English National Team

Is it just me that can see the English national team struggling in the future? Sure we’ve got the odd ‘superstar’ coming through the ranks when you look at Jack Wilshire and Oxlade Chamberlain but its doubtful even these players will be able to compete with the level of quality that will be on the international stage in a few years time.

Who’s to blame for this? In my eyes English clubs are due to their scouting and youth recruitment. It is so easy to fall through the scouting net in England and here’s why…

The competitive nature of finding the next “world beater” results in player’s potential ability getting overlooked. Scouts, even right from a young age look at outstanding strength or speed and ignore the technical aspects of the game believing they can be coached.

This is due to whether they will admit it or not everything being results driven. Coaches want players who can make an impact immediately, not players who will need time to develop. If a club see a decent player but have 3 or 4 players in the same position as him won’t give him the time of day. What’s worse is they won’t tip another club that could make use of him just incase he turns out to be that exceptional player.

English schoolboy football players, U7’s right through to U16’s should be able to concentrate on developing as players, expressing themselves and learning how to play the game properly. Instead it is drummed into them that losing is simply not good enough.

Clubs will take on and let go of thousands up on thousands of kids just for the 1 or 2 home-grown players a season that break into the clubs first team to join the wealth of international talent available to the first team manager for selection.

Comparing this to other nations, Spain for now, are the exact opposite to English clubs and have been successful because of it. They teach their players in the correct manor and results aren’t important to them. La Masia; Barcelona’s training camp for their youngsters, is iconic of this.

Although it will have no sudden impact, 10-15, maybe even 20 years down the line when the nation is breaking out with superstars all over the pitch it will have its benefits.

Freedom and expression can only have a positive impact on the future of the nation’s game. It’s not a myth that the kids in South-America will play till the sun goes down simply because of their passion for the game. This is encouraged and breeds confidence in them. Look at the amount of technically gifted players they produce as an outcome.

A country that has got took action about their scouting system and it is evident from their recent domination of the U17, U19 and U21 championships titles that have got it absolutely spot on are Germany.

Firstly, it is a regulation teams in the Bundesliga have to name 12 home-grown players in their matchday squad. In comparison to English teams who are only constrained by UEFA’s rules that they have to register eight in a 25-man squad. Some of them can even include foreign nationals if they’ve have been at the club’s academy for three years or more.

Secondly, it is an obligation that teams need to invest heavily in their youth set-ups or they will lose their memberships with the Bundesliga and not be able to compete. Accordingly, the number of German under-23-year olds playing regularly in the Bundesliga is 15% which has risen 9% since 2002.

This obviously has it’s affects with the teams finances too. They no longer need to splash out on over-priced talent from around the world like English clubs so often do and figures comparing to Premier League clubs are outstanding.

The Bundesliga makes £500 million less a year than the Premier League (Sponsors, T.V money etc) yet the 18 German clubs made a profit of £66 million more than the combined profit of the 20 clubs in the English top flight. In addition, the amount of debt owed between the clubs in the Bundesliga is a tiny £30 million, rather than the countless millions English clubs owe.

The Bundesliga reputation is increasing and German national team are a prime example of what can be achieved. Stars that have been born from this type of system are Mario Götze, Mesut Ozil, Toni Kroos, Thomas Muller, Sami Khedira, Rene Adler and Manuel Neuer to name just a few and they will provide a stern test for anyone on the world stage.

If English clubs don’t take action by introducting player regulations, investing in their youth and developing home-grown players with potential talent in aspects besides strength and speed the future could be bleak. I can see them getting left behind by other nations and a few miserable tournaments around the corner. The Brazil World Cup in 2014 could be a massive eye-opener.

Aaron Whittaker

Relegation Battle

Just as everybody was coming to their personal conclusions as to who would be relegated from the Premier League, this weekend’s results have proved how fast things can change in the world of football.

Being an avid supporter of Aston Villa I was ecstatic to discover the “6 pointer” (as the modern term is for a fixture between two teams battling relegation) vs Reading we’d secured an invaluable victory. Gabriel Agbonlahor scored the goal that proved to be the difference between the two sides.

My first instinct when seeing a result like this was to check the other scores that had been played out elsewhere this afternoon. Seeing that QPR had comfortably beaten Sunderland 3-1 combined with their 2-1 win last week against Southampton slightly took the gloss off our result and it puts them right back in the frame for survival when many people had all but wrote them off.

This lead me to thinking, if Villa had drew or lost today, what sort of trouble could they have found themselves in? QPR are at the foot of the table level on points with second bottom Reading and both lie only 4 points below Villa.

Wigan, who were pushed back down into the relegation zone albeit they have a game in hand, produced a tidy and clinical performance at Everton to reach the final four of the FA Cup for the first time in the clubs history.

The Latics are a team who are no stranger to this position and experience could prove vital. Recent results have shown that if they turn up they could inflict a 3-0 defeat on any team outside the top 4, but if they don’t the score line could well be reversed.

The mark for survival has always been placed at 40 points so anyone above Norwich in 13th shouldn’t get dragged into it now. With at least 33 points already to their names with 10 games left it would take a major self destruct button to be hit for them to be relegated.

Before today’s game, Villa were heading into two huge fixtures against clubs in and around them at the bottom of the table. Realistically, without picking up at least 4 points from them two games against Reading today and QPR next week would spell Friday night games in the Championship next year. With 3 points already gained, anything but a loss against QPR would be physiologically boosting for everyone involved with the club.

The result is crushing for a Reading side that need something special in order to get themselves out the predicament they’re in. Next week they travel to Old Trafford before hosting Arsenal the week after.

We have seen it go down to the last game of the season so often and I’m almost certain it will happen again this year. I wouldn’t feel comfortable if Villa needed to go to the DW Stadium on the last day needing a result, although the amount of Villa fans that would make the 90 miles North-West journey to invade the city would be quite a spectacle.

If there was a possibility like years gone by where any one three of five teams could go down on the last day; QPR who travel to Anfield and Norwich who travel to Manchester City would be the most aggrieved of the situation whilst Reading who are away to West Ham and Southampton hosting Stoke would secretly fancy their chances.

This got me interested so I went online and found out that the BBC have a predictor so I jotted in the results I believed would occur by a 1-0 score line either way or 1-1 for a draw. Below is the final table I was concluded with. Some teams have only played 37 games because there are no confirmed dates for the game to be played yet so are missed from the fixtures list.

I could be branded as being pessimistic predicting that Aston Villa; one of the few teams left never to be relegated from the Premier League since it’s induction in 1992/93 season are going down but I have reason to believe so. The current squad isn’t strong enough and with Lambert refusing to put the clear experience we have in the squad into the starting 11 we’ll continue to make schoolboy errors which could be the fine margins that will separate teams from playing in the second tier of English football and the best league in the world.

Aaron Whittaker

Wayne Rooney Future

Where does Wayne Rooney’s future lie? Sir Alex Ferguson’s decision to leave him out of Manchester United’s 2-1 Champions League defeat to Real Madrid has sparked controversy to whether he will still be a Manchester United player next season.

Tactically the decision to leave Rooney on the bench was proving to be the right one. The Red Devils looked comfortable and were heading through to the quarter finals until Nani’s red card in the 56th minute.

United turned in a solid performance until that point and we’re all aware of Rooney’s tendency to play like an over-enthusiastic kid in the heat of competition. It quite easily could have been Rooney on the receiving end of the red card if he had started.

The forward line is picked around Robin Van Persie, a position Rooney used to be in himself. After the gashed leg he received earlier in the season forced him out he hasn’t been able to sustain a regular first team place since.

This poses the question; Is the relationship between Wayne Rooney and Sir Alex Ferguson a strained relationship?

At 27 years of age time is running out for him to fulfil his undoubted potential. Rooney, who exploded on to the scene 11 years ago ending Arsenal’s un-defeated run with that famous strike is just as capable at producing magical moments like that as he is costing his team the game by lack of discipline.

Consistency seems to be Rooney’s only problem. I still remember the Champions League final against Barcelona at Wembley in 2011 where he single-handedly kept them in the tie until half time. Since that final I have always believed that he is up there with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi when he decides to turn it on.

If Rooney was to leave United it could be his last “big” contract before getting over the hill although he has shown his class in centre midfield to suggest that he could continue his career in a more reserved position. He has bags of experience and is technically gifted so where would he fit in?

The only real place I could see Rooney going which isn’t a step down from United, who could afford his wage demands, where he is still competing at a half decent level and he would fit in with the current squad would be PSG. Beckham could be the deciding factor in persuading him to cross the channel to the French capital.

I still see Rooney going back to Everton at some point in his career but at the moment it wouldn’t be possible. Wherever he goes he will always be one of the main stars on the England national team and someone we all look to in big tournaments all be it he isn’t the first name on the Manchester United team sheet anymore.

All this could be absolute nonsense and he could pen another 5 year deal at United in the summer putting all these rumours to rest. But at the moment he looks out of favour, Rooney is unlikely to settle for sitting on the bench week in-week out. Watch this space.

Aaron Whittaker

El Classico

Copa Del Rey Semi-Final Second Leg. (26.2.13)

After weeks of hype surrounding arguably the biggest club fixture in world football it was finally here. Although none of the 6 of us that went could have prepared ourselves for the breath-taking experience that followed.

Arriving into Barcelona El Prat airport you could sense the atmosphere and importance of the fixture that was set to take place a mere 12 hours later. The taxi ride to our apartment took us past a crematorium built into the rock face of a cliff and within touching distance of Espanyol’s old ground, which was the venue for the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. But despite this the thing that struck me the most was the amount of Catalan and Barcelona resemblances there was. There were flags hanging from everywhere thinkable. The people of Cataluña took every opportunity to show their passionate colours.

The taxi driver that collected us from the airport spoke very little English but common ground was found in the term “El Classico”. He, himself was a Barcelona fan and had the club emblem hanging from his rear view mirror but was anxious when asked what he thought the outcome of the game was going to be.

The first thing we did upon arrival was dump our bags and head towards the Nou Camp to collect our matchday tickets. Our walk from Maria Christina metro station to the stadium was swamped with bars and stalls setting up in anticipation for the game. Every 100 yards that we walked it intensified further until we caught a glimpse of the stadium. The sheer presence of it and the surrounding areas was massive. That’s when it hit home; it had all felt surreal until that point. Heading back to the apartment on the metro, we all knew it was going to be a magical night.

Making the exact same journey later that night was completely different. The Barcelona faithful and colours swamped the city. Chants were echoing around the streets with flares being set off and each and every single bar rammed. The atmosphere was spectacular.

We stopped in a bar for a pint of Spain’s finest before walking down towards the stadium. En route we seen comedian Kevin Bridges heavily under the influence. Looking at his twitter account to confirm it was infact him, he has posted that he had never seen Barcelona lose an El Classico.

News filtered through to us that both teams had named the strongest possible line ups available to them which notched the excitement levels up as it was confirmed we was going to be watching the greatest names in world football. The Madrid fan coaches arrived about 45 minutes before kick off with a police escort and a hostile reception was given.

After finding our entrance gate and clambering numerous amounts of staircases, we reached the top tier. Walking into the stands from the concourse is a sight that will stay with me for the rest of my life. It was simply exquisite.

The players were warming up and the stadium was filling nicely. From were we had gathered at the standing area at the back of the top tier we could see over the top of the stadium into the streets. There were crowds of people for as far as I could see. I was gazing at everything around me in astonishment.

Kick off time came and the Barcelona anthem “El cant del Barça” rung around the stadium. Barcelona had given away 90,000 flags that were being waved by the first 4 tiers (Pictured below).

The game itself was a Real Madrid master class. Cristiano Ronaldo and Jose Mourinho both had points to prove and it was evident. Ronaldo shown he was not prepared to sit in Messi’s shadow and be content with being the 2nd best player in the world, whilst “the special one” got his tactics spot on in every detailed aspect. Another Real Madrid player who shown his class and massive potential for such a young age was Varane. The faith put in him was re-paid, not only did he keep Messi quiet all game he even managed to get himself on the score sheet with a pinpoint header, a goal which emptied half the Nou Camp and sealed Barcelona’s exit from the competition. Real Madrid absorbed all Barcelona had to throw at them and then were quick and incisive when attacking which lead to two of their goals. Barcelona looked like they had run out of ideas; they looked lacklustre and pretty average. Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets turned in good displays and were the only credit from a poor Barcelona performance.

It wasn’t just the action on the pitch that caught my eye though. In the stands there was bottles, flares, coins and anything else the two opposing fans could get there hands on hurled in each others direction all game. The stewards and police seen most of this happen and didn’t take action.

Another thing that was a real eye opener was the desire Catalonia have from being separated from the rest of Spain. At two points in the game they revealed a banner reading “Catalonia- Europe’s next State”. The Real Madrid fans were singing the Spanish national anthem, monkey chanting and Nazi saluting as well in connection with the war times. The significance of this being Barcelona were founded by English population.

In comparison to an English game I don’t believe it to be as passionate and it’s almost like they are waiting to be entertained which I guess comes from a lot of tourists being part of the 98,000+ attendances. Despite that the atmosphere that is created can’t be fully explained until you experience it first hand.

Aaron Whittaker