A late raft of injuries and withdrawals mean England travel
to Sweden with an inexperienced squad, and opportunities have presented
themselves to two uncapped wingers, Raheem Sterling and Wilfried Zaha.
Both players have had brilliant seasons thus far and warrant
their place in the full national squad, but an appearance on Wednesday is no
guarantee that their long time allegiance lies with England. Roy Hodgson
indicated in his Tuesday presser, that he was confident both players wanted to
represent England at full international level, and expressed the naive and archaic
notion that because both players have under-19 and under-21 caps, they would
feel obliged to progress to full international status.
With Jack Wilshire’s progression stunted by over 12 months,
these two players are the next big hope for the national set-up. Sterling has
progressed from QPR trainee to an established Premier League star in three
years and looks incredibly assured for a 17-year-old. Zaha, meanwhile, has lit
up the Championship this season, after threatening to do so last campaign, at
times looking unplayable in the English second division.
I’m convinced that both players will cement themselves as
Premier League standard players for years to come and they have the potential
to become mainstays of an England national side, but are they the players
England need?
They are different players but their speed over the pitch
and ability to commit players in one-on-one situations seem to be their main strengths;
traits that work perfectly in the rough and tumble of the Premier League, but
that are unlikely to transfer success in Europe or on the international stage.
In short pace and individual ability are not integral
components of elite football performances, with possession and confidence on
the ball now the integral skill for
young professionals. Spain are the current trend setters and the history of
football indicates that individualistic brilliance is being eroded from the
game.
Association Football as pioneered by the British during the
mid 1800’s was characterised by individuals who ran directly at opponents,
hoping to slalom past them all to score, hence the 2-3-5 formation that existed
for almost 100 years. Teams who deduced that a passing game, which utilised the
collective of the team, rather than relying on an individual, inevitably
started beating the archaic English style of football, and this trend has
continued right up to the present day.
Passing was deemed as not being ‘manly’ by early English
players and this distrust of possession in favour of a Roy of the Rovers, ‘up
and at em’ approach is only just being kicked out of the Premier League. The
tempo of the English game is completely unsuited to international fixtures and
English teams seldom dominate possession in the Champions League, nor the
national side.
Sterling and Zaha are clearly talented players but they are
blessed with pace and trickery, not composure on the ball, mental bravery or the
spatial awareness to conduct a game from the centre of the pitch. After being
reminded of Andrea Pirlo’s brilliance during the summer, a debate briefly arose
of whether England could ever produce such a player. Jack Wilshire and Tom
Cleverley may be close, Nick Powell and James Ward-Prowse could challenge, but
the simple truth is that England are some way from producing a caresser of the
football like a Pirlo or Xavi.
Paul Scholes was the closest this country has come to moulding
a ‘Pirlo’ and the unwillingness to change mentality away from the break-neck
speed of the Premiership and in turn the national team saw Scholes shunted out
wide, prompting his retirement from national duty. Glen Hoddle and Matt Le
Tissier are another two examples of English technicians who received scandalously
few England caps because of this countries distrust of passing.
To those who argue that Pirlo wouldn’t cut it over here, on
a cold night in Stoke, consider the comments made by Swansea’s €2 million
signing, Michu, after just three games in the Premier League. He articulated that
although the game was faster in England the ‘space between the lines’ was far
greater than La Liga, allowing him more room and freedom to pick a pass and
expose defences. The Premier League’s self styled moniker as ‘best in the world’
takes a further battering by the ease with which Santi Cazorla has adapted to a
less than convincing Arsenal team. Imagine what an Iniesta or Pirlo would do?
How many fast and direct wingers do Spain play with? Jesus
Navas would walk into most teams in Britain, but hardly gets a kick for Del
Bosque’s unit which prides itself on monopolising the ball and in turn the game.
Until football is reinvented success will come from passing, the economy of
thought and movement. Zaha and Sterling are exciting prospects, but not the
template of footballs future.
