Wilshere’s Archaic Words Signal World Cup Worries For England

"We are English. We tackle hard, are tough on the pitch and are hard to beat. You think of Spain and you think technical but you think of England and you think they are brave and they tackle hard.”

The different headlines that have arisen since Jack Wilshere’s comments in an England press conference about naturalised players ahead of the recent World Cup Qualifiers are consistent for a media constantly searching for a story where it doesn’t always exist. Wilshere’s comments about are not racist, xenophobic or an attempt to infringe on anyone’s rights, they are simply idealistic.

The notion that all international football teams should be made of players from that country is an acceptable one, even if it is no longer a realistic one. Wilshere certainly takes an insular view that contradicts the political position of a multicultural Britain, and many English and British sports teams reflect this multiculturalism in a way that Wilshere may not approve of.

The issue that jumps out from these comments is the belief held by Wilshere that different countries’ footballers have a natural/in built set of unique characteristics.  This is a stereotypical viewpoint that does not reflect the transformation of football, and international football in particular.

Whilst the English football team has declined into mediocrity, the English media and our football fans have become increasingly good at idly listing the reasons behind the national team’s failures. Whether foreign players are being blamed, or the lack of a national football centre, up until the recent opening of St George’s Park, there is a culture of excuses building.

The key issue missed by all the committees, and Wilshere recently, is not that English football is being stifled, but that football is no longer English. To suggest that an England team is tough tackling and hard to beat, is to promote an archaic view of football, and the cultural identity of football in England.

By noting the foreign influence in the thriving Premier League, the effectiveness and prominence of different styles of football must also be acknowledged. If the English were still a race of tough-tackling footballers, why would foreign defensive midfield players need to be invested in? At the other end of the same argument, how can foreign flair players succeed in the Premier League if English toughness is such an important attribute?

The one reference to Englishness, or an English style that has stood up recently, is the assertion of Gary Neville, that England’s success in those qualifiers was based on a high-tempo style. Neville described this as the style that attracts so many viewers to the Premier League, and even went as far as to say that this was how England should play, and that it was an exciting prospect.

Notably though, this is a characteristic of English football, not English footballers, something at odds with Wilshere’s assertions. Unfortunately this characteristic is also not one that lends itself to World Cup success. To win a World Cup, a team has to play 7 matches over a period of around 30 days, including 4 in less than two weeks. Maintaining a high tempo at the end of a season is a challenge in itself, maintaining it under those conditions, against teams adept at retaining possession of the ball is nigh on impossible.

If England are to compete on the World stage, now or in the near Greg Dyke-inspired future, these lessons must be learned and acted on. England’s midfield must still be haunted by the Italy game at Euro 2012 in which they chased continuously as Pirlo and company dictated the tempo. Unless England are able to utilise technically able players to retain possession, then the ability to play at a high-tempo, or invoke the bulldog Wilshere summoned, won’t drag England past their customary quarter-final defeat at World Cup 2014.

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By Richard Jude (@RichardJude)