The Premier League is known for its glitz and glamour, its intense competition and top notch players. Every season the league is at its maximum competence. New talents are recruited from around the world and they try to make their mark in this competition. From million dollar signings to fresh, young talents the premier league is a breeding ground for development of players for the International setup.
In recent times though, the case has not been quite the same. With the English football team failing miserably at major European competitions the contribution of the League towards the national side has been questioned. Here we look into the reasons why the success of the Premier League cannot be used to measure the competency of team England.
Impact of the Premier League on English Football
- Lack of top English players in the setup
The competitiveness of the Premier League has led to teams spending millions in signing top non-English players from around Europe. English players have taken a secondary role in the league. Due to the immense popularity and monetary strength of the league, players from around the world are attracted. This isn’t a bad sign for the league but in terms of English football development, the Premier league has had a minimal contribution. There has been certain players who have performed exceptionally well in the League—Harry Kane and Dele Alli, for example. In spite of such impressive performances in the domestic setup, the players haven’t performed on the international stage. This one major problem for the English boss
2.Lack of homegrown talent.
Over the past few years the League has concentrated more on bringing in talent than nurturing talent. Last Year Marcus Rashford burst into the scene but he has been very inconsistent since. Jesse Lingard is another player who looks impressive but lacks the maturity required at the international level. Rahim Sterling has failed consistently when it mattered. Most of the new budding talents are either sold off or loaned to lower league clubs to get more playing time. They do not develop the required competency to play against the top players in the world. James Wilson is one such impressive player who has faced problems getting some valuable playing time in Manchester United. Very often young prospects are hyped up but they eventually fade away.
- Poor consistency
Leicester’s league winning team had put one major name in contention for the English call up, Jamie Vardy. He had an astonishing season with the Foxes but failed miserably in the Euro 2016. He has lacked any sort of consistency since. He has been poor this season for the foxes as he struggled regularly to find the net. Players like Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshire, Phill Jones and Chris Smalling have either been marred by injuries or have been good only in bits and pieces. Wayne Rooney has lost his tough over the years. Joe hart has not been in a top team since the arrival of Pep Guadiola. This year Gareth Southgate has called up Jermaine Defoe the ex-Sunderland man to give him some goals. He is also one such player who’s consistency can be easily questioned.
- Lack of English players playing abroad
Joe Hart has been the only player to play abroad this season—he has been playing in Italy for Torino. Since Michael Owen or David Beckham, not many English players have been demanded by the clubs abroad. This has led to a lack of exposure for certain players. Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard have had stints in MLS but they have been in the end of their respective careers. The players have been confined within the premier league and haven’t been able to test themselves against different oppositions and playing set up. The European giants demand good players and it’s not surprising to see that English players are not even in the contention.
- Premier League: A competition unto itself
Major teams, three domestic competitions, including the league itself makes the English setup a very interesting one but very often this leaves very little room to compare players and put them against the best around the world. As competitive as it may look from the onset, the English teams have failed badly in European competitions. An exception being Manchester United who won the Second tier, Europa League. Teams and players are often rated and judged on their domestic performances. They are called up even though they might not be able to show the same effectiveness against other well established oppositions outside the domestic setup.
All said and done, the Premier League has to produce some match winners for the national side. The success of the league not only depends on the popularity or the revenue but on the quality of footballers it contributes for the national side.
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