The Netherlands legend believes academy players can be taught how to
handle pressure, making graduates preferable to new signings
Johan Cruyff has hailed Barcelona's youth system and says it is a more reliable method of success than spending vast sums of money on big-name players.
The majority of coach Tito Vilanova's first team squad learned their trade at the club's La Masia academy.
And Cruyff, one of Vilanova's most decorated
predecessors, says the academy's role is as much about instilling mental
toughness as it is about developing playing skills.
"The pressure from outside is often more important that the talent," he told Marca.
"Some clubs are very different [to Barcelona] and difficult, and a lot
of the time it has nothing to do with the talent [of the players]. The
pressure from outside is often more important that the talent."
The former Netherlands international emphasised that running La Masia
was not cheap, but said it was the most reliable way of producing teams
with sound temperaments.
"Grassroots football is always more
cost-effective in the end. The investment is possibly the same, because
the upkeep of grassroots football also costs money, but you know what
you've got," he explained.
Cruyff, who also starred for Ajax
before going on to manage the Amsterdam club, said the benefits of
investing in youth have been proven over recent decades.
"[Arrigo] Sacchi's [AC] Milan is a great example of this, along with the Ajax of my era and the current Barça team," he added.
The Blaugrana's
playing style has long been influenced by the total football fashioned
by Ajax in the 1970s, but Cruyff believes the philosophy is evolving
this season under Vilanova.
"It's always important to add
something else when you have the foundations of a team, and Vilanova has
done that with a more direct playing style."
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