Our u16 joeys just lost 4-2 to Cambodia. A country who average yearly wage is less than the average NPL fee for a junior player. Everyone is freaking out understandably. 

From a talent development perspective maybe we are looking at this the wrong way.

We are all saying 'what are we doing wrong' that we can't beat Myanmar and Cambodia?' Countries that are poor and have no real football pedigree.
Maybe we should be asking the opposite 'what are these small countries doing right that they can beat a rich, sporting country, Asian cup winners etc like Australia?'

The answer could be that the internet has made elite training much easier anywhere in the world. Kids are doing the same drills, and coaches are learning the same tactics as first world footballing nations pretty much at the same time.

Also it might mean that much of that other stuff we think that is important just isn't. Proper pitches, new boots, European trips for young academies etc....could be overrated. 

Our kids move ahead of theirs after the age of 17 and that probably has to do with money, opportunity and self belief. 

Talent id before the age of 16 although interesting is probably overrated

Just a thought

 Those kids probably all play street football as their parents cant afford a playstation 5.

Playing Fifa on playstation is super important for young footballers imo...

I had another thread on this. Its like a pilot doing simulation training. Fifa is so realistic that immersing oneself in the game for long periods is probably the equivalent to watching 10,000 hours of football on the tele. 

The Turkish national team make their players play....

Someone else did a study and found that good infield players tend to be better at Fifa than poor onfield players...

When we talk about Youth National Teams, it really comes down to the type of player valued by the Coach, his support team, and everyone below who identifies these players.
Then it goes to the football they value.

Interesting comments Arthur. The current Joeys a case in point. Over the last 6 months they have had around 60 players 'identified' and even played in the joeys jersey. This overlaps two coaches who both looking for different things. 

This also highlights how close (in reality) the top 60-80 kids in Australia - in any given age group are. A played picked for the Joeys 6 months ago who is now not top 50 has not all of a sudden become a much worse player. All that has happened is that they have had a drop in form (potentially), someone else has had a spike in form (Maybe) or the new coach like a different style. 

Moral for young elite players - never get complacent when you are picked for a squad and secondly if you are overlooked this time you could be only 6 games away (on great form)to be chosen. This is exactly what has happened in the current Joeys set up.

Its also a lesson in staying focused. If im a coach I want a player who has been elite, who has dropped back to the pack - fought through all that entails, and has risen again!

A 'born again' brilliant footballer is much stronger for the journey

My comments also ask the question not only who is selected and who is not, who is elevated and who is not.
With the Joeys players at this level for a whole range of factors there is no certainty that a player will become a professional.
In my time as President of a Melbourne Club we had 3 youth internationals come through, now one is at MVFC, one at Melbourne Knights and one at Langwarrin.
So no guarantees, but does beg the question would their progression have been higher with more opportunities at Senior level here in Australia amongst others.

Sounds about right Arthur. Shows the underrated quality at npl level. I will also say that read somewhere that an u17 German team (national) 6 years later only one player was playing in the bundesliga. Rest 3rd or 4th or given up. Tough  gig..

I was involved with an A-league Academy last year where some players were selected into this squad. From my experience, the important part of the process is how do players bounce back after disappointment (not making the numerous U16s squads selected in 2022). This sets them up for professional football more than anything else because the 50 or so players that have been identified have the talent to turn professional in the few years if they know how to face set backs. We had different guys in and out of the U16s team in 2022 and it was interesting to see how each player responded. Some were accepting and went about their business, others were motivated by not making it so worked on their weaknesses and others took it badly (for a short period).

very true tFl, in the big picture all comes down to the "ticker" inside you.