If England think radically and act now we can do a Germany- Jamie Carragher

As I watched England entrenched on the edge of their box, desperately clinging on against Italy, I was thinking: “What does this remind me of?”

It did not take me long to work it out. It was like a Championship side playing at a top Premier League club in the FA Cup.

A performance where qualities such as pluckiness and courage get banded about and the gulf in quality between the teams is tolerated because of their different pedigree.

This is what English football has become. Our limitations laid bare to the point where so long as the “bulldog spirit” is on show the players have done all that has been asked.

It is never going to be enough to win a major tournament. At the next World Cup we will be having the same post-exit discussion about our inability to retain the ball and do anything more than try to stop the opponent rather than impose ourselves on them – and it will be doubly difficult in Rio.

The 38 per cent possession statistic against Italy as England exited Euro 2012 was damning and embarrassing. We will never beat a top nation in a tournament playing like this.



Steven Gerrard had cramp after 70 minutes and Scott Parker had to be replaced, feeling the effects of a gruelling four games. We would have been on our knees had they had to play another two fixtures.

We all know what the problem is. We are technically inferior to the international super powers.

Our domestic league is considered the best, but I would put us in the third tier of international football, well below Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Germany and Italy.

Ideas are thrown around every two summers. We need to sort out the “grass roots”. What do people actually mean when they say this? It is such a broad term.

Do youngsters need top coaching at an early age? Of course they do, but we may have to acknowledge that our problem is cultural.

In this country, parents want their children to “get stuck in”. Traditionally, our best footballers are powerful, strong types, such as Gerrard and, in this tournament, John Terry.

We never produce a No10 such as a Mesut Özil because they may not shine in their youth if the emphasis is on finding those who will fly into tackles.

Spain has always produced playmakers like Xavi, and the Dutch and Portuguese flying wingers such as Arjen Robben or Cristiano Ronaldo. Our stars have been more tough, powerful midfielders or defenders who win the ball. Unfortunately, we do not breed enough players who keep it.

Fighting spirit is not a negative quality and should remain part of our identity, but we need far more and it has become a question of radically changing our priorities.

Spain are the example in terms of ball retention, the extraordinary ideal we aspire to. There needs to be some realism, though.

Can we really expect to do what they do even better? The English system has never produced a Xavi or an Andrés Iniesta.

We should watch and learn from them, but recognise what is genuinely attainable. It feels like we are always wishing we had been doing what others have done years after they have done it, so we are always playing catch-up.

After Euro 96 I recall everyone saying we had to copy the Ajax Academy. Two years later the obsession was Clairefontaine in France.

Now it is La Masia in Barcelona. Sometimes, a country has its moment and in recent years it has been Spain, but that does not mean it can be replicated in another country. You have to assess how the game is evolving and act accordingly or you are always years behind.

The real reference for English football is Germany, because we produce players of similar strength, power and organisation.

Where they are far superior is in technical excellence. I see no reason why our future generations cannot be nurtured in the same way. Germany responded to their failure in 2004 by focusing on their youth centres and the result is there to see now.

What we must not forget is that ultimately it is about the talent of the players. Sounds straightforward, but you hear so many people suggesting a good coach can turn an average youngster into a world-class player. It is delusional.

We have to ensure youngsters with talent want to play football, enjoy it and embrace the system we put in place. There are so many distractions these days that the hard part is finding the players in the first place. All a good system can do is guide them.

Bad coaching can ruin potentially good players, but even the best coach in the world cannot turn a poor player into a world-class one.

I have my own experience of youth academies, benefiting at Lilleshall and Liverpool. The quality of coaching, particularly when I worked with Steve Heighway, added that extra 10 per cent to make sure I progressed.

I have always felt I would have been a professional footballer whether I’d had such a great coach or not, but the academy was essential in ensuring I had the opportunity to make the most of my ability.

That is all St George’s Park or any club academy can aspire to. If it does not come from within, no player is going to make it.

I have spent a lot of time in Poland with Gareth Southgate, who is a contender to be the Football Association’s next technical director, and I was encouraged by his ideas.

He is passionate about shifting the priority away from a culture which sees a football match as “going to war” and instead emphasises ball retention and technical ability.

He also supports a winter break, which is now a necessity as a mental as much as physical break from the slog of the Premier League.

The main focus for the FA is creating a system to allow an easier transition from youth to senior football. Our reserve league is not good enough. The gulf between that and the Premier League is massive.

This vital last step has almost been disregarded with all the focus on academies. The FA and the Premier League need to work together, rather than engaging in power games.

Amid all this, there is a contradiction at the top. We want a more attractive, passing game, but the FA appointed a head coach with very clear tactical ideas based on counter-attacking football.

I hear many say it needs to evolve in the World Cup qualifiers. The tactics will not change and, as I said at the start of the tournament, it would be unfair to criticise Roy Hodgson for that. Everyone knows his methods.

For the immediate future, it will more of the same, trying to fight off those strongest nations showing the grit and determination we pride ourselves in.

Behind the scenes, however, the radical restructuring must start today to ensure the next generation can aspire to something more. If not, we will all be making precisely the same observations at the end of the 2022 World Cup.

Via Telegraph

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Fantastic Article really. Well said jamie

Agreed. There is Wilshere and Cleverley, who can keep the ball well. AOC is technically good as well. What England need to do is focus on developing technical players and improve possession.

Cleverley Wigan legend.

Thing is it has'nt always been like this..... WC 86, WC 90, Euro 96 etc etc

Were all full of players who were technically gifted, we use these players like it was something to do i really dont know what happened.

The likes of Gascoigne, Sheringham, Waddle, Barnes, Beardsley etc etc who use to be something of the norm now seems something of a rarity.

I really do hope the next generation can play more positive and expansive football than this one, i dont expect to be Spain nor do i want to be but i what i do expect is seeing my country make 5 passes in a row without giving it away.

Hopefully it turns out for the best.

Great read.

Only thing I disagree with is the coaching part. He is right, a coach cannot make a poor player good.

However, there are talented kids in England, they just never get the chance to learn the game properly and never get involved in organised football. From what I have seen, England have some talented kids. I worked with kids from various places and there is no question some of the most talented have been English too. However, they get left behind somewhere because they never get the chance.

So yeah, coaching isnt magic which can turn someone poor into someone good...but it sure can help alot when you got good coaches who understand the game, really understand it...and also can connect the kids to bigger and better things.

Too many kids on the streets of London (and various other places I assume) will be and are being wasted just because they never got the chance.



Also Mole is right, it hasnt always been this way. I emplore anyone to go watch Hoddle, Le Tissier, Waddle and go..those guys could ball.

Le Tissier and Hoddle..... i knew i forgot some glaring omissions

And coaching is'nt magic? darn ! i was holding into that making a late push into pro football like Les Ferdinand

Although its true we have historically produced technically gifted players.... the one thing we have never done is use systems that fulfill their potential.... players like Gascoigne should never be deployed in a 4-4-2.

Never ! lol.

LOL Dont give up, its never too late Mole.

And yeah thats top level coaching...which seriously may be a bigger problem than all.

The ideas they have there filter down to the lower levels and people think its the right way to play.

The obbsession with 442 kills any hope of those technical players, because the formation is too linear.

Players need to learn to play in between the lines, both mid/defence and def/mid.

They preech hard, fast, strong..instead of smart, composed, aware.

Keagan

System overhaul means less PL-money in the short-term, so I doubt it'll happen. The Bundesliga isn't winning titles left, center, and right precisely because it's not a money league, there's a cost for Dortmund, Bayern, Stuttgart and BMG shitting out a little world beater, aged 18, every 6 months: they get spanked by teams consisting of bought-together international superstars.

If the English FA is willing to force more of the top dogs to be a bit more like Arsenal and a lot less like City, Utd and Chelski, it's only a matter of like 5-8 years until you'll have enough technical youngsters, aged 17 to 20, who can break into the first teams.

They'll need first team experience though, so either encourage them to move to the Bundesliga or Ligue 1 on the cheap, or force English clubs to play them.

Either way means less money in the short term.

It's best of both worlds in La Liga. Barca and Madrid sign the superstars and the rest pump out the skilled youth because it's much cheaper to make your own good player :lucas :

You cant just change a culture, specially not considering that this culture supposedly still exists in the "n1 league in the world", the PL. When the PL starts up again within a few months, everyone will be so caught up in the PL as it is, that they wont care how their national team plays, or how anybody else plays. They, after all, "play in the best league in the world", so why should they change anything? Then, in 2 years time in Brazil, reality knocks on their door again

Or you can simply loan them to Spain or Italy Barcelona style

but on a serious note i think there are other than some clubs others can't afford to get English players and thats makes it harder

I dont necessarily agree money will stunt the growth of youth players.... if your good enough you will make it.

It does'nt necessarily have to be at a top club, if your top level quality then a lower level club will pick you up.

This has been on full show over the years at Real Madrid.... they spend crap loads so it means their youth dont get chances there and go on to lesser La Liga clubs but at the end of the day they still make it to be able to selected for Spain.

It does'nt matter where the youth comes from as long as it comes through somewhere if they are good enough the national team will benefit.

The problem atm is more a coaching issue and a culture issue at grassroots level which is something the FA are trying to sort out..... it's a long process but hopefully in the future we will see more Jack Wilshere's and Wayne Rooney's rather than Scott Parker's and Andy Carroll's. ( no offense to them)

i cant help it but to mention Ozil is Originally from Turkey ,and Rooney came from Everton , i was hoping Barkley can make it too but dont know what happened to him

Tifoso Romanista wrote: i cant help it but to mention Ozil is Originally from Turkey ,and Rooney came from Everton , i was hoping Barkley can make it too but dont know what happened to him

özil is from gelsenkirchen

ELO wrote:

Tifoso Romanista wrote: i cant help it but to mention Ozil is Originally from Turkey ,and Rooney came from Everton , i was hoping Barkley can make it too but dont know what happened to him

özil is from gelsenkirchen

Masut is a Turkish name

Eivindo wrote:You cant just change a culture, specially not considering that this culture supposedly still exists in the "n1 league in the world", the PL. When the PL starts up again within a few months, everyone will be so caught up in the PL as it is, that they wont care how their national team plays, or how anybody else plays. They, after all, "play in the best league in the world", so why should they change anything? Then, in 2 years time in Brazil, reality knocks on their door again

People might say it's the best league in the World since it's competitive and has top players from around the World, not just English players.

Tifoso Romanista wrote:

ELO wrote:

Tifoso Romanista wrote: i cant help it but to mention Ozil is Originally from Turkey ,and Rooney came from Everton , i was hoping Barkley can make it too but dont know what happened to him

özil is from gelsenkirchen

Masut is a Turkish name

He was born and brought up in Germany and he learnt his football in Germany. Nothing Turkish about it.

Wiki:

Although of Turkish descent, his entire life has been committed to Germany. His ancestors are from Devrek, Zonguldak in Northern Turkey.

Tifoso Romanista wrote:

ELO wrote:

Tifoso Romanista wrote: i cant help it but to mention Ozil is Originally from Turkey ,and Rooney came from Everton , i was hoping Barkley can make it too but dont know what happened to him

özil is from gelsenkirchen

Masut is a Turkish name

no kidding, zinedine is an arabic name and the guy is still a french football legend... whats the point.

ELO wrote:

Tifoso Romanista wrote:

ELO wrote:

Tifoso Romanista wrote: i cant help it but to mention Ozil is Originally from Turkey ,and Rooney came from Everton , i was hoping Barkley can make it too but dont know what happened to him

özil is from gelsenkirchen

Masut is a Turkish name

no kidding, zinedine is an arabic name and the guy is still a french football legend... whats the point.

England can use immigrants too

Tifoso Romanista wrote:

ELO wrote:

Tifoso Romanista wrote:

ELO wrote:

Tifoso Romanista wrote: i cant help it but to mention Ozil is Originally from Turkey ,and Rooney came from Everton , i was hoping Barkley can make it too but dont know what happened to him

özil is from gelsenkirchen

Masut is a Turkish name

no kidding, zinedine is an arabic name and the guy is still a french football legend... whats the point.

England can use immigrants too

i'm pretty sure that Cole, wellback and defoe, etc do not have a celtic, frisian, or anglo-saxon heritage

Zealous wrote:It's best of both worlds in La Liga. Barca and Madrid sign the superstars and the rest pump out the skilled youth because it's much cheaper to make your own good player :lucas :

Makes the league entertaining about twice a year only, though.

Carragher's comments are really interesting.

They remind me of something that has been in the back of my mind for some time.

Let's go back a few years - 2000 to 2004. I remember how I used to pity Germany for not being able to produce technically gifted players in enough numbers so as to match Brazil, Argentina, France, Italy, Netherlands, etc. That it's Germany who is now the world's envy and is considered the most complete squad at Euro 2012 is quite something. They have clearly shown that it can be done and hats off to them for that. You need the initiative and the patience. Carragher is spot on in his choice of the model to emulate and his belief that it can be done no matter how impossible it may seem.

Tifoso Romanista wrote: i cant help it but to mention Ozil is Originally from Turkey ,and Rooney came from Everton , i was hoping Barkley can make it too but dont know what happened to him

If you mean by that, that he was born in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, and his parents were born in Germany as well, and his grandparents are from Northern Turkey, then, yes, he is from Turkey.

By that logic though the Queen is really from Hannover and all white Englishman are basically Saxons and Vikings, so they should be equally divided between Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and maybe a couple to Ireland.

Didn't Romolus and Remus come from Greece to Italy as well? :X