The Netherlands has only 1.7m footballers (from a population of just 16m) but since 1974 they have progressed to two World Cup finals, a further semi-final, four European Championships semi-finals and won the Euros. In the same timeframe England have only reached 1 semi-final in either competition.
This is an extract from my recent article on Backpage Football : “Youth Development, the World Cup and England’s Future“.
France and Italy, countries with almost identical numbers of players to England have both won the World Cup once and been losing finalists once in the last 5 tournaments.
These countries have similar climate, similar genetics, similar culture, similar wealth and even similar football league structures to England. So what are the differences that propel their national sides deep into tournaments where England flounder?
Head over to Backpage Football to read the full article in which I discuss the myriad reasons for England’s failings at the top level. Continue →
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