🚨🏴England’s big problem is NOT Gareth Southgate. Time to talk less and work more!
England has never quite had an identity. Random football fans will identify Spain with its tiki-taka, Italy with its ‘catennacio’, Germany with its grit, Brazil with its samba football (‘ginga’) and the list goes on. Alterations can be made to these by different managers but the nucleus or DNA remains in the players.
As for England nothing can be said really. It’s generally always the case of putting together big Prem names that can’t find chemistry. English sides a lot better than the current didn’t do any better. In football, winning at times can be down to grace but in England’s case is more about development issues.
Germany was in this situation by the end of the 20th century. A 3-0 loss in the hands of Croatia in the 1998 World Cup spurred the Germans to take a bold step and build contingency for the future which they enjoy today. The key architect was Klinsmann who took over in 2004 with the objective of giving Germany an identity. His cause was helped by a powerful academy programme initiated by the German FA in 2001. The academies were not just run by clubs alone but were supervised by committee comprising members from the FA, German league and the clubs.
Before these changes, 60% of players in Germany’s top-flight (Bundesliga) were foreigners. This was a drawback to the plan as the youngsters emerging from the academies had to fully exercise the identity by practising at the top for the benefit of the national team. By 2013, mentalities had changed for the good and majority of players in the Bundesliga were German nationals. In this case, the Bundesliga identifies with a particular style of play which makes it easy for the national team given its players have come through similar systems. Ever wondered how Holland stays competitive in major tournaments despite not having a top 5 league? It’s about developing an identity.
The same can be said of Spain’s LALIGA which is always the backbone to the national team’s success. The academies share similar traits and ideologies and when the players , albeit playing for different clubs, come together, they gel like they’ve been playing together for quite long. They easily identify with one another. Note that while different clubs could make modifications to this system, the players’ DNA from the academy doesn’t change. Today, the Spanish model is the most sought after, reason why majority of the finest coaches around are from Spain (check the EPL itself for reference).
The English must return to the drawing board and build an identity. This, nonetheless , will be difficult because of the Premier League factor. Being the league with the greatest audience, the EPL has become an unmatched financial juggernaut. While clubs in Spain, Germany, France, Holland etc are forced to look into their academies for reinforcement (thereby promoting homegrown and promoting the need for promoting homegrown), EPL club owners get more and more excited to spend large generally on oversea talents (to the detriment of academy products). In 2023, for instance, a study revealed that LALIGA had the highest percentage of domestic players compared to all the other top 5 leagues. Specifically, it was revealed that LALIGA boasted 410 Spanish nationals as compared to the EPL’s 234 nationals. We are talking about 410 players with similar ideas of how football should be played. That’s where Spain wins. Many would have thought a Spain squad, 1/3 of which is made up of players from Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao, can be pushovers to players whose individual market prices can pay about half of the value of the LALIGA sides, but it’s about system and identity.
Individual English clubs exhibit different identities – City is going Spanish, Liverpool had the German ‘gegenpress’, etc – but there is no national identity. To check national identity, watch matches in the lower divisions. For instance , if you watch a 5th division Spanish side or even the women’s team, you’ll see the same traits you see in the other higher divisions in the country (patient build-up possession football). England will only find stability with an identity, but that at the moment that seems to be continuously exchanged for the EPL’s ever-growing expenses. This whole analysis does not mean England cannot win but it’s about finding sustainability.
Ade Divine