as well as his body language to illustrate further. Subsequent to the analysis session, the players took to the field for the final practice session of the day to put theory into practice. I was fortunate enough to observe Mauro once more as these ideas and concepts were constantly reiterated as a means of drilling them into the player’s minds. This time Mauro spent less time conversing with myself and instead providing great insight, passionately demanding the highest quality from every player with energy, enthusiasm and determination. A pleasure to observe and an opportunity of which I was extremely grateful.

As my time at Juventus drew to a close, it was time for a little reflection of my observations.

During my three day visit at Juventus it quickly became apparent that the coaches are very “do it my way” with very little in the way of giving a player the tools to figure out solutions to certain problem scenarios themselves. Instead, the environments consisted of each coach telling the players how to do everything. It could be argued therefore that some of Juve’s coaches are what is considered within the modern game as ‘old school’ who operate with a “well it worked for me when I was your age” mentality.

After conversing with some of the academy staff and coaches, it became evident that they’d like to see this mentality adapt to one that recognises that modern methods involve understanding players, discovering what makes players tick, giving them the tools to find solutions themselves, teaching them to become multi-dimensional, encouraging creativity, building confidence to try new things via guided discovery, to name a few. After all, Juventus believe that they have everything else in place to produce players of the highest quality.

What I also found particularly interesting (and somewhat bizarre in my opinion) was the exclusivity that the first XI insisted on from the rest of the academy setup, including the academy coaches and players. To elaborate, academy players and coaches are not permitted to observe any first team training under strict orders from the manager, Antonio Conte. I was informed that Antonio believes that the work he carries out on the field is personal and so no-one is allowed to copy/replicate - not even the clubs own academy players. My observations and conversations with various coaches led me to believe that those within the academy were not in agreement with this mentality and wanted change, but Juve’s position at the time of my visit (sitting in prime position at the top of Serie A and recently securing a 3-0 lead away from home at Celtic in the Champions League) meant that Antonio’s methods were indisputable. It was incredible to see the club’s own academy players take the field for practice and without fail look over at the first XI pitches trying to get a glimpse of the players, clearly wanting to get closer and watch. The disparity between academy and first XI seemed to have created two clubs at Juventus, rather than one in solidarity.

Again some staff and coaches expressed to me their desire to have more of a ‘club’ atmosphere between academy and first team with the first XI acting as an inspirational purpose as well as an aspiration tool for young players. Some felt that simple attention to detail could have great influence/impact on the development, endeavour and overall ability of players. To explain this better I was provided with a few examples of how this could be achieved. For example:

-       If a player achieves good grades at school, grant them opportunity to train with first team for short period i.e. part of training session/one whole training session/one day etc.

-       At the end of first team training - first XI players come and spend 15 minutes playing with younger age groups.

-       Before first team training commences – players to spend 5/10 minutes watching youth teams train.

-       First team players tutor one/two academy players.

-       First team players to watch academy games whenever possible.

-       Arrange for first team players to speak to academy players – share experiences regarding living away from home and missing family – providing reassurance.

I sincerely hope that this doesn’t come across that I am criticising the current set up at Juve. Football as all followers know is a game of opinions and whilst I am entitled to mine, I totally respect those of others. Juventus is not one of the most iconic clubs in world football for nothing and their proud past and current successes means they must be doing a lot right!!

All in all I believe my trip to Juventus was a successful and insightful one, opening my eyes to a professional setup with such a high emphasis on winning in contrast to my other European travels. I am extremely grateful to Riccardo for making the trip possible, granting me access to the academy and for providing such fantastic hospitality as well as the players, Mauro and his coaching team for making me feel incredibly welcome, and providing such an awesome experience.

Gratzi Juve!