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At the recent World Cup England secured only one draw on their way to finishing bottom of Group D. It what was another sorry chapter for a nation that has failed to deliver at major tournaments for the past 50 years.
But watching the start of the EPL I could not understand how England continued to struggle on the international stage.
Wayne Rooney, so often a disappointment for England following his break out Euro 2004 performance, slammed home an opening day bicycle kick in his first game as captain. Down south in the capital a young English defender Eric Dier, having his first start for Tottenham after growing up in Portugal, stunned West Ham with a final minute winner.
The following night I was treated to the best of the Three Lions with Jordan Henderson matching brute strength with amazing touch as he first won the ball and then split the Southampton defence with a beautiful pass for Raheem Sterling to finish. Sterling wasn’t done though, nodding a ball back to his England teammate Daniel Sturridge for the winner at Anfield.
Why then does England consistently fail to challenge for higher honours on the world stage? There is an obvious disconnect between translating the weekly performances for club over to country, but more than that in ensuring their vast array of junior talent is properly developed.
Only five years ago England played Germany in the 2009 Under-21 European Championships and performed well, qualifying top of their group and making it all the way to the final. During the group stages the two sides had drawn, but this time the Germans were far too strong and won the title 4-0.
Despite the lop-sided result both teams showed they had quality, and it was expected that many of these players would face off again when playing for the senior squad in years to follow.
Come Brazil 2014 and players like Jerome Boateng, Mats Hummels, Manuel Neuer, Benedikt Hoewedes, Mesut Oezil and Sami Khedira, who all played in that 2009 Under-21 final, lifted the trophy for Germany. Not only do they play for some of the biggest clubs in the world but they star for them.
However, the 2014 England squad which ventured to South America had almost no recognisable faces from the 2009 final side. Scott Loach, Martin Cranie, Nedum Onuoha, Lee Cattermole, Mark Noble, Jack Rodwell, Craig Gardner, Michael Mancienne and Frazier Campbell were all either starters or substitutes during the final yet were absent in Brazil.
Their names read like an honour roll for wasted talent as just about all were on the books for Premier League clubs, including Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea, with a few now playing for lower Premier League sides and in most cases in lower leagues.
This leaves the success stories from the final team for England being Adam Johnson, James Milner and Theo Walcott. While both Johnson and Milner were part of the Man City squad to win their first title in 40-odd years in 2012, only Milner played a real part as Johnson was quickly shipped out to Sunderland following the title win.
Milner himself has also become surplus to requirements for club and country, and was the only member of the Under-21 final side to see action in Brazil, playing 76 minutes in the Costa Rica dead rubber. Only Walcott could be considered a genuine success for club and country, but injuries have curtailed this once shining star.
In recent times Spain, Germany and the Netherlands have dominated the Under-21 European tournament. These talented juniors soon fill the senior ranks and push their respective countries to international success, so why can’t England also nurture their own junior talent?
The EPL is one of the best leagues in the world but with so much foreign talent it can often be a poor place to develop young local players. One proposal is that, like the bigger clubs in Spain and Germany, some English clubs should be allowed to field ‘B’ sides in lower leagues, where they have their own coaches and ensure players aren’t stuck playing in the reserve system – a poor substitute for proper matches.
The introduction of a mandatory number of English players is a start, but younger players aged 18 to 21 must be assured of lower league games if they aren’t getting minutes at their current club.
The 2009 tournament was the first time England had reached the Under-21 final since winning in 1984, but only two players from that squad in 1984 would go on to have more than 12 caps for the senior side. It’s alarming when you consider the significant talent they had during the early 1980s. Clearly there is an issue with developing talent and one that must be addressed if English football is to progress.
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