Does experience really matter that much ?

One of Fabio Capello’s many dilemmas going into this World Cup has been the emergence of some of his younger squad players as potential starters in South Africa. Some situations have been forced on him through injuries to key players but a few of the rookies have shown potential on their own. Joe Hart, Adam Johnson, and Theo Walcott probably merit selection on their own whereas Leighton Baines and Tom Huddlestone got in through the side door as injuries forced a rethink. Capello naturally prefers veteran players so he has some tough decisions to make. Many veteran coaches believe that young players don’t win tournaments, except for Alex Ferguson of course, and so when it comes to crunch time, youngsters usually get to sit on the bench during the important games. Older players usually have more competition experience and especially when pressure mounts, coaches would rather go with tried and trusted talent. However, over the years, many young stars have emerged at World Cups without much prior exposure and have gone on to become world stars. Pele was a raw 17 year old in 1958 in Sweden when he helped his country win the World Cup that year. He was somewhat of a star back home already in Brazil, and probably is an exception rather than the rule. Michael Owen was 18 years old when he set the football world alight in 1998 with that famous goal for England against Argentina.