Importance of having Reserve/B Team in playable league

[Tomor29]

Hello everyone,

I would like to know opinion of other players - how important is for you, when you are choosing your club, to have reserve/B team in playable league? I consider youth development as the most interesting part of the game and put big importance on developing my own players, so I really like to have my B team in playable leagues (no matter if it is second tier or lower as there is no problem to achieve several promotions with highly talented youngsters) instead of just a league of reserve teams. This way I can much better monitor development of my players, give them playing time on high level, instead of sending them on loan. But my question is - is there really a big difference between having reserve team in playable league (second tier in Portugal, Holland but also Germany, Austria and many other) and reserve team that plays just in reserves league? Are this way my players getting experience on much higher level? I would really appreciate if anyone could clarify this and tell me if there is a real difference as this way I am leaving out many interesting clubs just because they do not meet this criterium of reserve team in playable league.

 

 

 

 

[steakfaced]

It's not the most important thing but I really do enjoy having it be available. Really helps the conveyor belt of talent I build up in years 3 and onward. 1-2 years at U19s, final year at the B Side becoming home grown at the club, and then a loan and a spot in the first team whenn ready.

[Tomor29]

Fully agree with you. But I still would like to know the difference between having B team in reserve league or in normal leagues structure, playable leagues. For young players and their development it is very important to have match practice and experience on the highest possible level, so is it better to play second league for reserve team (f.ex. second league in Holland - let´s say AZ Alkmaar) or reserve league (let´s say Genk in Belgium). I chose those teams as there are quite similar and their leagues are also on the same level, but the real difference is in the position of reserve teams. Can anyone explain this to me? Mainly if there is any significant difference in youth development playing for these reserve teams and so if it is really important to choose clubs with reserve teams in playable league.

[Lanko]

I also enjoy it. Portugal is fantastic for this, as the B teams play in the 2nd division, which is a good competitive tier with a tourament structure, which helps talents and even to keep non-essential players fit and happy. Unfortunately, I don't know if other teams are able to create a B team there or if you're stuck with what the games starts with.

Unfortunately in other leagues they just play friendlies. There should be a reserve championship (or the ability to create one for the current season if there are enough interested), even if some teams would only have grey players.

Edited September 24, 2019 by Lanko