In the first of a new, regular column with members of the club's Academy staff, U18 coach Rodolfo Borrell relives El Clasico and tells us why he doesn't want Liverpool to copy Barcelona...
Barcelona's 5-0 victory over Real Madrid was not only one of the finest exhibitions of football in recent memory; it was also a triumph for those who put their faith in developing homegrown talent.
As a former Barca man I was particularly proud to see them put their great rivals to the sword in the El Clasico on Monday night, not least because I actually played a part in the development of some of those players.
I had the privilege of working with Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Gerard Pique and Bojan Krkic during my 14 years with the Catalan side's youth system and I was pleased for the lad who came on and scored the fifth of the night.
I discovered Jeffren in a similar way to how I found Cesc Fabregas. He was an U16 player with Tenerife and I thought he would suit the style of Barca perfectly.
It was a great moment for him to come off the bench and make that contribution. Hopefully he can keep making that type of impact for them.
I think it was a special performance from Pep Guardiola's side. Just look at the opponents they overwhelmed. They had the likes of Xabi Alonso and Ronaldo in their side but you'd have to agree the Catalans won at a canter.
Like I say, I think this Barca team are a great example for what you can achieve if you develop a strong youth system. No fewer than eight players that featured during the 90 minutes were actually homegrown. Perhaps this is proof that you don't necessarily have to go out and spend vast amounts of money on superstars.
It was a magnificent brand of football but it doesn't happen overnight. It can take years of cultivating and you have to have the right players to play it too.
People have since asked me if that is the style I would hope to see Liverpool playing with in the years ahead but I think this club has its own style and stature. We do not need to copy Barcelona.
Liverpool is too big to copy other sides. We can have our own vision.
We must work hard to ensure we do that. That is the most important thing. Now is a crucial moment for us because we have new owners and a new director of football strategy.
We must focus on one direction and stick to that. We cannot make changes every few years depending upon who is in charge. The club should stick to its footballing philosophy and build upon the great history we already have here.
It is not about individuals, it is about the good of this club and we want to move forward by developing players that can be influential for the first team.
It is also about signing the right young players to fit in with this style and brand that is known as the Liverpool way.
If we do all this and everybody sticks to the same principles then there is no reason why we cannot have a very bright future here.
There are already signs that we are progressing and everyone at the Academy was delighted to see that both Jack Robinson and John Flanagan were named on the substitutes' bench for the Europa League game against Steaua Bucharest on Thursday night.
They may not have made it onto the field but the experience will have done them the world of good. It is pleasing for us because that is why we are here. Most of the lads we had in the U18s last season are now in the reserves with John McMahon and hopefully they can continue to progress and make an impact on the first team in the years ahead.
In terms of actual action on the pitch, this week has been a somewhat frustrating one for us.
We learned that our FA Youth Cup tie with Notts County would have to be postponed due to their first-team's involvement in the FA Cup and we are still waiting for a new date to be confirmed.
We have been training normally but due to the adverse weather conditions we have had to do it indoors. This isn't ideal because I always prefer to train on grass. It is more real and when you do not have any games to play it can mean you don't have the competitive edge or rhythm you need.
We were hoping that we would at least end the week with some football because the lads are eager to get back out there, but with the weather as it is, it made sense to postpone our league match with Wolves.
It means we could face two weeks without any football, which isn't what we would hope for but we must cope with that and make sure we prepare well for whenever the Youth Cup game with Notts County takes place.
Interesting article, honest and original... however a bit of barca would be nice.
Barcelona's 5-0 victory over Real Madrid was not only one of the finest exhibitions of football in recent memory; it was also a triumph for those who put their faith in developing homegrown talent.
As a former Barca man I was particularly proud to see them put their great rivals to the sword in the El Clasico on Monday night, not least because I actually played a part in the development of some of those players.
I had the privilege of working with Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Gerard Pique and Bojan Krkic during my 14 years with the Catalan side's youth system and I was pleased for the lad who came on and scored the fifth of the night.
I discovered Jeffren in a similar way to how I found Cesc Fabregas. He was an U16 player with Tenerife and I thought he would suit the style of Barca perfectly.
It was a great moment for him to come off the bench and make that contribution. Hopefully he can keep making that type of impact for them.
I think it was a special performance from Pep Guardiola's side. Just look at the opponents they overwhelmed. They had the likes of Xabi Alonso and Ronaldo in their side but you'd have to agree the Catalans won at a canter.
Like I say, I think this Barca team are a great example for what you can achieve if you develop a strong youth system. No fewer than eight players that featured during the 90 minutes were actually homegrown. Perhaps this is proof that you don't necessarily have to go out and spend vast amounts of money on superstars.
It was a magnificent brand of football but it doesn't happen overnight. It can take years of cultivating and you have to have the right players to play it too.
People have since asked me if that is the style I would hope to see Liverpool playing with in the years ahead but I think this club has its own style and stature. We do not need to copy Barcelona.
Liverpool is too big to copy other sides. We can have our own vision.
We must work hard to ensure we do that. That is the most important thing. Now is a crucial moment for us because we have new owners and a new director of football strategy.
We must focus on one direction and stick to that. We cannot make changes every few years depending upon who is in charge. The club should stick to its footballing philosophy and build upon the great history we already have here.
It is not about individuals, it is about the good of this club and we want to move forward by developing players that can be influential for the first team.
It is also about signing the right young players to fit in with this style and brand that is known as the Liverpool way.
If we do all this and everybody sticks to the same principles then there is no reason why we cannot have a very bright future here.
There are already signs that we are progressing and everyone at the Academy was delighted to see that both Jack Robinson and John Flanagan were named on the substitutes' bench for the Europa League game against Steaua Bucharest on Thursday night.
They may not have made it onto the field but the experience will have done them the world of good. It is pleasing for us because that is why we are here. Most of the lads we had in the U18s last season are now in the reserves with John McMahon and hopefully they can continue to progress and make an impact on the first team in the years ahead.
In terms of actual action on the pitch, this week has been a somewhat frustrating one for us.
We learned that our FA Youth Cup tie with Notts County would have to be postponed due to their first-team's involvement in the FA Cup and we are still waiting for a new date to be confirmed.
We have been training normally but due to the adverse weather conditions we have had to do it indoors. This isn't ideal because I always prefer to train on grass. It is more real and when you do not have any games to play it can mean you don't have the competitive edge or rhythm you need.
We were hoping that we would at least end the week with some football because the lads are eager to get back out there, but with the weather as it is, it made sense to postpone our league match with Wolves.
It means we could face two weeks without any football, which isn't what we would hope for but we must cope with that and make sure we prepare well for whenever the Youth Cup game with Notts County takes place.
Interesting article, honest and original... however a bit of barca would be nice.
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