So once again the England national team comes up short at a major tournament and we are left to pick up the pieces and ask the question, why? Was it the Jabulani ball? Capello's bad English? Gerrard and Lampard not being able to play together? Poor team selections? Wayne Rooney forgetting how to trap a ball? Or are we just clutching at straws and really need to look at the bigger picture? For the purpose of this article I have decided to concentrate on the aspect of player development and coaching in England, and in particular the role of the FA.

The German resurgence

        Now, we heard a lot during the World Cup of how Germany took stock a few years ago after a few lean years and being labelled an aging team. They invested heavily in the youth set-up and coaching which resulted in players like Mueller, Ozil and Khedira rising quickly through the ranks with the junior teams and seamlessly fitting into the full national set-up. The way in which Germany took England apart and there general play was a breath of fresh air which pointed at a job well done by the forward thinking German football authorities for identifying and addressing a problem. England take note.

What is wrong with us?

        So, let's look at England and the FA to see what they have done and what they are currently doing in this country. Now, I don't want to bash the FA for no good reason but it seems like everything they do is done badly, from the re-building of Wembley to the on-going saga with the National centre at Burton and everything in-between. In terms of football development and coaching in this country what do we know? Well, we know that there are lots more fully qualified coaches in other major footballing nations and we also know that English players have always been identified as being poor technically compared to their foreign counterparts. Indeed Frank Lampard admitted during the World Cup that England have to play at a very high tempo if they have any chance of competing with the other nations who are better at keeping the ball. Only using this very "English" trait would we be able to nullify our basic technique deficiency. So, we know our senior team is poor technically and the World Cup only re-enforced this notion, but what about the England players of the future? Well, when our head of technical development Trevor Brooking points to a "lack of skill" and "an inability to keep and manipulate the ball by players who have specialised in a particular position much too early", the future looks pretty bleak as well. Brooking has often during his reign highlighted the weaknesses and where we are going wrong, but has been hindered in bringing in any wholesale changes by the politics within the FA and beyond.

        But why are we so poor at controlling and keeping the ball in this country compared to other nations? Why is there a technique deficiency in English football starting at grassroots? I'm going to look at two elements here, the traditional English football culture and youth football coaching. Now the English football culture is very different to other cultures in that we appreciate and actively encourage different qualities and behaviours to many of our foreign counterparts. I'm not sure in Brazil and Spain you will hear cries of "Get stuck in", "Put your foot in", "Get rid of it!" "Row Z!" and the like from the touchlines. We encourage a more physical win at all costs approach to playing the game and players are often discouraged from doing more individualistic actions like dribbling and taking on players. Young players need freedom of expression to try things without fear and we must create an environment that encourages this. It's true this attitude has slowly changed over the years and you can pinpoint the late mid late 90's as a time where the FA started to at least acknowledge that our attitudes to coaching in particular needed addressing.

The Dutch system

        The rise of Holland and the Ajax team of the mid late 90's that produced the likes of Kluivert, Kanu, Seedorf, Davids, Reizeger and the De Boer brothers was the start a trend where countries like us became obsessed with the Dutch system. Indeed the Dutch coaching system was light years ahead of our own and in particular addressed the need for children to play small sided games on smaller pitches and do more ball work. Indeed until then children of 5 years upwards could be found running about on muddy full size pitches with full size goals throughout the UK, which looking back seems almost barbaric and humorous at the same time! So, the FA introduced the game of mini-soccer in the 90's as an attempt to combat this problem acknowledging that having 5 year olds chase round a ball on over an acre of land might not be conducive to creating technical players. However, they didn't fully carry this out and decided that when a child reached the age of 10 they could play like adults on the full size pitch again with full size goals (Hmm). I am pleased however to say that in the last year there has been some movement in this policy although no actual rule has been enforced yet. Also, I am pleased to report that there is a proposal expected to pass in April this year that proposes "reductions in the size of pitch, goal and teams to encourage better technical development and more ball-contact time" (I call it common sense) Hallelujah praise the lord!

Is Futsal a solution?

        So, I have identified so far that the size of pitches and the traditional English football culture values may have contributed to our technique deficiencies, but are there any other factors? Well, I could point at the lack of top qualified coach's in this country compared to our main foreign competitors and also the fact that our kids are brought up playing on big muddy pitches where they are playing against the elements as much as the opposition. But, we are not the only country that has rubbish weather I hear you cry though? Sure, but do we take the game indoors onto a smaller playing area using a heavier weighted ball, playing a game where skill, technique, flair, tactical awareness, intelligence and rotating positions are integral to the game and learning process for young players? The answer is no and the game I have just described is Futsal. To those who don't know Futsal, it is the official small sided game of FIFA with its own World Cup and European Championships. 5v5, the game is played worldwide by most footballing nations where it is known to be very influential in youth development up to the age of 14 or 15 before players move onto playing 11 a-side (already having the technical skills mastered). Here's a familiar face playing Futsal http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Krnd-YdUXGI and here's another one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P9vLrShzFA if you see a player on the continent with excellent technical ability there is high probability he's youth development included Futsal just like it did for Ronaldo, Robinho, Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, Fabregas etc. Not only does the game breed intelligent technical players, it also encourages every player to play and does not place emphasis on set positions unlike here.

        Futsal also focuses on teaching players to use every part of the foot and this can be seen in the way players manoeuvre the ball, which is notably quicker and smoother in transaction than the typical English way (big side foot trap). We have dreamed about playing like Brazil, or the current all conquering Spanish team and salivate at watching Barcelona and their attractive playing style. Indeed Spain and Barcelona are the new Holland and Ajax of the 90's and new trendsetters that i'm sure everyone else will start to try and copy. It is worth noting that only 2 teams have won the Futsal World Cup........Brazil and Spain. Year by year, decade by decade this country is taking baby steps towards a development programme the game of Futsal answers, but we are already playing catch-up. How many indoor youth Futsal leagues or initiatives are there in England currently you know of?

The future

        Perhaps we can hold onto Trevor Brooking's latest words when he says the FA finally has the power to change things now they and the Premier League are working together. As the richest footballing nation in the world we must have the potential. What else are they going to spend all that money on? Germany have done it with good results at the 2010 World Cup. Spain made similar changes after many fruitless years on the world stage and since 1998 have won 21 UEFA and FIFA Championships from U-16 to Seniors. In the same time we have just one. Come on FA..........SORT IT OUT!

Posted by TheGaffer, on 07/02/2011 at 11:57