England National Team - The Future - Part One

Cast your minds back if you will to the 2010 World Cup, this was supposed to be our year, we were hyped up to the point that most of the country expected us to become world champions, we were told that we had world beaters in every position and that this would end the 44 years of hurt.

So what happened? The usual when it comes to England, we were hyped up to levels that we couldn’t possibly reach because, quite frankly, the players and formation weren’t good enough. We were poor in the group stages and only just squeezed through a group that consisted of USA, Slovenia and Algeria. In the last 16 we met Germany, a team that had turned its back on the older generation and were daring enough to bring in a breed of exciting, young players, and we were put right in our place with a 4-1 thrashing.

Questions were asked of our team, questions that should have been asked during the qualifying stages. Why did we lose? Is this the right formation? Are the players up to it? What can be done to fix this? And finally, what is the future for the England team?

The Older Generation

Like anything in life, when you are building for the future you will have to make sacrifices, get rid of the old and bring in the new. This section may be a little controversial as it involves getting rid of players who have been the face of the national team for the last 10 years, remember, these are my opinions and I’m not trying to force people to believe what I believe, I am merely stating what I think to be the best way forward.

Past it - Rio Ferdinand

The main four players I am talking about here are Terry, Lampard, Gerrard and Ferdinand. The latter may not shock you too much as he’s been in and out of the squad in the last couple of years due to injury and it certainly looks like his best days are behind him. The others, however, may need explaining.

Terry for me just doesn’t cut it anymore, he’s looked off the pace for the last season or two. Don’t get me wrong, he was an unbelievable defender in his day, but now he’s lost that few yards of pace he seems to have suffered because of it and he looks much less of a player than he was in his prime.

Gerrard has struggled with injuries for the past 18 months, and when he has been back on the pitch he looks, like Terry, a little off the pace. In my honest opinion, Liverpool have looked a better footballing side without him in the team, and his crucial goals that he always used to get are becoming less frequent.

Lampard also looks like he’s struggling. Rarely does he see out games for Chelsea and his overall play and goal threat is starting to suffer, I think we could start to see him decline rapidly as the season progresses and the demand of high intensity Premier League football on his body may be too great.

I apologise if I’ve put your favourite player on that list, or if I’ve said something you don’t like, but these are my opinions and I’m entitled to them. And just remember, these opinions aren’t born out of me being bitter against any players, they’re born out of careful observation of these players over the last 18-24 months.

Omitting these four huge players is huge, and replacing them is no easy task, but it’s been clear for quite a while that England needs a fresh injection of youth into the side, hungry young players with the quality to one day lead us to that international trophy that has eluded us for so long.

The New Generation

For the first time in years, England has an exciting new group of players that have the potential to burst onto the international stage and take the world by storm. Some of them need another couple of years before they can think about breaking into the England first team, but some are ready.

Before that though, another flashback, again to the World Cup 2010. I spoke of Germany briefly before, about how they has the youngsters ready (like we do), but instead of easing them into the team in qualifiers against nothing teams, they went for it. The trust they put in these young players was huge and it paid off very well, they finished in the Semi-Final, and the world was in awe of the talent they were putting on the pitch, the youngsters were very talented, hungry and wanted to play, it was a deadly combination as England saw.

I’ll start in goal and then work my way up the pitch with players who I think can add an extra dimension to our England team.

Goalkeeper

In goal we have Joe Hart, very young as ‘keepers come, so this position doesn’t need to be worried about for a good while, nothing much more needs to be said.

Defence

The defence is potentially very strong, at right-back an option could be Kyle Walker, someone I think could slot into the team straight away. He’s quick, strong and can defend very well, he’s only going to get better and I personally think he’s more suited to being England’s right-back than Glen Johnson, who has always been suspect in his defending.

Chris Smalling and Phil Jones - Future Centre-Back Pairing?

The centre-back positions are hugely important and I’m (a Manchester United fan) not being biased saying that the two centre-back positions will go to Chris Smalling and Phil Jones. They’re both very young but fantastic defenders who have both been capped for England already. Quick, strong and commanding, they will be the core of the England team for years to come, and my tip for future England captain is Phil Jones.

Ashley Cole is our solid, ever-present left-back, but his advancing years mean there will soon be a time when we have to look for alternatives. Kieran Gibbs of Arsenal is the one who is linked with this position. Undoubtedly he’s a very good talent, quick and agile as well as a very good defender, his positional sense lets him down on occasions, but he’s very young and this can be drilled out of him. He certainly has the potential, but one thing that concerns me in the long term are his injury problems. He’s been very unlucky with injuries and we can only hope it’s a phase that he is going through as many young players do.

I have a second suggestion for the left-back position and that is Liverpool youngster Jack Robinson. He made his debut as a 17 year old last season and played remarkably well, putting in a very strong and asserting performance. He has since played several games since then and looks every bit the part of a quality left back. He’s only 18 now so it may be a couple of years before we see him playing for England’s first team, but he is a huge talent.

Midfield

When I think of a future England midfield, I immediately think of 3 players: Wilshere, Cleverley and McEachran.

Wilshere has already been capped on a few occasions for the national team, and anyone who watches the Premier League can see that he is one of the best midfielders in the league. He’s tenacious, works hard, has a good left foot on him and can pick a pass very well. He’s fantastic in defending or attacking, an all-rounder, one of the most gifted players to born in England these last 20 years.

Cleverley has been a bright spark in a mixed season so far for United, he may have only played a handful of games, but when he has played he has shown his ability to dictate play, pick passes, use his engine to help his team-mates and link midfield with attack. Infact many United fans (myself included) are putting some of our bad displays to Cleverley not being in the team since his injury, he adds another dimension to our game and will be a wonderful midfielder for United and England.

Josh McEachran's ability has lead him to be compared to Zidane

McEachran is very young, only 18 so he can’t be a solution for the England problems this moment in time, but he will be ready soon in a couple of years, and he will complete the trio in midfield and add the final dimension to it. He’s very good on the ball, has fantastic first touch and close control (which some have likened to Zidane) and is a brilliant passer of the ball.

This midfield trio has the potential to be the best in the world, but having potential and living up to it are two very different things, but they all show the desire and hunger to live up to their potential.

Forwards

Love him or hate him, Rooney is a fantastic forward, his ability to play in the hole or right up top on his own puts him amongst the very best in the world. When he is right up top though he needs two players of the highest quality flanking him, and two young wingers/forwards could be the solution.

Daniel Sturridge and Danny Welbeck have been first team regulars at two of the biggest clubs in the world this season and its no accident, they are both fantastic players and are both capable of playing on the wing or upfront. When they are on the “wings” the cut in a lot and are a huge threat with their pace, direct running, dribbling abilities and their ability to find the back of the net. Not traditional wingers by trade, but their ability and versatility makes them a must for the England team of the future.

Daniel Sturridge has had a fantastic start to the season

A final mention goes to Alex Oxlade Chamberlain, a quick, strong right winger and at the right club to develop at, his blistering pace is a huge asset to him. He's only 18 so again it is a case of biding our time for this one. He has ability in abundance, and Arsenal recognised that, once he adds that end product to his game he will be deadly.

In part 2 we'll look at formations, and the parts academies have to play in the rise of the new England team.