Premier League Hurts the Three Lions

Football is on the rise in the United States.  Interest in the World Cup was at record highs, with a hefty handful of American Outlaws making the trip to Brazil, the rest of us opting for a rowdy viewing party or the comfort of our own couches (I opted for option b to avoid such crowds).  

Meanwhile across the Atlantic Ocean, England are in dire need of some new blood and a reinvigorated spirit.  Being outperformed by the Americans in the last two World Cups is not only embarrassing, it just plain shouldn’t happen.  

People looking at such failures instinctively point their fingers at the less-than-energetic Roy Hodgson.  Hodgson, stubbornly unwilling to deviate from his favored 4-4-2 formation, is not entirely to blame for these failures.  

The problem with the Three Lions lies in the premier league.  As Hodgson pointed out on Tuesday, Danny Welbeck’s move to Arsenal is not only good for the player but also for the national team.  As I wrote yesterday, Welbeck will feature centrally for Arsenal, his preferred position that he seldom was placed at in his tenure at Manchester United.  

Against Norway, Welbeck replaced new captain Wayne Rooney and changed the game for the final 20 minutes.  His pace and work rate were impressive, while a player with his mobility and skill set could be deadly at the tip of an attack.  

Hodgson also argued that young English players aren’t getting the proper chances and exposure they deserve.  This summer, 530 million pounds was spent on foreign players joining the league, and it’s hard to argue with the manager in this case.  

The likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, Everton, and Southampton have laid a rather slim platform for England, but it's better than nothing.  Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are established members of the squad, as are Raheem Sterling and Jordan Henderson.  More recently, Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana, Calum Chambers, and John Stones have also joined the fray.  

Players like Theo Walcott and Ross Barkley are unavailable because of injury.  England surely miss them, but what they should miss more is the presence of an English core at the other big clubs in the league.

Clubs who consistently spend the most money on foreign players are doing absolutely nothing for the national team.  Manchester City only have two England internationals in Joe Hart and James Milner, neither of whom have been particularly excellent for the Three Lions, nor will they have a major impact on the future of the team.  

Of the six players Manchester United bought this year for a kings ransom, just one of them is English in Shaw.  However, he will not feature at Old Trafford as much as he did for a very good Saints squad with the presence of fellow left-siders Daley Blind and Marcos Rojo in the fray.  

Players like James Wilson, Reece James, and Tyler Blackett are options for the Red Devils, but it’s not likely than any of them will see significant playing time from here on out with the arrivals of the new signings.  Phil Jones was granted a start, but his performances with Manchester United have been inconsistent to say the least.  

The aforementioned Rooney has the support of his teammates in his new captain's role, but his exclusion late in the game signaled a change in which England were far more dangerous with Sterling in the middle.  

Chelsea have done little to contribute to the national team, but this is probably not very high on Jose Mourinho’s list of priorities.  With the exits of Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole, John Terry and Gary Cahill are the lone Englishmen left in the first team, neither of whom contribute to England’s brave new world.  

Cahill will be 32 by the next World Cup, and Leighton Baines will be 33.  In the short term, Hodgson needs these players, but will eventually need to cut ties with his loyal deputies in favor of a fresher team.

John Stones and Calum Chambers have impressed for their clubs at center back, giving promise to the future of the back line that could also feature Shaw, Kieran Gibbs, Steven Caulker, and Jon Flanagan, Gibbs being the oldest at 24.  

Arsene Wenger has taken it upon himself to implement a strong English core at the Emirates.  Roberto Martinez has locked down Ross Barkley in a long-term deal, and will be integral in the rise of both him and Stones.  Brendan Rodgers prioritized Adam Lallana in the transfer market, and has mainstays in the lineup in Daniel Sturridge, Sterling, and Henderson.  

If Hodgson wants to see results with the national team, he has to find it in himself to grant Sterling a position in the middle, but more importantly he has to pray that the pool for English players gets deeper amongst the big clubs in England.  It’s rare for a young English player to get a chance to play at a big club, part of the reason Welbeck’s move to Arsenal will benefit England.  

It’s a flawed system, in which an imported player with a big price tag is more likely to see the field then an academy player who has been with the club since boyhood.  The premier league is considered by many to be the toughest league in Europe from top to bottom, but the strengthening of the league has an equally negative effect on the performance of the Three Lions.  

Defenders for the Future

The future is bright for these stars, some of whom have already featured in the top flight, but some who you may not be familiar with just yet.

Kenneth Omeruo, 20, Chelsea

Kenneth Omeruo probably has as much international experience as any 20-year old in the world.  The Nigerian started all four games for Nigeria in the World Cup, as well as every game in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, a competition the Super Eagles won for the third time.  

Omeruo, on loan at Middlesborough, was bought by Chelsea in 2012 and has yet to feature for the first team in England.  In addition to wonder-kid Kurt Zouma, Mourinho has two physically dominant center backs at his disposal for the future.  

Hector Bellerin, 19, Arsenal

Arsene Wenger always has a plan, and it’s easy to see how he envisions Arsenal’s future at right back.  With the departure of Bacary Sagna, Mathieu Debuchy was brought in to replace his compatriot as the first-choice right back.  However, Debuchy is 29 and merely a short-term replacement.  

Enter Bellerin, who is certain to feature for Arsenal in the coming years.  Bellerin recently claimed the ‘fastest gunner of all time’ title after beating Theo Walcott and Thierry Henry’s 40-yard mark, and impressed both defensively and in attack at the Emirates Cup.  The La Masia Academy product is flying through the ranks at Arsenal and could appear in the premier league much sooner than anyone expects him to.  

John Stones, 20, Everton

Some reckoned John Stones had an outside shot at making the plane to Brazil this summer, but we can definitely assume he will be in the mix four years from now.  As an understudy to premier league veterans Sylvain Distin and Phil Jagielka, Stones has improved on his already immense pedigree since joining Everton.  

Stones can also deputize for Seamus Coleman at right back, making him a versatile asset capable of filling a number of roles (he more than filled this role when Coleman was sidelined last year).  Roberto Martinez deserves all the credit in the world for plucking him out of Barnsley last summer, and the sky is the limit for this multifaceted young man.  

Calum Chambers, 19, Arsenal

Similar to Stones, Chambers can play both center back and right back.  It wouldn’t be a far reach to predict that the two youngsters could be England’s first-choice center backs one day, but like Stones, Chambers can also play wide right.  

Chambers was bought for 16 million pounds by Arsenal this summer, a hefty fee for a teenager with just 22 premier league appearances under his belt.  However, he has impressed thus far while Per Mertesacker regains fitness and Laurent Koscielny battles though an achilles injury.  

Matt Targett, 18, Southampton

Southampton endured a long and difficult summer in the transfer market, one which saw them lose half their starting lineup as well as their managar.  Similar to what Arsenal did, Southampton brought in short term cover at the left back position vacated by Luke Shaw.  Ryan Bertrand joined on a two year loan from Chelsea, but the future lies with Matt Targett.  

Targett joins Gareth Bale and Shaw as the latest of left backs to come up through the South.  A Southampton supporter born into a Southampton-mad family, Targett has incredible pace and explosiveness going forward.  Ronald Koeman has reportedly taken a liking to the teenager who impressed in a preseason which saw him earn a pair of starts at left back.  

Eric Dier, 20, Tottenham

Two weeks ago, I would have looked like a genius for putting Eric Dier on this list.  Now, it’s a formality.  Dier’s story is one of the more unique ones in football.  Born in England, Dier moved to Portugal at age ten with his mother when she was offered a catering job for the 2004 European Championships.  

After impressing in none other than P.E. class, Dier was referred to Sporting Lisbon scouts by his school instructor soon after moving there.  In 2010 at age 16, Dier, loyal as ever, turned down Arsenal, Tottenham, and Manchester United to stay in Portugal and play for the club who schooled him.  Now, the Englishman has returned to England and certainly made his presence felt with goals in each of his first two appearances for Tottenham.  Even as an Arsenal fan, Dier’s story puts a smile on my face.