da poker： There’s an incredibly unhealthy attitude towards young players within the England set-up, especially those that play for the Premier League’s top clubs.
da mrbet： Here’s a little game to prove my point; create an Xi of English players who’ve made more than ten appearances for Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United or Liverpool in the last 15 years but not earned a senior cap. If your team features a higher calibre of player than Richard Wright, Jody Morris and Jay Spearing, I’ll be pleasantly surprised.
This trend is further epitomised by Calum Chambers’ recent inclusion in the Three Lions fold. I certainly have no qualms with the Arsenal defender; indeed, he likely has a long, successful career ahead of him for both club and country.
Yet the 22 year-old didn’t get a look-in internationally whilst at Southampton last season, despite making 22 Premier League appearances and usurping Nathaniel Clyne from the No.2 spot at St. Mary’s. A £16million move and just six outings for the Gunners later however, Roy Hodgson called him up to face Norway in August.
Of course, a significant portion of Hodgson’s mandate as England boss is to build for the future. In fact, the entire England set-up and the FA have become obsessed with ignoring the present for the sake of long-term planning, as Greg Dyke sets the target of winning the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Amid periods of such despair, with England currently 18th in FIFA’s world rankings, emphasising the importance of the next generation by promoting them to senior level early is largely inevitable. Some would even argue it’s the wisest strategy to follow.
But what did Calum Chambers genuinely learn from facing San Mario, the lowest-ranked side in world football, and European minnows Estonia over the course of the international break?
Neither side came close to testing his qualities as an international-standard defender – both gifted England around 78% possession and amassed a combined total of just two shots on target – whilst Chambers’ weaknesses on the ball drew criticism from a fan base seemingly rattled by their own boredom.
So what did the 22 year-old take from facing the two least competitive sides in Group E?
The rather sombre experience of playing in front of an apathetic 55,000 home crowd – the lowest attendance in new Wembley history? The important lesson that some pitches in international football, such as Estonia’s, would be showed up by many in League Two? Perhaps that the Three Lions are intrinsically ill-equipped to break down small, organised opponents?
Perhaps that this mundane pattern of pointless opposition, farmyard pitches, limited crowd participation and England’s lack of invention in attack will go on to constitute vast majority of his Three Lions career?
Admittedly, every England international has to go through this process at some point, so why not while they’re young.
But after two almost ceremonial victories for England, with the only true variable from the off being the score line, Chambers is no better prepared to face genuinely competitive international opposition – the kind England will surely come up against at Euro 2016.
Chambers didn’t need to be involved with the England seniors; in fact, he was scheduled to join the U21 squad until John Stones’ ankle injury proved worse than initially feared. The Junior Lions took on Croatia, a 2-1 victory decided by a Saido Berahino penalty in the 85th minute.
Of course, the pressures of U21 football in comparison to senior internationals are remarkably less, but the Croatia clash included more intensity and competitiveness in the first fifteen minutes, as the visitors took a surprise 1-0 lead, than England’s seniors endured over the course of 180.
We’ve never utilised the U21 squad properly in this country and even less so under Roy Hodgson. The Germany U21 squad that claimed the 2009 European Championship included Manuel Neuer, Sami Khedira, Benedikt Howedes, Jerome Boateng, Mesut Ozil and Mats Hummels, all of whom went on to lift the World Cup together this summer.
Stuart Pearce on the other hand, lost his job as Junior Lions boss in 2013 after Phil Jones, Jack Wilshere, Danny Welbeck and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlin were deemed unavailable to the U21s, as they crashed out of the European Championship’s group stages without a single point.
Many will argue circumstance, rather than design, is what has thrust Chambers into England’s starting Xi, whilst the experience, although in my opinion incredibly futile, has done nothing to halt his international career.
But why not give the opportunity to someone who needs to fight their way back into the England fold? Nathaniel Clyne for example, who ended up warming the bench for both fixtures, or the Three Lions’ forgotten man Micah Richards, now showing decent enough form on loan at Fiorentina. Stoke City’s Ryan Shawcross is surely deserving of an England outing, albeit a token one, for the tremendous consistency demonstrated throughout his Premier League career.
Instead, Hodgson gave the nod to Chambers – a player whose England career is already set in stone and essentially had nothing to gain or lose from facing Estonia and San Marino. A player who could be learning so much more with the U21s – an age bracket he’s yet to actually represent for England.
Until England’s attitude towards young players becomes more patient and professional, and until we view the U21s with a higher level of importance, our youngsters will always inevitably fail to live up to expectations in comparison to other countries.
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