Why I fear for Brazil 2014

And so England’s road grinds to a frustrating halt in South Africa, with the players having absolutely nobody but themselves to blame for abject failure, no matter what Fabio says. My initial reaction of downright anger at the pitiful ‘performance’ was to rip the team up and start again. Get rid of the deadwood and bring in fresh blood who can breath some much-needed life into this tired old ‘golden generation’, who have just about tasted their last World Cup.

Yet on second inspection I realised I had spoken too soon. Who could we honestly replace this lot with? Is there really anyone coming through the ranks to oust Gerrard and Lampard from midfield, or even Terry and Ashley Cole in our backline? Have we got anyone even approaching the quality of Ozil, who rang rings round us all afternoon, in this country?

The main problem with our national team does not lie in the tiredness of our players – one piece I read in the paper today quite rightly pointed out how there are plenty of players who ply their trade in the Premier League still left in this World Cup and showing no signs of  the pains of a season in England in their performance levels yet. No, it lies in the sheer lack of emerging talent on these great isles.

Of course, a handful of names spring to mind immediately: Jack Wilshire (always the first mentioned name, even if we haven’t even seen him play), Jack Rodwell, Victor Moses, Kieran Gibbs. But are these really world class potential? And if so, how many? World Cup-winning teams aren’t won with a team full of Matthew Upsons or Emile Heskeys and if England are to stand a chance next time round then they need to be producing more Wayne Rooneys. Because, perhaps the biggest downfall this year was the utterly shameless reliance on our limited world class resources, heaping even more pressure on shoulders which have proved to be unable to cope with such great responsibility. And, in this respect, maybe we have been harsh on under-performing individuals when the problem has deeper roots.

When Brazil was announced as the next host, every football fan must have rubbed their hands in glee. The chance to go to the home of the samba football for the greatest competition this sport has to offer? The vivid colours, the blonde beauties, the amazing cities. The chance of a lifetime. Yet, who would honestly be surprised if England failed to qualify for the next World Cup?

By that time, Terry, Ashley and Joe Cole, Lampard and Gerrard will all be well into their 30s and likely to be a shadow of their current selves. But will their replacements be anywhere near this ability? On a positive note, Rooney will be 28 by this time and, hopefully, in his prime, while the likes of Joe Hart, Theo Walcott, James Milner, Aaron Lennon and Adam Johnson will be older and wiser.

Another underlying problem in England is the obsession with the Champions League and all it’s millions. The only way forward now is for this country to take a good, hard look at itself and ask what is more important: the success of a handful of English clubs in European competition and the subsequent reinforcement of the Premiership as the ‘greatest league in the world’ (a statement which seems to conveniently ignore the other 70% of the division), or the success of the national football team?

The huge gap between the Big 4 (or is it now 3?) and the rest of the Premier League, and the need to keep them at arms length, means that Man United, Arsenal and Chelsea are unlikely to gamble on bringing through young English blood they currently have on their ranks when the money is there to buy a proven talent. As a result, very few of our players are going to get Champions League experience, a platform which is imperative these days in realising world class potential.

If England want to make a mark in Brazil, or indeed in any future tournament, then major reform of the domestic game, from primary school level to club academies, and Sunday league level to the Premiership, is urgently required. This should have happened after the Euro 2008 farce, but instead the FA decided it was better to wave the biggest contract in the world for an international manager in the face of Capello. If we are ever to learn from our mistakes, now is the time. Oh, and if a new manager is to be on the national shopping list, then surely it’s time for an Englishman.

But that’s for another day.