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When people think of German youth academies, they instantly think of those at Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. Granted, they may have produced current international players such as Mario Götze and Thomas Müller, but it’s Schalke who are often overlooked as one of the best for providing the German national team with players.

Manuel Neuer, Benedikt Höwedes, Julian Draxler and Mesut Ozil all came through the obscure Knappenschmiede (youth academy), whilst the quartet helped Joachim Löw guide Germany to their first ever World Cup triumph in 24 years.

Countless stars have passed through the Royal Blues’ Knappenschmiede – if you’re German that is – that includes current crop of players such as Max Meyer and Ralf Fährmann, whilst prodigy Leroy Sané recently joined Pep Guardiola’s revolution at Manchester City after impressing in the Champions League.

But just where did it all start for Schalke, and what’s their idea behind it all? Considering it’s far different from many renowned academies.

Youth teams have always been a key ingredient to teams in Germany. Be it at Borussia Mönchengladach with Marc-Andre ter Stegen or 1860 München with Lars Bender, Julian Weigl and Kevin Volland – who have both recently featured for the Germany national side.

Firstly, former Academy Chief Bodo Menze told UEFA.com in an interview that “the development of talent has always been an integral part of the club,” which sees the Bundesliga side boast one of the youngest average ages in the league.

Schalke’s Knappenschmiede proved to be so successful, that in 2014, former sporting director Horst Heldt revealed the representatives from Bayern Munich asked just how they do it after rebuilding their youth academy from scratch.

“We hired more fulltime coaches and more scouts for the academy. We even have fulltime assistant coaches for our youth teams now. Such a standard isn’t even available everywhere in the DFB,” said Heldt. “It is no coincidence that we were in the U19 final of the German championship last year (2013) and that we won it the year before.”

OPERATIONS

Under tutelage of the staff at the Knappenschmiede, the youth players’ – from U17s to U23s – first “professional” contact will be with a football, prior to anything else. Coaches at the club state that any player must enjoy their time on the pitch and so they regularly impose a technical style of play to their training sessions.

Ball control and basic techniques are first taught amongst the youngsters whilst they are also taught self-responsibility, self-confidence and team spirit – also receive high school education.

Individual strengths and weaknesses are closely monitored before players progress to the next stage which involves a great deal of fitness, in order to ensure they can give their all for 90 minutes.

The jump from U15 Regional League West to the U17 Bundesliga West is a huge leap for any athlete. Instead of technical, coaches now focus on the tactical aspect of football with the U17 players before progressing.

An area that German football does well is their U23 teams. This represents the final stage of training – which is also known as the “transition region” – whilst they’re allowed to gain experience in league format, where they come up against other semi-professional teams.

The opportunity to play in the U23 side allows players to prepare themselves at a professional level should they be called up to train with the first team, as players such as Sané– who duly impressed – have done in the past.

“Our objective has always been to bring through one or two players from each age group into the Bundesliga,” Menze explained. “We have teams from Under-9 to Under-23 and we select every team according to performance. The most important factors are to be fast, be good decision makers with technical skills and tactical skills but also with strong character and an identity with the club. That has continued with Draxler, Höwedes [and] Matip.”

From a young age, the Knappenschmiede ethos is etched into their minds, whilst the philosophies of the club are taught from the youngest age group, up until the U23 squad.

Not every footballer that comes through the youth academy is successful at the club. Kaan Ayhan – who made 30 league appearances for Schalke – failed to keep his place in the first team, which saw him loaned out to Eintracht Frankfurt, before signing for Fortuna Düsseldorf on a permanent basis.

In recent history, it’s Sané who has gained all the plaudits during his time at Schalke, in which he helped the club to a fifth place finish in the 2015/16 campaign, thus becoming a key member of a youthful setup last campaign.

Sane joined Schalke as an eight-year-old after a brief spell at neighbouring Bayer Leverkusen. Winning the U19 German championship, Sane earned his first professional contract with the Royal Blues.

His masterful displays in the league and Champions League – noticeably against Real Madrid –came with attention from Europe’s elite, which included Arsenal, Real Madrid and Liverpool. It was however Pep Guardiola who persuaded the youngster to join him at Manchester City in a £37 million fee.

Schalke’s golden generation, so to speak, might be over for the time being, with Max Meyer being their only notable youth player – that came through their system – to cement a place in the starting XI.

However, there’s plenty to come from Knappenschmiede. Schalke U17s – under the tutelage of Stephan Schmidt – currently sit top of the B-Junioren Bundesliga West table, six points ahead of their rivals, Borussia Dortmund.

With a plethora of talent on their books, Schalke already have eight players signed to contracts in their U17 squad. Ahmed Kutucu is certainly one player people need to keep an eye on. After 10 games for the U17 side, the German born forward has scored six goals, whilst he has also assisted six.

The technical ability that coaches at Schalke strive upon is certainly evident at this level. Okan Yilmaz – again another prodigy – has scored four goals in eight games whilst on a whole, Schalke U17s have found the net 27 times in 10 matches, winning eight, losing just one.

It’s clear that Schalke do boast one of the most impressive youth academies in European football. Perhaps even the world. Underappreciated by many outside of Germany, it’s evident that Bayern Munich want to replicate what their Bundesliga counterparts are doing at youth level.

For Schalke, there’s a sense of togetherness for anyone who comes through the Knappenschmiede. A close-knit group of players, management and coaches at Schalke really do believe in youth development, whilst they’re extremely motivated to providing the first team with as many stars as possible.

About the author- Daniel Pinder

Daniel is a yorkshire based sports journalist that specialise in German football. Having fallen in love with the country during the 2006 World cup thanks to the trio of Michael Ballack, Miroslav Klose and Bastian Schweinsteiger, he has visited six times in the past two seasons to watch Cologne. Daniel has also had work published on FourFourTwo, Deutsche Welle, Goal and Gazzetta World, whilst he aims to bring news and analysis from Germany to an English audience.

Twitter: @DanielJPinder

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New-City-Signings

Manchester City have had the lure of playing Champions League football, competing on multiple fronts and providing high wages for several years now. But with the additional attraction of working under Pep Guardiola next season, many world class names have been linked with a potential move to the Etihad Stadium this summer.

Having already acquired a couple of household names in Ilkay Gundogan and Nolito, the Blues are looking to bolster their armoury to fully support their new manager’s ambitious campaign next term.

As is the case with most of the high profile European outfits, City have been continuously linked with a plethora of top quality players over the last few months.

It would be ludicrous, however, if they were to sign even half of those names on a long list of potential targets which has been accredited to them by the media. One of those heavily tipped to make the move to Manchester was Aymeric Laporte. The 22-year-old, currently plying his trade at Athletic Bilbao, is perceived to be one of the best young defenders across the globe, and had attracted the attentions of Guardiola due to his ball-playing qualities. However, the Frenchman recently signed a contract extension, tying him to the Basque club until 2020.

Another long-term French target who now appears to be more of a long-shot is Paul Pogba. The Juventus powerhouse will be upset at having fallen at the final hurdle of the European Championship final on home turf. But it is believed that he is set to leave the disappointment behind and move on from his time in Turin, although media reports indicate that the 23-year-old could be set for a return to City’s rivals Manchester United for a world-record transfer fee.

Yet City are seemingly being more prudent with their purchases, at least so far this summer. Gundogan and Nolito cost just 19.7 million and 13.8 million respectively – respectable fees considering the experience and quality of both players, not to mention their compatibility in Pep’s system and the attention of several other top sides, including Guardiola’s former club Barcelona.

However, there is no point in being frugal if its only point is just to prove a point. If doing so means that you miss out on your top targets, then it probably isn’t worth it. Of course, City are now in a position where they do not have to be held to ransom to acquire their targets and they should not pay over the odds, as is shown through their previous, and now lack of, interest in Pogba. Another example of such an episode is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

With Borussia Dortmund having already lost Gundogan to City and captain Mats Hummels to rivals Bayern Munich, the Bundesliga side were not prepared to sell the Gabon international for a small sum. Instead, their demands reportedly reached 65 million, which City were not prepared to pay.

One player who would be a huge addition to Guardiola’s ranks, however, is Toni Kroos. Sold against Guardiola’s wishes at Bayern Munich, Kroos would be the perfect midfield signing for the Etihad outfit. City fans will be familiar with the German’s quality as he has played against their team five times, producing some sensational performances in the process.

Kroos speaks Pep’s language; not German, but rather his ‘footballing language’. Kroos understands the ideology inside the Spanish coach’s head and he would be able to assist the City stars during the period of transition by translating it onto the training field.

Why? Because in his first days in Bavaria at Bayern Munich’s Sabener Strasse training camp, Guardiola worked meticulously with the 26-year-old in order to alter his body position when receiving the ball, ensuring he was able to comprehend and complete the next pass in one fluid movement.

Another name which has been bandied around the Etihad Campus as a possible new recruit for Guardiola’s revolution is John Stones. Signing him appears to make a whole lot of sense and it would be the perfect signing for all parties involved. Pep would be perfect for Stones and Stones perfect for Pep; Stones would be able to work under a coach renowned for improving players, especially young ones, whilst Guardiola would attain a young, ball-playing central defender whose mind set is still particularly mouldable. Everton would receive a sizeable fee, whilst in City’s interests, the England international would contribute towards the much-discussed home-grown quota.

Last season, Manuel Pellegrini faltered throughout the season due to numerous injuries to key players. However, his Premier League squad was not at the maximum capacity; in fact, the only players classified as home-grown  were Joe Hart, Gael Clichy, Fabian Delph and Richard Wright, with Raheem Sterling counting as an under-21 player last season. With Wright retiring and Delph’s future hanging precariously in the balance, the Blues could be left with just three home-grown stars, meaning their domestic squad would be restricted to just 20 players – even lower than last season’s total of 21.

Therefore, City desperately need to incorporate some home-grown talent to bolster their squad size to the permitted limit. Ultimately, the aim is for the newly constructed state-of-the-art academy facilities to produce fine talent for the first team, but the most promising youngsters will still fall into the under-21 bracket for the upcoming campaign.

“You go for English players and they ask you for £20 million more than a Spanish player or German player or Italian player,” Pep stated last weekend, highlighted in the reported 45 million fee for Stones. “You have to deal with it to try and find what you need.”

What is it that City ‘need’ then? Quality young talents who are hungry, ambitious and have the raw potential necessary to grow. If there is no desire to learn, then Guardiola cannot teach them effectively.

And despite the talk of quotas and restricted squads, Guardiola is ‘looking forward’ to working with English players.

“I love working with young players” he also declared and there is a reason why; in addition to their longevity in terms of the remainder of their careers, they are more likely to be adaptable. Evidenced by the likes of Kingsley Coman and Joshua Kimmich in Munich and Sergio Busquets and Pedro in Barcelona, Guardiola takes pride in nurturing the newest crop of young talent wherever he goes.

He even took Thiago with him from Barcelona to Bayern and the central midfielder is another who would be a huge coup if they could capture his signature. The 25-year-old has followed Guardiola wherever he has gone and another transfer in his manager’s footsteps has been mooted by the English press.

In a similar vein to German compatriots Gundogan and Kroos, Thiago is a midfielder who is comfortable on the ball and capable of dictating the play from deep, with a hint of superlative Spanish technical ability, but whether there is genuine interest from the Etihad officials is yet to be seen.

However, one star who is expected to make the move to Manchester is Leroy Sane. As with Gundogan, Guardiola will know all about the Schalke winger from his time in the Bundesliga. A move worth in the region of 40 million is believed to be close to completion and the German international would afford City depth in wide areas.

Wingers are a vital component of Guardiola’s teams, providing pace, width and pressing. Securing both Sane and Nolito would be a signal of intent and would strengthen the City squad in more ways than one. Last season, Raheem Sterling and Jesus Navas were the only two out-and-out wide men. Having signed two additional definitive wingers, the Blues will have strength in depth on the touchlines, but it would also enable them to utilise all of David Silva, Samir Nasri and Kevin De Bruyne in their preferred central roles, instead of being forced to shift them further across the pitch.

Fullbacks are the other wide area on the pitch and they too require improvement. With all of City’s current fullbacks the wrong side of 30 in a position that demands stamina and pace, Guardiola will be looking to inject fresh young legs into the fold. The pairing of Ricardo Rodriguez and Bruno Peres of Wolfsburg and Torino respectively have been mentioned regularly over the last few weeks. The former, a set-piece specialist, is 23-years-old and appears to be the natural replacement for Aleksander Kolarov, whilst Bruno Peres is expected to supplant the outgoing Pablo Zabaleta.

The final defensive position in question is the goalkeeper. It is well-known that Guardiola prefers goalkeepers who are capable of ‘playing with their feet’. Joe Hart has cemented his position as the Citizens’ man between the goalposts for some time now, yet it appears Guardiola is prepared to rip up the concrete foundations and lay his own, with Marc-André ter Stegen of Barcelona recently cited as his preferred option.

The 24-year-old would provide direct competition to Hart, in contrast to the likes of Costel Pantilimon and Willy Caballero of recent times, which could potentially benefit both players as they vie for the number 1 jersey.

About the author – Jordan-Luke McDonald

Jordan-Luke is a footballer writer who was a finalist at the National Football Blogging Awards 2015 in two categories. He has contributed towards Manchester Evening News, CaughtOffside and TheseFootyTimes to name but a few.

twitter: @TheSilvaLining

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Dennis-Otto

A young German goalkeeper playing for FC Barcelona is dominating the headlines in German football at the moment. But it is not Manuel Neuer’s backup at the German national team, Marc-André ter Stegen, who is in the spotlight, but rather 17-year-old youth keeper, Dennis Otto.

The young keeper was born in Gehrden Germany, but his family moved to Mallorca where his father Kai Otto works in the tourism industry. Otto has, therefore, played most of his football on the island; until 2011 Otto played for CF Can Pastilla and CD San Francisco before joining RCD Mallorca in 2011.

The step to RCD Mallorca was the first significant milestone in the young keeper’s career, as the club is the largest on the island. Competing for Mallorca’s biggest club also meant that Otto was more visible to the talent scouts of some of Spain’s most successful clubs. In addition, Otto was willing to go the extra mile by regularly attending the Fundación Marcet in Barcelona. Kai Otto tells Germany’s Kicker Magazin that attending the camp was always his son’s biggest Christmas wish. “The camp was expensive, but he would forego other Christmas presents in order that he be able to attend the camp.”

His decision, to sacrifice computer games and lebkuchen in order to hone his goalkeeping skills in one of Europe’s most lucrative training camps, paid off when in 2012 Barcelona scouts noticed his talent during a Mallorca youth game.

In 2013, the then 15-year-old, Otto was invited to join FC Barcelona’s youth academy La Masia. At Barcelona, he quickly established himself as one of the most promising youth players of the club. In January, he was promoted early to the U-19 and, at just 16, was the youngest player in the squad. Otto’s coach at FC Barcelona Juvenil A, the former Barcelona player, Gabri, has since stated, “Dennis is our top player, and he will have a great future.” But Gabri also warns that Otto has to be developed “step by step.”

Otto’s biggest step to date, came in mid-November when Barcelona’s manager, Luis Enrique, called up the keeper to take part in Barcelona’s first team training. Unlike his participation at Marcet, however, the call up to the first squad was not an early Christmas gift; it was recognition of the goalkeeper’s performances in the youth squad.
Indeed, the club seems to be extremely excited about the young German’s future as Otto’s par

ticipation in the first squad’s training was even published on the club’s homepage. This was an extraordinary action for a club that usually shields its best prospects from the public in fear that other clubs will try to pluck the brightest talents away from Barcelona’s youth academy. Some even argue that this is one of the main reasons why Barcelona has so far refused to field Otto in the UEFA Youth League—UEFA’s junior Champions League.

In fact, Germany’s Die Welt newspaper reported that Otto had already received an offer from Atlético Madrid in 2014. But Barça fans need not worry; Otto told a Mallorca based newspaper, “I have been a Barcelona fan my entire life.” Furthermore, Otto himself has pointed out that there are other reasons why Barcelona has not fielded him in the Youth League yet. Speaking to Kicker Magazin Otto points out, “the club has four keepers in my level, and the coaches rotate quite a bit.”

This season Otto has been the number 1 keeper in most of the important league matches of Barcelona’s Juvenile A, including the derby against Espanyol Barcelona, and the junior clasico against Real Madrid, and he is also expected to start for Barcelona in next week’s Youth League match against Bayer 04 Leverkusen in Germany.

Whether Otto plays in Germany next week or not will not effect his chances with those in charge of Germany’s junior national teams. The keeper is already on the radar of the junior national team scouts, and has been invited to the U16. Despite the fact that Otto has strong Spanish footballing roots, the 1,96 meter tall keeper lists the German keepers Oliver Kahn, Manuel Neuer, and Marc-André ter Stegen as his idols. It is, consequently, expected in Germany that Otto will have a bright future with Germany’s national team if he continues on his current development trajectory.

The next step for Otto will be to break into Barcelona’s first team squad, and to gain valuable playing time. Barcelona may even consider loaning Otto out in order that he gain the experience needed to play full fledged professional football. Several Bundesliga, and second Bundesliga clubs have already voiced their interest. Barcelona’s officials, however, believe that they have an outstanding talent, who could one day be the number one at Barcelona—which would mean that Otto’s current idol ter Stegen could soon become his closest rival.

About the author – Manuel Veth

Manuel Veth is a freelance journalist and Editor in Chief @FutbolgradLive and writes about the economics and politics of Soviet and post-Soviet football. You can find his work at Futbolgrad.com.

twitter: @homosovieticus

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