The Floundering Future of English Football

For a number of years the Premier League has been touted as the most entertaining and exciting in World football, but with the recent rise of La Liga and the decline of the national side, the future looks bleak for the English game. In recent seasons the EPL has been graced with some of the greatest spectacles, helping to draw in over 70% of the total football audience with 650 million fans supporting one of the 20 teams.

Having witnessed the birth of global superstars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry and David Beckham, the EPL has created a massive audience with games beamed around the World. There is no question that off the pitch English football still continues to reign supreme but on the field there is a definite change in the tide.

The Spanish game has undergone somewhat of a renaissance, enjoying success both on the International stage and at club level. The growing global dominance of Barcelona combined with re-emergence of the ‘Galacticos’ at Real Madrid has allowed Spanish football to become a much more attractive product leading to a dramatic rise in viewership. La Liga has stepped out of the shadows and offers its own exciting brand of football that has been able to attract superstars like, Ronaldo, Kaka, Messi, and Fabregas, giving it a new appeal that not only achieves success on the pitch but off it also.

Internationally, Spain became the envy of the World by achieving global supremacy; becoming World and European Champions in 2010 and 2008 with an unstoppable style of play unmatched by any other.

The ethos of a simple, attractive one touch passing game has been instilled at every level of Spanish football; from the youth right the way up to the senior squads and has given the Spanish game an identity that its European counterparts lack.

The dramatic decline of English football could not have been made more apparent than in South Africa as a disappointing England side tumbled out during the knockout stages. Capello’s men have since failed to impress during qualification for Euro 2012 and even at club level English sides have struggled in Europe.

Audience figures may suggest that all is well but if things on the pitch continue in the fashion they are then there could be a swing in favour of the Spanish game. Some of England’s biggest stars are beginning to age and the problem resides in the emphasis upon buying in foreign talent and not on the development of home grown youth, putting the future of the English game in jeopardy.

The Premier League is littered with foreign players and it is easy to see why the National team is struggling when it seems that England’s youth does not get a look in at club level.

There is no consistent or identifiable style to the English game anymore because of the abundance of foreign players and although this helps viewership it directly affects the quality of truly English football.

The future of English football lies within our youth and this season it appears Premier League clubs have realised this with the likes of Sturridge, Welbeck and Henderson, who have been given bigger roles so far.

This is a good start and even though off the pitch the English game still dominates, on it we are light-years behind Spain until we see a complete change in emphasis.