EA SPORTS™ spoke to Chelsea FC first team players Oscar, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Club Captain John Terry, in addition to manager Antonio Conte. They gave us their thoughts on the youth set-up at Chelsea FC, what challenges youngsters face breaking through into the first team, as well as their favourite initiation songs! Here are highlights from the interview.
EA SPORTS™ : How exciting is the youth team set-up at Chelsea?
John Terry : I think youth in the academy at the football club is a lot stronger than it was when I was coming through. The opportunities they’ve got with coaching, with pitches, the gym work they do, I look at the youth team now coached by Jody Morris who I played with. He’s got a great understanding of the game and he is passing on his experiences within football as well. Our youth team has won the FA Youth Cup three times. They won the UEFA Youth League a couple of years ago too – so the opportunities are there, but it’s just a little bit harder for them to break through because they get a ten to fifteen minute chance to play or train with the first team and if they don’t turn it on then it’s very difficult. When I came through as a young player I got the opportunity to play five or six games to really find my feet before I cemented my place within the squad.
Oscar : I think we will start to see more youth players breaking in to the first team. The likes of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Nathaniel Chalobah, Dominic Solanke and Ola Aina are very talented. It is very hard to play for the first team, for the starting eleven, as the best players in the world want to play for Chelsea, but they will get their chance and I think they will be appearing more often.
Antonio Conte : It is very exciting to work with the young players here at Chelsea. Chelsea has a fantastic academy and it is important to have the opportunity to bring these young players through to the first team. This year we have already played four young players from the academy, which is fantastic for me, the club and the academy. We have Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Nathaniel Chalobah, Ola Aina and Dominic Solanke and I think this is a fantastic thing for the club. John Terry is a great example for the young players because he came through the academy and they can learn a lot from him.
EA SPORTS™ : Do you think it’s important that senior players help provide support and guidance for the young players breaking through?
Oscar : When I arrived at Chelsea, I was very young, having just turned 20 years of age, but I was already playing with the Brazilian national team. When I got here, there were very influential players like John Terry, Frank Lampard as well as Didier Drogba, who had just left, meaning I got to take his shirt number. It was very important to have the older guys around me, to give me all the support and help me to have a very good first year here with Chelsea.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek : It’s important to have senior players when you’re coming through, especially when you start training with the first team. We’re lucky with John Terry who gives so much help, advice. He’s there for you if you want to ask him anything, if you’re not sure about anything, so for me he was a massive help. Also the other players and just training with them, seeing how they act around the place and all of them are good role models.
EA SPORTS™ : Do you think it’s harder to break into the first team than it used to be in the past?
Ruben Loftus-Cheek : I wouldn’t know if it’s easier or harder to break through but it is hard nowadays. I had great fun coming through the youth team, playing every week and developing my skills but the game has developed. It’s much more physical these days and the game is becoming more skilled as you get to the top so I would say it is really hard but I couldn’t compare it to when John Terry came through.
John Terry : I actually think it’s harder nowadays for young players to come through. When I look back to the era when I came through the ranks at Chelsea, you had three or four players in your position, whereas nowadays there is so much money in the game and there are youngsters that have been brought in from all over the world in their position that they are fighting against. The quality in the first team, for me, makes it more difficult for them to break through too.
EA SPORTS™ : Do you think it’s harder to break through in the English system that it is in Italy or Brazil?
Antonio Conte : I think the English youth system is the same as it is in Italy. Chelsea is a great team and just like in Italy, for the young players who play at a big team with great players it is more difficult to break through, but I think the systems are the same.
Oscar : It’s difficult to say if it’s harder or easier for youth players to break in to the first team here or in Brazil. In Brazil it’s hard because there is a lot of very good players. Here it is hard, because the world best players want to come to England, to the Premier League, to Chelsea and to the best teams. Here it’s harder to make it to the first team; because you’re fighting for a place with some of the world’s best and in Brazil it’s hard, because there are a lot of very good young players.
EA SPORTS : John, as a youth team player, you used to have to clean first team players boots. Do you think this is an important part of a youngster’s journey and should be reintroduced?
John Terry : I think cleaning boots is a great stepping-stone for the young players. It’s something I used to do and it served me well in my time. It also allows you to build a relationship with the first team players. Back when I was a youngster, I was cleaning Dennis Wise, Dave Lee and Eddie Newton’s boots. They knew my name, they knew my position, and we spoke daily. I got told off a couple of times for not doing their boots properly, but it just came with responsibility which is important. I think the days of cleaning toilets and showers have gone but I do think that cleaning boots should remain in football.
EA SPORTS™ : At Chelsea when players make it into the first team squad, they have to do an initiation song. Who has been the best and worst in your time at Chelsea?
Antonio Conte : The worst initiation song I have heard at Chelsea was my brother! Not any of my players, my brother and assistant! Not only do the players have to sing, but myself and the staff too. So my brother was the worst I have seen.
John Terry : Initiation songs have been in since I came through and there have been too many bad ones to mention, some have been awful! There have been a couple of managers who have refused to do it, but Mourinho did it and Conte has done it too. It’s quite intimidating. We’re talking big characters standing up and singing in front of players. There has been some good ones and some bad ones but it’s too difficult to say which was the worst!
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