David McCallum: Mercedes-Benz Junior Cup Exciting Opportunity For Under 19s

DAVID McCALLUM believes this weekend’s Mercedes-Benz Junior Cup in Germany is an exciting opportunity for his Under-19s side to showcase their talent.

The young Gers will pit their wits at the prestigious six-a-side youth competition on the outskirts of Stuttgart and have been drawn into a group alongside Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Borussia Monchengladbach.

It is a tournament in which the Light Blues have a recent history of competing at having reached the semi-finals in both 2019 and 2020.

Speaking to the official Rangers website ahead of the tournament, McCallum commented: “It’s a competitive tournament and there is immediate reward if you win it because it’s within two days.

“They also see where they are on an individual level and what it takes to be successful individually and as a team.

“We talk about normal 11v11 games and the space within it; these games will have very little space so it’s how you show your talent in those moments.

“It will be streamed live as well and there’s an opportunity to go and build your profile.”

The six-a-side format is common in youth development across Europe but less so for sides competing in the UK.

McCallum believes it presents an interesting challenge for his players, with the majority of the travelling team comprised of 2007-born players.

He added: “Normally in the B Team we try to source as many 11v11 games as possible, but when you’re invited to this tournament where you’re competing against the likes of Manchester United, Borussia Monchengladbach and Bayern Munich in our group alone – and you have top opposition in the other group.

“It’s going to be driven by a lot of one-versus-one scenarios, either as a defender or with the ball, so we’ll be challenged a lot technically in this group.

“It’ll be less of a tactical challenge and more driven by how good you are with the ball and determined in the defending that you are in those moments.

“It’ll be a different physical challenge because it will be an intense game for the time that the games run for.

“It’s something that these teams expose their players more to than we do.

“We’ve only had one opportunity today to try and give the players a bit of an insight into what the game feels like leading up to it with the way that our schedule has run.

“It will be different and you can use the bounce boards to play one-two’s off. There are no offsides.

“It’s quite a long game in terms of the intensity of what it is as well.

“There are a lot of different factors, but it gives the players the opportunity to go and pitch themselves against the best players at their age and stage.”


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