Digest the numbers from the Barclays
Premier League teams in action last weekend and the fears voiced by Roy
Hodgson as he embarked on the Road to Rio come with a little extra
resonance.
Of 209 players who started for the 19 Premier League teams in action – including Chelsea in the UEFA Super Cup – only 66, that’s slightly more than 30 per cent, were available to the England manager, who assembled his squad this week to prepare for the opening World Cup 2014 qualifier in Moldova on Friday.
‘There will be quite a few times I have to select players this year who won’t be in their team,’ said Hodgson, last month. ‘That’s a risk but it’s the nature of the Premier League.’
His worst fears seem to be unfolding
and problems will only deepen when players return to their clubs after
this international break and find new signings, bought on deadline or
near the end of the transfer window are eligible, more settled and ready
to compete for a place.
The health and wealth of the Premier League is trouble for Hodgson while other international coaches like Italy’s Cesare Prandelli are enjoying the austerity gripping their domestic game.
Ten Italian players started for AC Milan last weekend, the most in 17 years for the Rossoneri, shorn of foreign stars Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva after a summer when they made a £40millon profit on transfers.
‘I remember watching the Super Cup between Inter and Roma two years ago when there was a total of four Italian starters,’ said Prandelli. ‘This year there were many more. I’m not sure if the change is due purely to economic reasons, but the clubs are developing more young players and that’s definitely an advantage to the national team.
‘When you’re in a crisis you need to find new options, be innovative and take some risks. Managers are going to feel like they need to do something extra this season. They don’t have the big stars available anymore.’
Of the £110million spent by English clubs on deadline day, most of it drained overseas. Only Joey Barton of note went in the opposite direction, on loan to Marseille.
Javi Garcia, signed by Manchester
City for £18million from Benfica will probably come into midfield at the
expense of Jack Rodwell.
No team started with more English players than Southampton last weekend and their prolific academy will ensure home-grown continue to push for recognition but Saints also spent a club-record £11m on Uruguayan international Gaston Ramirez on Friday.
Clint Dempsey will be available for Spurs after the international break to threaten Aaron Lennon’s place and Christian Benteke, Aston Villa’s £7million Belgian striker from Genk, will put pressure on Darren Bent and Gabriel Agbonlahor.
English centre-forwards are under already feeling the heat. Hodgson could not find one he liked enough to call up when Andy Carroll pulled out of the squad with a hamstring injury.
It suggests the international future is bleak for Bent, Bobby Zamora and Peter Crouch, while Jermain Defoe, Daniel Sturridge and Daniel Welbeck are not guaranteed starters at their clubs.
In goal, international trio Joe Hart, John Ruddy and Robert Green all started last weekend, although Green’s place at QPR will come under threat from Julio Cesar, the Brazilian signed from Inter Milan.
Ben Foster played for West Brom but
does not want to play for England and the only other English ‘keeper was
Kelvin Davis, who performed well for Southampton despite being beaten
by three Robin van Persie goals.
Other England players have been victims of taste following managerial changes in the summers, including Michael Dawson, Tom Huddlestone and Jordan Henderson.
As ever, there were absent injured players. Wayne Rooney, Jack Wilshere, Gareth Barry, Micah Richards, Scott Parker and Ashley Young are all of the requisite quality to compete in the top flight.
John Terry missed Friday’s Super Cup because of suspension, there are established players like James Milner and Theo Walcott but the problem lies not in the details.
Terry would most likely come in for Gary Cahill, Walcott for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Young or Rooney for Danny Welbeck.
It is the trend – well-established but showing no hint of reverse - which concerns England and will perhaps at some point force Hodgson to scout Championship teams more thoroughly.
Clubs
do invest in home-grown talent. Many are pouring millions into their
academies right now to prepare them for Category One status as set out
in the Elite Player Performance Plan.
Stoke and Sunderland spent heavily on British players during the summer. Norwich used 12 players at White Hart Lane on Saturday, nine of which were British.
Brendan Rodgers has shown faith in Raheem Sterling and Jonjo Shelvey. City bought Rodwell and Scott Sinclair but here lies another twist inside the greater puzzle for Hodgson because the most promising young players became prized by the biggest clubs.
They help maximise the 25-man squad rules and add value in terms of identity but their chances of playing diminish and development slows.
It is happening elsewhere. The elite talent pool is under threat in Germany, the envy of many with a system which has generated highly-technical young players like Mesut Ozil and Mario Gotze.
The percentage of home-grown players on display in the Bundesliga was less than 45 per cent last weekend, far behind the proportions in Spain and France. Yet, still, nowhere near as low as in the Premier League.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2199730/Outnumbered-The-worrying-statistics-continue-haunt-English-football.html#ixzz25rFOyahg
Of 209 players who started for the 19 Premier League teams in action – including Chelsea in the UEFA Super Cup – only 66, that’s slightly more than 30 per cent, were available to the England manager, who assembled his squad this week to prepare for the opening World Cup 2014 qualifier in Moldova on Friday.
‘There will be quite a few times I have to select players this year who won’t be in their team,’ said Hodgson, last month. ‘That’s a risk but it’s the nature of the Premier League.’
ENGLISH PLAYERS STARTING IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE LAST WEEKEND
NORWICH 6: Ruddy, Barnett, Johnson, Howson, Pilkington*, Holt.
SOUTHAMPTON 6: Davis, Clyne, Ward-Prowse, Lallana, Puncheon, Lambert.
QPR 5: Green, Ferdinand, Wright-Phillips, Zamora, Johnson.
STOKE 5: Wilkinson, Shawcross, Whitehead, Kightly, Crouch.
EVERTON 4: Neville, Jagielka, Baines, Osman.
MAN UNITED 4: Ferdinand, Carrick, Cleverley, Welbeck.
SUNDERLAND 4: Gardner, Colback, A Johnson, Cattermole.
SWANSEA 4: Dyer, Britton, Routledge, Graham.
TOTTENHAM 4: Walker, Lennon, Livermore, Defoe.
WEST HAM 4: Nolan, Carroll, Taylor, Noble.
ARSENAL 3: Jenkinson, Gibbs, Oxlade-Chamberlain.
CHELSEA 3: Cole, Cahill, Lampard.
LIVERPOOL 3: G.Johnson, Gerrard, Sterling.
MAN CITY 3: Hart, Lescott, Rodwell.
ASTON VILLA 2: Lowton, Bent.
FULHAM 2: Sidwell, Richardson.
NEWCASTLE 2: Simpson, Taylor.
WEST BROM 2: Foster, Ridgewell.
WIGAN 0.
SOUTHAMPTON 6: Davis, Clyne, Ward-Prowse, Lallana, Puncheon, Lambert.
QPR 5: Green, Ferdinand, Wright-Phillips, Zamora, Johnson.
STOKE 5: Wilkinson, Shawcross, Whitehead, Kightly, Crouch.
EVERTON 4: Neville, Jagielka, Baines, Osman.
MAN UNITED 4: Ferdinand, Carrick, Cleverley, Welbeck.
SUNDERLAND 4: Gardner, Colback, A Johnson, Cattermole.
SWANSEA 4: Dyer, Britton, Routledge, Graham.
TOTTENHAM 4: Walker, Lennon, Livermore, Defoe.
WEST HAM 4: Nolan, Carroll, Taylor, Noble.
ARSENAL 3: Jenkinson, Gibbs, Oxlade-Chamberlain.
CHELSEA 3: Cole, Cahill, Lampard.
LIVERPOOL 3: G.Johnson, Gerrard, Sterling.
MAN CITY 3: Hart, Lescott, Rodwell.
ASTON VILLA 2: Lowton, Bent.
FULHAM 2: Sidwell, Richardson.
NEWCASTLE 2: Simpson, Taylor.
WEST BROM 2: Foster, Ridgewell.
WIGAN 0.
*Republic of Ireland want Pilkington but he has yet to commit his future
The health and wealth of the Premier League is trouble for Hodgson while other international coaches like Italy’s Cesare Prandelli are enjoying the austerity gripping their domestic game.
Ten Italian players started for AC Milan last weekend, the most in 17 years for the Rossoneri, shorn of foreign stars Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva after a summer when they made a £40millon profit on transfers.
‘I remember watching the Super Cup between Inter and Roma two years ago when there was a total of four Italian starters,’ said Prandelli. ‘This year there were many more. I’m not sure if the change is due purely to economic reasons, but the clubs are developing more young players and that’s definitely an advantage to the national team.
‘When you’re in a crisis you need to find new options, be innovative and take some risks. Managers are going to feel like they need to do something extra this season. They don’t have the big stars available anymore.’
Of the £110million spent by English clubs on deadline day, most of it drained overseas. Only Joey Barton of note went in the opposite direction, on loan to Marseille.
Fringe players: Daniel Sturridge (left) and Danny Welbeck (right)
No team started with more English players than Southampton last weekend and their prolific academy will ensure home-grown continue to push for recognition but Saints also spent a club-record £11m on Uruguayan international Gaston Ramirez on Friday.
Clint Dempsey will be available for Spurs after the international break to threaten Aaron Lennon’s place and Christian Benteke, Aston Villa’s £7million Belgian striker from Genk, will put pressure on Darren Bent and Gabriel Agbonlahor.
English centre-forwards are under already feeling the heat. Hodgson could not find one he liked enough to call up when Andy Carroll pulled out of the squad with a hamstring injury.
It suggests the international future is bleak for Bent, Bobby Zamora and Peter Crouch, while Jermain Defoe, Daniel Sturridge and Daniel Welbeck are not guaranteed starters at their clubs.
In goal, international trio Joe Hart, John Ruddy and Robert Green all started last weekend, although Green’s place at QPR will come under threat from Julio Cesar, the Brazilian signed from Inter Milan.
Sidelined: Rodwell is likely to lose his place in the Man City team
Other England players have been victims of taste following managerial changes in the summers, including Michael Dawson, Tom Huddlestone and Jordan Henderson.
As ever, there were absent injured players. Wayne Rooney, Jack Wilshere, Gareth Barry, Micah Richards, Scott Parker and Ashley Young are all of the requisite quality to compete in the top flight.
John Terry missed Friday’s Super Cup because of suspension, there are established players like James Milner and Theo Walcott but the problem lies not in the details.
Terry would most likely come in for Gary Cahill, Walcott for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Young or Rooney for Danny Welbeck.
It is the trend – well-established but showing no hint of reverse - which concerns England and will perhaps at some point force Hodgson to scout Championship teams more thoroughly.
Plenty to ponder: Hodgson may have to start scouring the Championship before too long
HOME NATIONALITY STARTING LAST WEEKEND
La Liga 64.3%
Ligue 1 62.7%
Serie A 52.1%
Bundesliga 45.0%
Premier League 31.6%
Ligue 1 62.7%
Serie A 52.1%
Bundesliga 45.0%
Premier League 31.6%
Stoke and Sunderland spent heavily on British players during the summer. Norwich used 12 players at White Hart Lane on Saturday, nine of which were British.
Brendan Rodgers has shown faith in Raheem Sterling and Jonjo Shelvey. City bought Rodwell and Scott Sinclair but here lies another twist inside the greater puzzle for Hodgson because the most promising young players became prized by the biggest clubs.
They help maximise the 25-man squad rules and add value in terms of identity but their chances of playing diminish and development slows.
It is happening elsewhere. The elite talent pool is under threat in Germany, the envy of many with a system which has generated highly-technical young players like Mesut Ozil and Mario Gotze.
The percentage of home-grown players on display in the Bundesliga was less than 45 per cent last weekend, far behind the proportions in Spain and France. Yet, still, nowhere near as low as in the Premier League.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2199730/Outnumbered-The-worrying-statistics-continue-haunt-English-football.html#ixzz25rFOyahg
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