Yet another International disappointment befell the England football team on Saturday, as the U-21 side crashed out of the European Championships without so much as a whimper. Following defeats to Italy and Norway all hopes of European glory, albeit at youth level, evaporated, leaving the country to once again ponder what exactly it was doing wrong. Over the years we haven’t shouldered any of the responsibility, blaming penalty shoot-outs, managers and metatarsals alike without really looking at the bigger picture. It’s time we focused on youth.
As far as I’m concerned, the current generation is a write-off. They are by no means poor players, but flaws in the system mean the Gerrards, Lampards, Carricks, Barrys and Milners of this generation are not going to win anything. Even the most optimistic of supporters will accept that – barring a miracle – they will not have a 2014 World Cup medal to add to their collections. We must learn our lessons from the failures of the past, pick ourselves up and adjust accordingly.
The main gripe that many have with the English international set-up, is the lack of experience young players get at youth tournaments. The 2013 European Championships is a prime example, with a large group of very talented English players not playing in the tournament, due to their status as ‘Senior Internationals’ following their first few caps. In fact, of the starting XI that England put out against Norway, only three had spent the previous season playing for a Premier League club.
This is in stark contrast to the Spanish U-21 team, whose starting XI for their 1-0 win against Russia all played in the top division for their respective clubs. Indeed, all bar two players finished the season playing for a top four side, unlike the English team in which no players finished above fifth place. In the Spanish team, eight of the eleven played in Europe, seven in the Champions League, compared to the England side’s two Europa League players, and not a single Champions League performer.
What is baffling, however, is that this is down to choice and not talent-base. There are plenty of young English players playing for top clubs that do not feature for the U-21s due to their senior engagements. This is a team that could have played against Norway:
Butland; Rose, Caulker, Jones, Walker; Shelvey, Henderson; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Wilshere, Zaha; Welbeck
(Granted, Welbeck is injured but his exclusion from the squad means the point remains)
Now even being pessimistic, it is fair to say that the above team would pose a real challenge to any U-21 side in Europe, Spain included. Critics argue that young English players at top sides play less, and therefore it is more useful to use lower division players with plenty of games under their belt, however the average appearances for the 2012/13 season of both the above side and the team to face Norway are the same: 37 appearances. It begs the question: why don’t we use the best players we have?
By way of comparison, let us take the Spanish U-21 side. Of their starting XI versus Russia, every single player played in the top flight the previous season. The English side versus Norway contained only three. The Spanish side contained five champions and seven Champions League players, while the English side contained none. And perhaps most shockingly of all, the average league position of the Spanish starting XI was 4th. The average English league position: 25th. In simple terms: the footballers that make up the future of our international team are not good enough to play in their country’s own top division.
I find this shocking. What is perplexing is the complete lack of willingness to change. The team proposed above, a team England could have put out against Norway, contained nine players who had full seasons in the Premier League last season, eight of which featured in Europe – the same number as the Spanish team. Do we see the U-21s as a nuisance, an annoying yet unavoidable commitment to whom we send our unused players? To me this is wrong. Our U-21 side at any given time should contain the players that we hope will make up the senior England team for years to come. Will Adam Smith, already aged 22, ever become an England regular? Will Craig Dawson, currently 23 years old, ever be a major part of the England set-up? Will an excited England fan ever rest their country’s World Cup hopes on Marvin Sordell, on Tom Lees, on Declan Rudd?
We have plenty of talent as a nation and we must let it grow together. The future of English football relies on Danny Welbeck, Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Phil Jones among others, who only have 10 more U-21 caps than Danny Rose between them. We must allow them to develop together, to get used to competitive International football. A good run in the European Championships would be far more beneficial to their long-term development than a friendly against Brazil. Let them start their International careers as winners, albeit on the U-21 stage, rather than installing them in to the English mind-set of inferiority.
Granted, we do not share the same depth as countries like Spain and Germany. We do not have the resources to be able to afford to drop Isco, Muniain, Thiago, or Götze. But for the sake of the country’s long-term interests, why not give some other players a chance rather than deprive the U-21s of their star players? Instead of Danny Welbeck, see how Rickie Lambert performs on an international stage, even if it is only a meaningless friendly. Give Adam Lallana an appearance. Try Chris Smalling or Kieran Gibbs in defence. Yes, they aren’t the standard of our current internationals, but it would allow our U-21s to grow together and create a top class team for the future. Alternatively, let the young players do both. It is perfectly feasible, as shown by the Russian side, who sent Alan Dzagoev to the U-21s following their end of season international. Kevin Strootman has previously captained the Dutch senior side, but he is still eligible and therefore captains the U-21 side in Israel. However the best example: Juan Mata, having been first capped in 2008, and having won a World Cup medal in 2010, was still a part of the Spanish U-21 side to win the European Championships in 2011. It wasn’t seen as a chore, or a step-down, instead it was an opportunity to further their international experience, and a chance for the countries to help their young prospects grow.
All in all, the argument is pretty compelling. It is time we stopped treating youth internationals as ‘Mickey Mouse Tournaments’, time we stopped depriving our U-21s of their best players, and time we allowed our best talent to grow together as one group, one team, one generation. It is time we changed.
We’ve had talented players in England before that have had no luck on the international stage. Let’s not let this lot go to waste?
By Will Robinson
Follow me on twitter: @Willrobinson97
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