League Focus: Premier League is Failing the England National Team
Increased foreign investment in the Premier League has its supporters and its critics. Those on the side of the former testify that the boost to both the profile and quality of England's top flight by such monetary input is fantastic to see, and with greater chances of British Champions League winners, there is no reason to complain or fight against it. On the other side of the coin, however, there are those that resent the influx of foreign money, much because of the impact it has on English players and the national team.
The likes of Chelsea's Roman Abramovich and Manchester City's Sheikh Mansour are rather more concerned about the immediate return on their investment than helping to build a future for the Three Lions. So, when a player becomes available that could improve the current team, they are pursued regardless of what they might offer to Roy Hodgson and the national team.
The future of English football is still looking rather bleak. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Wilfried Zaha and Jack Wilshere are the only real rays of light coming through the youth ranks, while the likes of Danny Welbeck, Tom Cleverley and Jack Rodwell are all likely to make it at international level but leave fans with little optimism for next year's World Cup in Brazil, or further beyond.
Of course, the prospect of an international superstar joining a club is enough to fill any fan with excitement, and to such an extent that any old academy product will gladly be disregarded for the good of the team. The world of football is a brutal one, where victory is paramount and loyalty is almost a triviality. Thus, there is a cycle in which Premier League teams and English football are stuck; clubs need to win and they have the funds to invest in the best in the business, all the while England are failing to produce a steady enough stream of quality players and therefore the players aren't getting chances to play. Resultantly, English players do not get the necessary experience to go that step further and go right to the top of the game. Through their La Masia system, Barcelona continue to produce talent with a consistency that leaves the rest of the world looking on with envy, and nobody in England can replicate their success.
Whilst Barcelona have near limitless riches - they operate with huge outlays on players despite being hundreds of millions of Euros in debt (in no small part thanks to their outrageously unequal share of Spain's TV rights money) - and yet there is still a firm emphasis on homegrown talent. The fans and staff alike will prefer to see a product of their own system succeed there than a multi-million pound acquisition from abroad. Their increased aim to focus on such players has, by no coincidence, coincided with Spain's domination of international football. Spanish players played 68.7% of the minutes that all Barcelona players made up in their triumphant Primera Division campaign last season. At Manchester United, meanwhile, Englishmen made up only 38.6% of the team's minutes played as they regained the Premier League title.
Unsurprisingly, the stats are similar when expanded to cover the teams' respective leagues. In the Premier League last term, English players made up just 34.0% of the overall gametime, whilst in La Liga, Spaniards were on the pitch 61.3% of the time. Compare this to the other of Europe's top leagues and the English are left with grim reading; In Ligue 1, French players made up 64.5% of the overall minutes played last season; in the Bundesliga, Germans made up 51.1% of the overall gametime; and in Serie A, Italian players were on the pitch 48.2% of the time. England are some distance behind in these rankings and furthermore, there was very little in the way of potential England internationals plying their trade abroad in a top European League - Michael Mancienne, Joey Barton and the now retired David Beckham were the only such players last season, and none are going to make inroads on the international scene. The Premier League, meanwhile, is made up of countless international stars from Spain, Germany, France, Italy and many, many others.
Things do not look all that likely to change ahead of next season with yet more imports this summer. Manuel Pellegrini will be expected to bring immediate results to the City of Manchester Stadium, and the arrivals of high profile players like Jesús Navas and Fernandinho are likely to restrict the opportunities of potential England internationals such as James Milner, Jack Rodwell and Gareth Barry. All three look set to be considered second-string this season and yet will likely retain their places in the England squad.
Barry is one of the England's most understated players. He has performed consistently in the top flight for the past 15 seasons, while only Michael Carrick and Mikel Arteta have completed more passes than him (6350) in the last 4 campaigns. Meanwhile, injury has blighted Rodwell's short career - he completed 90 minutes only twice in the Premier League this season - and it is a shame because he still manages to show glimpses of his mighty potential. His 2 goals on the final day of the season showed off his power and ability running with the ball when given the freedom to do so, and yet with City's riches his chances will likely be further limited next term.
The Premier League is one of the most exciting leagues in the world, and this season could yet be its most competitive with Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea all regarded as genuine title contenders, while the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham certainly aren't all that far behind. However, with each team's rivals investing and making strides forward over the summer, the pressure is on not to be left behind, and that means bringing in players to make an immediate impact rather than looking to the youth ranks for help, and England's top flight is a better place for it. However, the national team are a long way off being favourites for next summer's World Cup, and there is unlikely to be any great developments amongst English footballers this season that could impact on that.
