"The diversity of training truly defines the "Made in France" brand"

How have youth academies evolved over the past twenty years? With France nipping at the heels of Brazil in the ranking of the biggest exporters of talent, Rayan Cherki recently arriving in the Premier League, and Désiré Doué impressing the football world, it's interesting to look back at the reasons for the success of "Made in France" training. This success is all the more important given that it seems threatened by international competition, the evolution of players' mentalities, and even the strategy of certain clubs. To address this complex and fascinating topic in detail, we brought together two specialists. On one side, Jean-François Vulliez, assistant coach at AC Horsens (D2 Denmark) and director of the Olympique Lyonnais training center from 2011 to 2023. On the other, Bertrand Reuzeau and his almost three decades of experience between Paris Saint-Germain (2005-2016 then 2018-2019), AS Monaco (2016-2018 then 2019-2022) and Montpellier for the past three years. Interview.

Looking back over the past fifteen years, what do you think is the most significant change in the French approach to training?

Jean-François Vulliez: When I arrived in Lyon in 2011, we had one fitness coach for three or four teams. Today, clubs have data specialists, performance managers, video analysts, mental coaches, and more.

Bertrand Reuzeau: Indeed, the professionalization and expansion of staffs, as well as the evolution of methodology linked to the explosion of technological tools, are among the major developments of the past fifteen years.

What impact did this have on your approach to training?

BR: When Carlo Ancelotti joined PSG and rolled out GPS tracking throughout the club, the accuracy of the data led to a shift in our methodology. Our approach became more individualized and refined. This impacted all French academies, which adapted according to their resources and identity, with the same goal: to produce high-performing players. And in my opinion, it's precisely this diversity in training that truly defines "Made in France."

J-FV: Exactly. There's no single formula, and the evolution of methods also stems from exchanges and sharing between centers. In Lyon, there was a history, a DNA, and a strong method in place that had to be preserved, while enriching it with new technologies and practices. With one imperative: to remain in tune with the local context.

"Vary the exercises and find new ones to adapt to the drop in concentration"

How has the emergence of the technologies you mentioned changed your daily practice?

J-FV: As academy director, I was responsible for providing my players with all the tools they needed for their training. So we brought in and trained experts to fill our toolbox and help them progress. This required a lot of organization, because between video, pre-activation, data, strength training, recovery, etc., we had to rethink the organization of the training week.

BR: Be careful, though, because the accumulation of specialists can become a hindrance and requires real managerial skills. It's not easy to establish a clear direction for everyone... I've realized that in some clubs, too many skills are scattered and can harm the coherence of the project.

The younger generations have changed. How have you adapted your teaching methods to these new profiles of players?

BR: Before, we would run around the stadium without asking questions. Today, young people want to understand why. They need meaning, and modern tools like GPS help us empower them to take control of their own progress. We also had to vary the exercises and find new ones that allow us to adapt to the decline in concentration.

J-FV: In the traditional training process, we begin a lot of individual work from the U19s onwards, because the cognitive aspect has been acquired and we focus on details to prepare the player for the highest level. Today, this work is being done earlier and earlier given young people's eagerness to "turn pro."

How can French training centers remain competitive in the face of the rise of private academies and new youth mobility trends?

BR: We must continue to trust the expertise of French coaches! I see a paradox here: training is still as effective as ever, but club management and staff are becoming entirely foreign... This loss of local roots worries me because training a player also means understanding the environment specific to each country.

J-FV: At OL, 90% of the players who completed their training had established a plan with their family and the center, and all parties were patient: Bradley Barcola or Castello Lukeba were never over-promoted! Stability in an environment guarantees that the training plan will be completed. If we take the example of Willem Geubbels, who left at 17 for AS Monaco, he was two years short of completing his training. As a result, he had a career that was a little less successful than his talent would have allowed.

"Our strength remains our ability to intelligently blend all of this while remaining faithful to the identity and characteristics of our players"

Players trained in France are among the most exported in the world. Doesn't this risk shifting training toward a model of economic rather than sporting value?

BR: That's always been the case! The goal of a center is to train professionals to get them playing, develop their skills, and build assets. The biggest gains are made on players who graduate from training.

J-FV: That's why seeing some clubs invest less in training while we're currently experiencing a TV rights crisis is a strategic error. Look at Lyon, Rennes, Monaco... The transfers of young players who have been training for years represent a gold mine! I remember that, during the construction of Groupama Stadium, Jean-Michel Aulas, the former president of Olympique Lyon reduced all expenses, except for one area: training... as a result, it brought in nearly €300 million in five years. Clubs that continue to invest in young players, despite the economic difficulties, will do well.

What or who could we draw inspiration from outside our borders?

BR: Spain for its collective mastery, Italy for its tactical rigor, or England for its focus on individualization. But our strength remains our ability to intelligently blend all of this while remaining faithful to the identity and characteristics of our players. This is why the French youth system is one of the most complete in the world.

J-FV: In international tournaments, I've always found it interesting that most foreign clubs don't upgrade before the U18 level, which allows the best of each generation to compete and allows players to mature. In France, we have an early call-up to the top level, but we have to be careful.

If you were creating or redesigning a training center today, what would you say would be the three priorities to include in its design?

BR: First, recruitment aligned with the project. Second, a clear and consistent methodology. And finally, strong management that shares this vision.

J-FV: 1. Recruitment; 2. Quality management; 3. Stability in the centers and in the professional world. A training project lasts four or five years.