World Cup Corner

It is an uncontested fact that the broadness of the English football arena is not conducive for the growth of its players. The number of English players reaching the top of their forms is decreasing. Current England Manager, Steve McClaren is faced with considerably less options than those who came before him. The future of English football does not shine so brightly, mainly because so many young, budding talents are being put to waste.

When the Premier league took over, the standards of English football considerably rose. The Premier league now belongs to the top ranks. However, the arrival of the Premier team led, not only to advantages, but to disadvantages as well. A lot of people believe that even as the Premier league led English football to the top, the talents of the English are significantly wasted. The players, on the other hand, who still managed to shine, have shown significant improvements. Due to their individual strengths, England’s team is made up of quite impressive players in their entire history. They managed to assemble a team that can compete with the rest of the football giants. Their reserve players are far from mediocre, with Michael Carrick, Peter Crouch, Frank Lampard, Jamie Carragher, and Wayne Bridge.

It is, however, the Under 21’s that is considered as the ultimate test of how the English talents have been affected by the foreign invasion. The performance of England’s Under 21 team in Holland was admirable. Some players from that team also perform on a weekly basis on “the best league in the world”, as accordingly labeled by Sky’s Marketing Department. They maintain a 100% record and have beaten the likes of Ireland’s Under 21’s at 3-0.

Despite the sharp decline in the number of English players, the remaining number still shows much promise. It is expected that the English team will be able to gather together a band of strong players within seven years. Some players also stand out, such as David Bentley, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Nigel Reo-Coker, Marc Noble, Giles Barnes, Steven Taylor, Leighton Baines, James Milner, and Matt Derbyshire. These players already perform in the Premiership on a weekly basis and in some European matches as well. Although some of these players may not necessarily make international star status in world football, they display much potential when it comes to securing a competitive standing for England’s team in the coming years.

Another promising figure in the sphere of English football is Theo Walcott. His stint in football has so far shown that he is a young man in the makings of becoming a big player in the game. Because of this, the expectations that he carries on his shoulders are also quite heavy. The exposure to all the excitement built up during the previous World Cup tournament also gave him an additional edge. To add to that, he is now growing into the able player that he shows much promise to become under Arsene Wenger’s equally able hands when it comes to coaching. In the three or four World Cup tournaments, he is expected to stage quite a show and make a name for himself in the world of football.

Aside from Walcott, yet another promising player is Tom Huddlestone, although he shows less consistency in his game than Walcott. Despite this, there is no doubt that he, as a young budding talent, holds much of the requirements to become a player of international status. His potential is practically seen even from his physique alone. Aside from that, he also shows an impressive passing stance, and passes with unquestionable force. It seems that he, as a player and on the whole, is a force to reckon with. He just has to learn how to maximize his potential as a player and play it right so that he can stay in England’s team for as long as it takes to make him a star.

Some other Under 21’s talents of England include Ashley Young, Wayne Rooney, Aaron Lennon, and Micah Richards. Looking at the Under 21’s, it is safe to say that England still managed to produce players that can bring them a bright future in the World Cup someday, and rightly so. Given all the intrigues that surround England’s senior team nowadays, it’s good to know that the future still looks bright enough, thanks to such raw and budding talents that are now being enhanced and nurtured. Although the recent invasion of foreign elements occurred, it is showing fewer effects in the Under 21’s, which, in the long run, matters a lot. All in all, the Under 21 team is now showing the right mix of abilities and enough promise that they might even challenge the senior players. It seems that though the effects were somewhat negative for the senior team, the Under 21’s are taking advantage of the situation to push their limits even more.