[Neil G]

I honestly don't understand this obsession with easing obviously gifted players into the team when there's no established player already available in their position. I can only think of three arguments in favour of it, and none of them cut any ice with me when it comes to genuine young talents like Babel.

1) Culture shock, i.e. getting used to a different style of play. So how else are you going to get used to it unless you get a whole game's worth on a regular basis? If you only play against selected opposition then you're not getting the full range of experience that you need. The same applies if you're only playing parts of games in which the play is often either stretched or compacted, but rarely both. You can work on your positional play, awareness and decision-making all you want in training, but the most important factor that will help you improve these is missing, and that's the opposition.

2) Fitness. Babel is 20 years old and clearly a superb athlete. Are people really worried about him being burned out if he plays every league game for a few months, plus a max of seven European games?

3) Confidence. See my post above - Babel clearly strikes me as the sort of enthusiastic young talent who will get straight back on the horse if he falls off, trying to make up for a bad performance by turning in a good one. There seems to be a patronising attitude toward young players that's widely held on this board and by fans and pundits in general, which suggests that if they have a bad game or two they'll start crying and run off to their mummy to be comforted. These players aren't kids, they're enthusiastic young adults with a point to prove. Plenty of people of a similar age and younger throw themselves into their work in other professions and can rise above the knocks and the setbacks, because they believe in themselves. Genuinely gifted footballers are no different.