The Premier League: A Trans Europa Success

English football does not simply need less foreign footballers - it needs more, and it needs the best, to improve at international level

One hundred and ten! proudly tooted the Premier League at the start of the World Cup. Can you guess what the number relates to? No, not the average percentage of debt to profit ratio for each Premier League club, although good call. It's actually the number of Premier League players involved in Brazil.

 

One hundred and ten. Like a lot of numbers, it feels significant. Assuming each Premier league squad boasts an average 23 players, as per this World Cup, that infers that nearly a quarter of all the players we watch week in, week out on Match of the Day et al are international players capable of playing in the world's biggest and best football tournament.

 

Rubbish, grouches the football traditionalist who's no doubt sick of seeing England getting knocked out early again, and perhaps mutters to himself that the English would do a lot better without these foreign international players clogging up their youth teams.



None of the 2014 Ballon D'or winners play in England

Would they? Nationalism is a funny thing and it has not infected sport in the same way as it has politics and culture in Britain. In England, we love watching Silva, Hazard, Oscar, Aguero, Kompany, Van Persie and Ozil. Football fans in this country are not overtly racist and it would be an interesting exercise to see who the average terrace fan voted for at the last European elections.

It's certainly true to say England has a problem with foreign footballers, but what it really has a problem with, as usual, is ownership and strategy. Of the last eight nations left in the World Cup, 37 players play in the Premier League. That's around 20% of the eight squads - and that figure's significantly heightened by ten French players and 11 Belgians. If you strip those two away, the figure becomes less than 10%. Compare that to the Bundesliga, on 38%, and La Liga, on 33%. Still the best league in the world?

 

Of course, you think, it's natural that if you speak Spanish or Portuguese - as Argentina, Brazil and Colombia do - you'll want to be around people like you. Spaniards, for example. Except that's also not true. Nine leagues are represented in the Brazil and Colombia squads, and seven in the Argentina squad. In England, Spain and Italy, the squads are represented by two, four and two respectively.

 

Travel really does seem to broaden the mind and it appears, superficially at least, there's little doubt that the English are simply too insular when it comes to their football. But the economics, unlike South American leagues, make it hard to resist playing in one league when it could set the player up financially for life.

 

The exception of course is Germany, who have 20 of their players based in the Bundesliga. But there is room to develop youth there, without risk of clubs going through the blender should relegation occur. The '50+1' shareholder model is characteristic of a philosophy which ensures financial fair play is pretty much already in place. In both Italy and Spain there are serious long term debt issues for various clubs - much like the Premier League. This year's Spanish champions, Atletico, are over £100 million in debt over unpaid taxes.

English football is simply a smudge on a broader canvas that reflects the way Britain has relied upon skilled immigration to add value to its most lucrative industries - for example, financial services. For the Premier League, see any building housed in Canary Wharf after close of business, when British citizens can be seen scrubbing at the City's skyscraping artifices.

The difference in football, unfortunately, is that the hired help is often better than the in-house. That has nothing to do with money - that, as can be seen in Colombia's squad make-up, is much more about determination and a strong sense of self-worth. The things an Englishman cannot buy.

Britain needs top foreign talent to improve still further, and a greater focus on buying top-bracket foreign players at cheaper players' expense would still mean great entertainment. But would the inevitable culture change mean a move back to traditional, outmoded English tactics? Moreover, would a change in the number of nationalities reduce the likelihood of Brazilians playing in England? There are many more, but questions like this are important.

 

No one can doubt that the English has improved immeasurably in the wake of David Luiz, Sergio Aguero, Fernando Torres, Nemanja Vidic et al arriving. All have given huge amounts. But if we've learned nothing and simply watched the circus as it passed through town, we have no one to blame but ourselves.

Picture thanks to World Soccer

World Cup 2014: Second Round (Part 2)

So four from four. Yes they were pretty easy to guess, even if Costa Rica were pretty streaky against Greece - but I think the next set are tougher to call, with Belgium versus USA in particular likely to be, in American parlance, a shutout. In one line: I think France, Argentina, Germany and Belgium - just.

France v Nigeria

For coach Deschamps, another Lazarus-esque reanimation. His style has revitalised a French side who very nearly squandered their spot here with a 2-0 away loss to Ukraine in Kiev in April. The home leg, a 3-0 win for Les Bleus, was a microcosm of Deschamps' record so far, with his record of turning around the historical giants of the game neatly encapsulated in one stunning performance that helped everyone remember why France should be considered one of the tournament favourites.

And favourites they rightly are for this game, after a smoothly executed dismantling of a brutal Honduras side and the demolition of Switzerland left them top with a game to spare. Ignore Ecuador: that game simply proved that if Pogba, Benzema (right), Valbuena et al don't have a target, they revert to the sluggish, lethargic French side reminiscent of South Africa.

For Stephen Keshi's Nigeria this is arguably the biggest triumph of all after an error-strewn first match versus Iran and a torrid preceding 12 months. The side with the biggest population in the African continent have either punched above or below their weight in World Cups, depending on your perspective on African football, but with a decent, well-rounded squad capable of playing the best sides - Argentina - at their own game, and with Musa finally bursting into life alongside Emenike, this will be the toughest assignment yet for the French.

Prediction: France to win by two

Argentina v Switzerland

Bookmakers everywhere looked at Argentina's draw and wondered who, or what, would stop their surely irresistible march to the final versus Brazil. The host's most hated neighbours have a relatively straightforward path to the Maracana and Switzerland are the first of their not-so-challenging obstacles towards that target.

Odds have gone as low as 1/2 for a South American win and even without Aguero, Messi (below) appears - finally - to be shouldering a Maradona-moulded mantle that has passed on from some greats without success. In Argentina there are only two players who are revered as godlike. Good job one of them has four goals in this tournament.

 

Swiss coach Ottmar Hitzfeld probably couldn't have wished for a bigger game to end his career on, if this is to be the end, but although the odds are literally stacked against Switzerland, a much deeper, stronger reserve of players than was historically the case will ensure this is a real contest. Bayern's Shaqiri has been the headline act thus far but Inler and Behrami, alongside Dzemaili, will ensure Gago and Mascherano can't take it easy in midfield.

 

Switzerland's real danger is to be found outside the centre however, with Lichtsteiner in particular a very potent threat to Argentina's back three/four, depending on  coach Sabella's preference. But with Argentina's preference for counterattacking football - and Switzerland's recent memory of their dismantling by a similarly minded France - three on two situations could very quickly develop if Behrami charges upfield for attacks.

 

Number ten Xhaka will probably need to have the game of his career so far if they are to make a dent on the favourites, as will striker Drmic. And with the Swiss chances relying on outlandish possibilities like that, expect another South American side in the last eight.

 

Prediction: Buona notte/ bonne nuit/ gute nacht/ iyi geceler Switzerland

 

Germany v Algeria

 

It was bound to happen eventually. Whilst this is probably just another game for the Germans, Algeria may well see this as a long overdue opportunity for revenge for the so-called 'Anschluss of Gijon' between West Germany and neighbours Austria at the 1982 World Cup, when the north African side were eased out of second place in their group following what might be the least competitive game of professional football ever seen.

 

Or they might not. It'll be fascinating to see if Algeria's players are able to stand up to Germany's almost Brazilian rhythms whilst observing Ramadan - Germany's Mesut Ozil has already stated he will not be fasting during the World Cup - whilst playing in almost 90% humidity in Porto Alegre. At least it won't be sunny.

All of the intangible stuff - form, players, tournament history - indicates this'll be a step too far for Algeria, who have looked dangerously prone to submission from long balls and crosses, where their lack of height almost cost them against Russia. Even South Korea, not the most physical side, gave the Algerians a real test, dropping forty yard balls onto Meung-Hin Son and Don-Wong Jook that nearly hauled them back into the game.

Experience should also prove important for the Germans, who with 974 caps between them have nearly three times their opponents on 364. And although numbers aren't everything - as we've seen any time we watched Greece, Costa Rica or indeed Algeria - Germany's squad have scored a whopping 219 goals to Algeria's meagre 40, with the teams at either end of that particular spectrum.

Statistically then, this is a genuine maestros v minnows match-up. For Algeria, Majid Bougherra (left) has been a calming influence, particularly against the Russians in a tense, nervy finale, and they will need him to dominate play throughout. For Germany, their worst enemy is likely to be themselves, although with the close shave versus Ghana still in their collective rearview, it's unlikely Jogi Low's side will shoot themselves in the foot again.

Prediction: Deutschland über alles

Belgium v USA

At the start of this tournament I suggested Belgium would struggle to get past Portugal in the second round. They certainly would struggle now, as Portugal are justifiably out. That's mainly due to a brilliant performance in the second match versus the Americans, whose MLS, created under FIFA duress in 1994, is finally showing signs of flowering into a league capable of producing good players.

Toronto's Michael Bradley, Everton's Tim Howard and ex-Premier League striker Clint Dempsey are the big international names but encouragingly, there's quality sprouting up all over the States. Salt Lake's Kyle Beckerman has impressed with dependable, if not electric performances, whilst Kansas's Graham Zusi has supported Bradley in providing an incisive attacking platform for Dempsey to feed off. Klinsmann has got the team playing in a disciplined diamond pattern that flattens slightly when not in possession and the States have been aggressive in midfield, not afraid to push onto players to force squarer balls and nullify threats.

Belgium's challenge will be to improve on João Moutinho's ideas. Against Portugal, the US were repeatedly caught when Moutinho arrowed diagonals over the US midfield leaving Nani and Ronaldo with opportunities against technically weak fullbacks. Wastefulness and a pretty average distribution from the Monaco midfielder meant the US were able to capitalise, but there's no doubt the Belgians should be looking to force the Americans wider to defend their flanks, nullifying their diamond pattern.

It's unlikely that they will do however. Belgium have no 'quarterback' player to arrow those long balls in, and their single squad fullback, Anthony Vanden Borre, hasn't started a match. Their success will probably come in the form of an extremely solid back line and goalkeeper that the Americans will need to penetrate, but don't expect many goals. 

Nonetheless Hazard, who usually defends his wing well, will terrorise Johnson on the US right and Wilmots simply must deploy De Bruyne (above), his top scorer in qualifying, against Beasley on the Belgium right. Witsel and whoever partners him - likely Fellaini - will do fine with Dries Mertens dropping in. Orige would seem the adventurous choice to start, so expect Lukaku instead. A tight game awaits.

Prediction: Belgium in extra time

Pics thanks to Hattrick.cz, Goal.com, India Today and ESPN FC