Youth development question **

I manage FCBarcelona and as you know, we have an U18 squad and the affiliated Barcelona B. I have two young wonderkids that I just bought. Should I keep them in my senior squad and have them playing just a handful of games but on the flip side, they'd be training with the big boys.. Or should I keep them in Barcelona B where they'd play lots of games but at a lower level of league and training? Which is best for the good of the lads?

If it was me I would be keeping them in the senior squad and playing them for a minimum of 15 mins per game. If I had the game won by half-time then I would use them as early as possible. In games where you expect to win easily, (at home), I would try to start them if you feel you could carry them and still win.

Right, I hear you.. But do you reckon the B team uses the same training facilities as us? I mean, seeing as they're an affiliate club and not our u19 squad...

If you can give them plenty of game time keep them in the seniors. If not then Barca B for a season is what I do.

One thing I ve been trying recently and i would like to see if it actually helps is that once a youth reaches 1.5 star ability , instead of leaving them in the youth squad i put them with the senior side and make them available for youth matches. HAs anyone tried it and what are your thoughts ?

Any with potential i keep in my senior squad and make available for youth matches..this way its easier for me to manage their training plus i dont forget them when a cup match or easy win comes along so i can play them

You should keep them in the senior team, unless they're young enough to play in the U19 (you are hiring good U19 coaches, aren't you?). I try not to send anyone to Barca B (or on any kind of loan, for that matter) until their tutoring is finished, they're too old for the U19, and they're not yet good enough for the senior team. If I manage it correctly, that will never happen with my 4- and 5-star potential youngsters (they'll jump straight from U19 to senior). Barca B will be the team for my Youth Intake guys who have La Liga potential (1.5-2.5 stars) but have aged out of the U19.

Right, I hear you.. But do you reckon the B team uses the same training facilities as us? I mean, seeing as they're an affiliate club and not our u19 squad...

In reality, I believe that is the case. I've even heard that the B-teamers train with the senior team on occasion. In FM though, I don't think that's the case. With the exception of the free movement between squads, I think they function entirely independently. For example, Barca B has a separate wage/transfer budget and coaching staff than the main club - and as first team manager, you can't influence it at all. I think the best way to think of it is as a loan club, which you can interrupt at will.

If you haven't tried it yet, you might consider setting up a 2nd manager as B-team manager. You'll at least get a perspective into what the situation is like.

One thing I ve been trying recently and i would like to see if it actually helps is that once a youth reaches 1.5 star ability , instead of leaving them in the youth squad i put them with the senior side and make them available for youth matches. HAs anyone tried it and what are your thoughts ?

I can't speak to the FM-mechanics of the idea, but intuitively what I don't like about this concept is that it really pushes me to hire senior team coaches with high working with youngsters. It can be hard enough finding top-level staff without that added constraint. My U19 staff however, all have high working with youngsters by design.

If you switch to the b-team and go to facilities overview you can check what facilities they use.

Personally, I treat the B-team aa a dumping site for players that are never gonna be good enough. I find they develop a lot quicker if you initially leave them in the youth squad and let them have the odd outing for the 1st team. When they reach about 1.5/2 stars I move them to the 1st team and have them available for the youth team, while also giving them as much game time as possible. If you have good coaches and facilities, and they have good personalities, they will improve very quickly.