05 September 2024
The Next Gen has begun its seventh season: an idea that became a reality in 2018 and is increasingly at the forefront of discussions, thanks in part to the great start to the season that our young players are experiencing in Serie A.
The progress of the project, the sense of belonging, the high level of work in Vinovo and the desire to further aid the development of the youth teams: we spoke about all these topics and more with Claudio Chiellini, Head of Next Gen Area, in a long interview at the start of the season.
THE START OF THE SEASON ON THE PITCH
"We started in the same manner as last season, with an opening day defeat that immediately illustrated the difficulty of the league. The squad is almost completely new, with only 13 players left over from last year: it is normal for a team like Next Gen to change so much and amalgamating everyone into a group is not something that happens in a short period of time. Despite this, from the first to the second game we have already seen an improvement, and that means that Paolo Montero's work is already starting to have an effect.
A LONG JOUNREY
"It will certainly be a long journey, like last year’s campaign, with many obstacles. We will have to be strong and intelligent to overcome them, because this year the problems will not only be tactical and on the pitch, but also logistical: we are in in a unique situation with our season calendar, because for the first time since the regulations for the division of Serie C groups were introduced, a team from the north has been placed in a southern group.
A FASCINATING GROUP
"Group C will certainly be fascinating, but also demanding, as was Group B, which took us on very long bus journeys. This year, on the other hand, we will have to travel by plane, staying away from home for several days, and we will have to deal with the knock-on effect this will have on the organisation of our weekly schedules. However, this too is part of the development path and I think that in the end the guys will realise during the season that by overcoming difficulties, defeats and mistakes, they will improve.
THE NEW HOME IN BIELLA
"We have moved to Biella, and I am very happy because we have been able to ‘customise’ the stadium where we will play our home games, which will host both us and the women's first team. The hope is to finally create a core following of fans who are permanently passionate about the Next Gen; the premises are good, the first game saw an attendance of around one thousand fans and we hope that in the upcoming games there will be as many, if not more. One of our goals is to do as much as possible to bring people to the stadium, because that is something we still lack.
A CONTINUOUSLY DEVELOPING PROJECT
"We have seen the Next Gen project come to life, and it is something that makes us incredibly proud. And I'm talking about the whole Vinovo ‘system’, about those who work in the youth ranks, from the grassroots to the competitive level. The development of the players is something that involves everyone’s hard work, and so if a project is successful, and above all creates value, the merit is shared.
Let's start with a fact that is clear and visible: today the Juventus number 10 is a player who until December last year, so until 9 months ago, was the number 10 of the Next Gen. This fact is incredibly significant as it shows that, alongside the promotion to the first team of [Nicolò] Savona, [Samuel] Mbangula and [Jonas] Rouhi; the development of our young players and their promotion to the first team has become a constant in recent years.
But I would like to strongly emphasise that this is the result of good work by everyone. Savona, for years, shared the shuttle from Aosta with [Hans] Nicolussi Caviglia to come and train at Vinovo, and this is a small example of how everyone has their share of responsibility and merit in what we are doing. The Next Gen project isn't just about developing players, but also about creating and developing people who can aspire to work in the first team at Juventus: I'm thinking of managers, coaches, secretaries, match analysts, physiotherapists, doctors, athletic trainers, warehouse workers.
Next Gen is a project that develops skills in every sector and strengthens belonging.
BEING BIANCONERO
"The lads who make it to the first team recognise the importance of the path they have taken, just think for example of Savona and Mbangula who came to Biella to watch the Next Gen season opener, or [Kenan] Yildiz who is often in Vinovo to watch the Primavera matches in which some of the players who were his team-mates still play.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
"The real influence of Next Gen compared to when there was no Next Gen is that it allows the boys to take the step into professional football while remaining within the club. I started working at Juventus as Loan Coordinator in 2014 and I fully understand all the difficulties that a young player coming from the academy can experience during their first loan spells at another club. So I am very happy that other teams, like Atalanta and Milan, have taken the same path as us. In my opinion, the time has now come for the next step: the time is right to collaborate with the leagues and allow other clubs the opportunity to create and register their second team not only in Serie C, where every year a maximum of one place is freed up for repechage. Widening the possibility of enrolling in Serie D would eliminate many structural problems related to stadiums and would also give great visibility to a competitive league in which, let's not forget, players who today also play for Juve, such as [Federico] Gatti and [Andrea] Cambiaso, originally developed.
DEVELOPING YOUNG PLAYERS
"Last season we made the choice to play in the Primavera with a very young group, practically without any outside players. The creation of an Under-20 league will oblige us this year to share management between Next Gen and U20 players born in 2005. Personally, I am against this reform, which raises the average age of a player's youth development pathway and goes against the grain of what happens in almost all other European countries, where from the Under 18s they go directly to the reserve team.
AT THE END OF THE SEASON WE WILL BE HAPPY IF...?
"We will be - and I emphasise the plural - happy if we manage to give continuity to the project as it has been managed and conceived in recent years. The goal today is this: we have gained credibility and visibility and this season too we are seeing the results of the work that has been done. Those who are part of the Juventus Next Gen can have the dream and ambition of making it to the First Team."
