Every person that has played football in England will often hear three phrases repeatedly while playing, or watching a football match; "get stuck in", "get into 'em" or "whack it" are consistently yelled by coaches across the country, the same coaches that likely believe a good footballer has to be above six feet tall. Our national team's failure over the past three or four decades has become almost laughable, the 4-1 defeat to a youthful German side in 2010 highlighted how far behind English football was from the rest of the world.
It is expected of English footballers of all ages to be physical, to love leg-crunching tackles and hoofing the ball up the pitch on a muddy, rainy day. Throughout history the English have been an aggressive race, the power and rapid speed at which the British Empire expanded demonstrated the skill and determination we have when it comes to an aggressive pursuit of something. However, as a country, we cannot let our naturally forceful mindset translate to the football pitch. When players are 16, physicality obviously makes a huge difference and will likely produce a winning team because it is so easy at that age to simply hoof the ball up the pitch to a massive, strong striker who can force the ball into the net. But the problems come when we try to do this at a professional level. Teams such as Argentina and Spain are not comprised entirely of physical specimens, they are balanced, but each and every player is technically gifted. Take Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi, who both stand at 5 foot seven inches tall. Neither is going to become a dominant centre-back, but they are both two of the most talented players in the world. In a match, John Terry wouldn't be able to touch Messi or Iniesta when they have the ball at the feet. From when children first begin football, a technical approach to coaching must be applied, implementing this style of the game from a very young age, as our current system is severely outdated.
At Euro 2012, Italy found it so easily to completely outplay England because they played with a far more intelligent, and technically superior mindset. Even at his age, Andrea Pirlo was able to control the game, spraying passes all over the pitch, splitting apart an England defence that was barely given a moment's rest. Italy's team was built from the foundations at the back. Buffon, an extremely smart goalkeeper had total vision of the pitch, leaving him able to direct his stout, but more than capable defence. The two full-backs consistently got up the pitch, but were always there to defend when needed. The midfield found success playing neat, interchangeable passes all around the pitch, resulting in chance, after chance, after chance. In contrast, the English team simply played a counter-attacking system, hoping that pure speed on the break would result in a lucky goal that they could try and defend for the rest of the match- a terrible plan.
In summary, it is important for everyone involved in English football to eat a large portion of humble pie, admit defeat and start fresh. The country consistently produces very talented football who go to waste because people automatically assume that only the physically strong can make good footballers. Truthfully, coaches must teach the 6 foot centre back how to play with the ball at his feet, and also teach the stepover-loving winger how to put in a ball-winning tackle. With this approach, who knows, maybe in ten years we will see the next Lionel Messi wearing the England shirt at the 2022 World Cup.
