From boys to men: variety is the spice of life for rising young football stars

If variety is the spice of life, that’s certainly the case for the rising young stars at the region’s two top-ranking football teams.

Ciaran Myers reports.

Sunderland u21 prepare to face Sporting CP u21 in the Premier League International Cup at the Stadium of Light. Credit: SparkSunderland

The North-East’s two Premier League clubs, Newcastle and Sunderland, have had their Under-21 squads competing on multiple fronts this season, with fixtures ranging from National League senior sides to European youth teams.

This has offered them a mix of opposition which has helped the young players develop.

Both clubs have been playing in the Premier League International Cup, exposing them to some of the best European academies, and have also been involved in the National League Cup, playing against senior players – creating a more ‘physical’ challenge for their abilities.

Alongside this, they have also had their Premier League Two domestic competition to compete in.

Newcastle have had the added benefit of playing in the Vertu Motors (EFL) Trophy, where they finished third in a group consisting of Harrogate Town, Huddersfield and Mansfield.

And they have faced further European opposition in the UEFA Youth League, with their U19 squad copying the first-team’s Champions League fixtures.

‘We want them to be stressed and challenged’

Speaking after their defeat to Athletic Club in the UEFA Youth League, Magpie boss Adam Lawrence said it was “massively important” to play European opposition.

“What we want to do is expose our players to a diverse games programme,” he said. “There  should be games where they feel real comfortable and they’re getting success – but we also want them to be really stressed and challenged in other games.

“It exposes the players to the next level and the robustness you need to play at the highest level as well.”

Sunderland currently sit top of their Premier League International Cup group after three games, beating Athletic Club and Sporting CP, and drawing to Anderlecht.

However, Dortmund and West Ham, also in their group, are yet to play a game in the competition, and Manchester United have played just once. Newcastle, meanwhile, are sixth in group C, having lost to PSG and drawn to Real Sociedad.

Newcastle u21 warm-up prior to facing PSG u21. Credit: SparkSunderland

Graeme Murty, Sunderland U21’s manager, also spoke on the importance of having a varied fixture list, saying: “When you play against mature athletes all the time, you’re very very stretched.

“We like to categorise our areas of development and I think that a stretch is really important, but I think there’s a level you can go beyond that into stress, physically and technically.

“When you’re dealing so much with the physicality and coping, development sometimes can take a backwards seat because you’re so busy just coping.

“We like to vary ours, where we get a bit of stretch, a bit of stress. Then we get a completely different psychological challenge in an area where they’re expected to be the top player, we then expect them to perform.”

Physical and technical challenges breed growth

It seems both managers are happy with the diversity of opposition their players are exposed to.

Sunderland’s International Cup games have been taking place at the Stadium of Light, with fans encouraged to go and support the squad.

Murty was pleased for his squad to be playing in front of a crowd in a Premier League stadium: “If we can get more opportunities for our young players to experience something like this, I think it would be a fantastic thing.”

The variety of opposition has also challenge the young players to adapt to different opposition styles: for example, Newcastle in one week faced PSG U21s on a Friday night then travelled to play Harrogate’s first-team on Tuesday night.

Lawrence said: “It’s great for our lads to have to adapt from a game like today and then you play a National League side, where the game looks different. So for our players to have to adapt and deal with that will really help them down the line.”

The players themselves have also relished the different competitions.

Charlie McArthur, Newcastle U21 defender told Spark: “I’ve enjoyed it. The boys have all enjoyed it because we’re playing against good opposition and were playing against top-class players.”

Team-mate Scott Bailey added:  “With all these different competitions, there’s different challenges with them.

“There’s games against men, where it’s a physical side, and games like this [against Athletic Club U21s], which is technical. Having all those challenges helps your all-round game and will help you in the long run.”

Sunderland youngster Jenson Jones agreed, and said: “These European games have been a really good thing for us this season.

“They’ve helped us to experience a different brand of football than what we’re used to in the Premier League Two.”

As the January window approaches, members in both youth squads may be looking for a loan move into the EFL.

Their experiences so far this season, in playing both top European youth opposition and senior lower league English teams, will only benefit them when it comes to adjusting to the senior level full-time.