What followed surely had to be beyond the wildest dreams of the fans, Roberto Mancini or even the young Argentinian himself. Not since the arrival of Eric Cantona has a foreign player made such an immediate and spectacular debut in the Premier League. Aguero comes to England with a big reputation and an even bigger price tag. With all the industry and commitment of compatriot, Carlos Tevez, yet the deft touches and super-human vision of Messi, Diego Maradona's son-in-law now has the whole country talking.
Yet there is a negative and disheartening aspect to the spectacle we all witnessed this week. With the possible exception of Wayne Rooney, there isn't one English player in the English league that can change the whole complexion of a game the way Aguero did on Monday evening. Sadly, it would seem this dynamic type of player with mercurial touches, flicks and energy to burn is now a thing of the past in the British game. Yet we have produced dozens in decades past. The names of Best, Charlton, Matthews, Law, Beardsley, Gascoigne and countless others provoke visions of true greatness. How many English players can fans honestly say excite them in the way Aguero, Nani, Silva, Tevez or Modric do?
Of course, we have some very decent players in the game at the moment. But could this be the first generation where we have no footballing greats to remember in years to come? Gerrard and Lampard can surely have only two or three years left in the England set-up. Jack Wilshere, while performing admirably for Arsenal, has failed to impress on the international scene and the jury is still very much out on Jordan Henderson. Milner can excite at times, but his defensive role at Manchester City stifles his attacking personality. Stewart Downing, while commanding a ridiculously high transfer fee, seems to drift in and out of games and owes much of his reputation to the rarest of English commodities - a good left foot.
We are now seeing the welcome emergence of Cleverley at Manchester United, and as good a player as he seems to be, is he going to put bums on seats? Will people decide to upgrade their satellite TV package, just to be entertained by his dancing feet? Ironically, a player with a natural footballing brain and a positional sixth sense, Adam Johnson, seems to be merely back-up for both club and country. A thirty year-old Scott Parker has forced his way into an England team that aches for a playmaker with the ability to open tightly locked doors.
Anyone doubting the slow demise of English guile and technical excellence should take a look at England, France match in November of last year. France completely dominated possession, pinging the ball around English feet like a pre-programmed pinball machine. England, however good some individuals might be, is not producing enough players with the same technical ability as the French or the Spanish or the Argentinians or the Brazilians. We seem to fall farther behind with every passing generation. Using the under 21 side's performance in the European Championships this summer as a vision for our footballing future, makes the future look very bleak.
The reason for the dearth of natural, play-making talent in the English game is a subject argued over by players, coaches, fans and media alike. It would be simplistic to hone in on any one issues, as the reality is it is a collection of failings. However, our changing society and how we treat our youngsters surely have to be significant contributing factors. I'm of an age where my formative years were spent playing in the streets with mates. We literally played on the street, without the fear of angry residents moving us on or enlistment into local gangs. If I went to the shop, I kicked a ball. If I visited my grandmother, I kicked a ball. If I went collecting conkers, I kicked a ball. We played 'curbsies,' we kicked balls against uneven walls and fences. We kicked balls around building sites. We kicked balls anywhere we could stand up.
I remember my dad telling me to trap the ball. I remember my dad telling me to use both feet. I remember my PE teacher telling us the best footballers can use both feet - although confusing at the age of 7, we later realised what he was talking about. We played on small patches of land, where long balls were not an option. We were greedy for possession and as a result learned to beat players with sheer skill. My own son plays for a local team and his experience of the beautiful game is light years from the one I enjoyed.
As a proud dad, taking his son to his first competitive game, I was horrified to see the size of the pitch and the height of the goals. I was saddened to see no emphasis on control, only a mad scramble by all but the goalkeepers to gain possession. I was disgusted at the nails, glass, dog excrement and general decay of the local authority football pitches. My son was at what I call 'the formative' stage of his football education. The ages of 4 to 10 are critical. If the basics of ball control, touch and two 'footedness' are not mastered during this time, it is usually too late. With that in mind, perhaps the FA's new National Football Centre in Burton may prove to be a very expensive white elephant - should a national strategy for 5 to 11s is not properly implemented. Perhaps the FA should look at the development systems employed by the Spanish or Dutch, where the big clubs sign youngsters from the age of five and concentrate almost exclusively on technical coaching until the age of 11.
Unless we address how our children are exposed to football in their very early years, we may never again produce the likes of Tevez, Aguero, Silva, Ronaldo, Messi, Xavi, Iniesta or Neymar. These talents would have grown up with a ball at their feet. They wouldn't be playing competitive matches in front of 22 angry fathers on a Sunday morning on a vast wilderness of a pitch. Aguero's performance on Monday night was so exciting because of its rarity in the modern English game. Our kids need to be given a ball as soon as they can walk and need to live with a ball, the way my generation and others before did. Until then, we will have to continue to import brilliant foreigners to the world's most entertaining league.
No comments:
Post a Comment