The pre-season is traditionally a time when you see experienced first teamers playing alongside young, hopeful products of the Academy. The games at Crystal Palace and in Amsterdam bore witness to this.
But what about the interaction between the established and the upcoming throughout the rest of the year? It is a carefully considered area of player development at Chelsea, down to the careful logging of every training session an Academy player enjoys with Carlo Ancelotti's squad.
As Chelsea teenagers continue to make news on the international stage with Gael Kakuta tomorrow playing in the European Under 19s Championship Final, following on from Josh McEachran and Nathaniel Chalobah winning the Under 17 equivalent with England, and Jeffrey Bruma's call up by Holland, the Official Chelsea Website asked Academy manager Neil Bath (pictured below right) for an overview of how the relationship between his players and the first team set up works:
The Academy building is located just a short walk away from the first team headquarters but for a young player at Chelsea in 2010, how much interaction will he have with those over there?
'First of all, the interaction between the Academy and first-team staff is closer than it has ever been since I have been at the club. That is nothing against previous management, we just made a real conscious effort from the start with Carlo [Ancelotti] to come up with a one-club coaching program. That was the best way to start and we were working with [sporting director] Frank Arnesen's role between the two areas and that helps support it.
'Then in the last year we have had more players from the youth set up training on a daily basis with the first team than we have ever had. There is close working going on there.
'In terms of interacting with the first team, we believe that in the first two years - the Under 16s and Under 17s - interaction should be mostly for football reasons. They meet on the pitch. Occasionally we will have lunch over in the first-team building but the boys are reporting to the Academy, doing duties in the Academy and having lunch and breakfast together in the Academy.
'If some of them progress quicker and actually starts playing for the first team then that might change. But even Under 17s and Under 18s who are in the reserves will stay in the Academy building.
'Although that may not look like we are encouraging interaction, we want to encourage interaction for the right reasons. We have tried things like cleaning boots with the first team players but whatever way we looked into it, the logistics were difficult, particularly when we have programs just after lunch that are about doing more technical work with the players. We felt we can't let boot cleaning get in the way of the technical program.
'We do create a culture in the Academy building that the boys are responsible for some of the cleaning and tidying as part of their education and there is a lot we share with the first team set up.
'We are continually looking at each other's IT and video analysis systems and some of the development staff, including [assistant first team coach] Paul Clement and [first team fitness coach] Glen Driscoll have all been Academy people who have gone across. So there is a lot of interaction but we are conscious of holding the boys back a little bit from the first team set up, so they don't think they have made it too soon.
'It's about getting the balance right. The boys understand that and I feel in many ways they prefer that. They think that when I am a bit older - 19 or 20 - and I am training a bit more with the first team then I can mix socially.'
Might the increase in youth players training with the first team be down to improved quality as well as the club's policy to improve interaction?
'We said we would reorganise the Academy five or six years ago and it would take 10 years to really get it going. Six years in the standard has improved. We have invested in the whole Academy system - players, staff and resources - and therefore the standards have gone up.
'We have more Academy players playing internationally than we have ever had and more players training with the first team on a daily basis, so the standard has gone up.
'Two years ago we lost the Youth Cup Final, this year we won it. In our younger age groups, this year we won four tournaments in Europe. Five year ago I can't remember us winning any tournaments in Europe.'
If a young player wanted to seek advice from a first teamer who plays in his position, would that be possible?
'It is. Rather than myself going directly to players, we would use the relationship we have with Ray Wilkins and Clem and they will control that. Otherwise it can be chaos. If you ask a player to speak to a younger player, the support is first class. At the same time we need to respect their position. Without us needing to set up formal meetings, because the boys are training with them it is happening naturally.'
Do you notice effects from training with the first team, such as improvement in confidence and self-esteem?
'Definitely. The players notice the difference as well, and it is obviously the speed of the game. Mentally you have to be sharper and when they come back to the Academy, that is when they notice it. They have had say 10 sessions there and come back finding it a little bit easier here. That is when we realise they are moving on and pulling away from others. You see some go across and struggle and you see others and you think wow, he can play with good players.'
How encouraging was it to hear Carlo Ancelotti talk at the end of last season about Academy players joining his squad full time for this season?
'We talk about winning youth tournaments as progress and getting debuts and appearances, and getting lads out on loan, but ultimately it is all about getting players into the first team squad. When Carlo says maybe five lads in you start thinking okay, this year is really starting to show a light at the end of the tunnel because it has been difficult. We are getting there but we are still a way off.'
But what about the interaction between the established and the upcoming throughout the rest of the year? It is a carefully considered area of player development at Chelsea, down to the careful logging of every training session an Academy player enjoys with Carlo Ancelotti's squad.
As Chelsea teenagers continue to make news on the international stage with Gael Kakuta tomorrow playing in the European Under 19s Championship Final, following on from Josh McEachran and Nathaniel Chalobah winning the Under 17 equivalent with England, and Jeffrey Bruma's call up by Holland, the Official Chelsea Website asked Academy manager Neil Bath (pictured below right) for an overview of how the relationship between his players and the first team set up works:
The Academy building is located just a short walk away from the first team headquarters but for a young player at Chelsea in 2010, how much interaction will he have with those over there?
'First of all, the interaction between the Academy and first-team staff is closer than it has ever been since I have been at the club. That is nothing against previous management, we just made a real conscious effort from the start with Carlo [Ancelotti] to come up with a one-club coaching program. That was the best way to start and we were working with [sporting director] Frank Arnesen's role between the two areas and that helps support it.
'Then in the last year we have had more players from the youth set up training on a daily basis with the first team than we have ever had. There is close working going on there.
'In terms of interacting with the first team, we believe that in the first two years - the Under 16s and Under 17s - interaction should be mostly for football reasons. They meet on the pitch. Occasionally we will have lunch over in the first-team building but the boys are reporting to the Academy, doing duties in the Academy and having lunch and breakfast together in the Academy.
'If some of them progress quicker and actually starts playing for the first team then that might change. But even Under 17s and Under 18s who are in the reserves will stay in the Academy building.
'Although that may not look like we are encouraging interaction, we want to encourage interaction for the right reasons. We have tried things like cleaning boots with the first team players but whatever way we looked into it, the logistics were difficult, particularly when we have programs just after lunch that are about doing more technical work with the players. We felt we can't let boot cleaning get in the way of the technical program.
'We do create a culture in the Academy building that the boys are responsible for some of the cleaning and tidying as part of their education and there is a lot we share with the first team set up.
'We are continually looking at each other's IT and video analysis systems and some of the development staff, including [assistant first team coach] Paul Clement and [first team fitness coach] Glen Driscoll have all been Academy people who have gone across. So there is a lot of interaction but we are conscious of holding the boys back a little bit from the first team set up, so they don't think they have made it too soon.
'It's about getting the balance right. The boys understand that and I feel in many ways they prefer that. They think that when I am a bit older - 19 or 20 - and I am training a bit more with the first team then I can mix socially.'
Might the increase in youth players training with the first team be down to improved quality as well as the club's policy to improve interaction?
'We said we would reorganise the Academy five or six years ago and it would take 10 years to really get it going. Six years in the standard has improved. We have invested in the whole Academy system - players, staff and resources - and therefore the standards have gone up.
'We have more Academy players playing internationally than we have ever had and more players training with the first team on a daily basis, so the standard has gone up.
'Two years ago we lost the Youth Cup Final, this year we won it. In our younger age groups, this year we won four tournaments in Europe. Five year ago I can't remember us winning any tournaments in Europe.'
If a young player wanted to seek advice from a first teamer who plays in his position, would that be possible?
'It is. Rather than myself going directly to players, we would use the relationship we have with Ray Wilkins and Clem and they will control that. Otherwise it can be chaos. If you ask a player to speak to a younger player, the support is first class. At the same time we need to respect their position. Without us needing to set up formal meetings, because the boys are training with them it is happening naturally.'
Do you notice effects from training with the first team, such as improvement in confidence and self-esteem?
'Definitely. The players notice the difference as well, and it is obviously the speed of the game. Mentally you have to be sharper and when they come back to the Academy, that is when they notice it. They have had say 10 sessions there and come back finding it a little bit easier here. That is when we realise they are moving on and pulling away from others. You see some go across and struggle and you see others and you think wow, he can play with good players.'
How encouraging was it to hear Carlo Ancelotti talk at the end of last season about Academy players joining his squad full time for this season?
'We talk about winning youth tournaments as progress and getting debuts and appearances, and getting lads out on loan, but ultimately it is all about getting players into the first team squad. When Carlo says maybe five lads in you start thinking okay, this year is really starting to show a light at the end of the tunnel because it has been difficult. We are getting there but we are still a way off.'
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