Colotto on youth development: “Reserve players need games to err less” | OneFootball

In his recent appearance on the program ADN on Radio Gol 96.7, Colón Sporting Director Diego Colotto gave a detailed report on the deep restructuring he has been carrying out in the club’s youth football system. Beyond the first team’s urgent needs, the Sabalero manager outlined the methodology being applied in the youth divisions, the drastic decision to lower the age range in the reserve team, and the monitoring of the club’s most outstanding prospects.

Below are the main pillars of the youth policy explained by the Technical Secretary:

1. The Thiago Vera phenomenon and the National Team

One of the standout points of the interview was the mention of Thiago Vera, the great prospect from the 2010 age group who is already working with the reserve squad. Colotto proudly highlighted the youngster’s current situation, saying with pride that “Thiago Vera is a 2010 and he is the only player in Argentine football who goes to the U-16 National Team from the lower divisions.” Regarding his projection, the sporting director explained that he is “a boy who is standing out, like many others; we have to guide them through that accumulation of experiences,” recalling that he has already trained with the professional squad and that the goal is to protect his development step by step.

2. The plan for the Reserve: maturity and mandatory playing time

When analyzing the role of the reserve team and the decision to make the squad younger, Colotto explained the key number they are aiming for before a youth player makes the definitive jump to the first division. The manager argued that “a reserve player has to try to reach 30 matches, basically 30 or 40 matches, to find that maturity and have enough games under his belt to be able to make mistakes and suffer less in the transition.” He also acknowledged that “Colón, in that sense, lost a stage with the 2004-2005 kids,” who, due to regional calendar issues, did not have the proper competition at the time, and now they are trying to repair that developmental gap.

3. The restructuring of the coordinators and the triple competitive front

Colotto justified the changes made midyear in the coaching structure, with the additions of Fernando Nogara and AlejandroRusso to optimize the workloads within the structure already in place at the club. On the matter, the manager explained that “the change was basically because the pace in Santa Fe, considering that we compete in AFA, the Liga Santafesina, and the Consejo Federal, is too much for the coordinator and the coach”. Due to this overlap of tournaments and travel, they decided to split roles so that Russo could devote himself fully to overall management without neglecting daily training sessions.

4. The balance between promoting youth players and the obligation to win

Faced with the fans’ recurring demand for academy players to feature during the most difficult footballing moments, the Technical Secretary took a thoughtful stance and drew a clear distinction between immediate needs and medium-term planning. The former footballer admitted that “Colón fans want to win on Sunday, and that’s fair, but we have to think more long term.” Based on that premise, he highlighted the cases of players such as Cardozo, Lovato, and Barbona, concluding that “in this transition toward where we are headed, surely next year, whether we are here or not, some boys will be able to be projected into the first team” in a sustainable way.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.