Club vs country. It's an age old debate. One that has been around for many a year. International fixtures, particularly friendlies, are often seen as an interruption that is far from needed in a club managers season. With so much at stake in domestic football in modern times, you can understand why so many managers are so cautious as to their players participating in international fixtures. If you was Sir Alex, would you want your star striker risked for an England friendly against some European minnows when you have an important Champions League game coming up? Needless to say, I think it should be up to the player in question to decide whether they want to play for their country or not, not the manager of the club he plays for. Pulling on the national shirt, for whichever country you represent, should be the greatest honour in football.
I remember a few years back, defender Sol Campbell would always be unfit or injured when it came to an international friendly, but surprisingly ever present when it came to competitive qualifiers or tournaments. And it's becoming a common occurrence, with players such as Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney pulling out of England friendlies, only to turn out for their club three days later. It's like turning up on a Sunday morning to play for your local side when you haven't been to the midweek training sessions, you wouldn't expect to be in the team. In my opinion it should be the same, don't turn up for friendlies (without legitimate reasons) and you don't get picked for the important games. A little harsh? Maybe, but I don't see why the regulars should be squeezed out by the players who only turn up for the games they want to play in. Yes, the majority of the time it's the club managers that make the decision for the players, but if this was to happen then it would put more pressure on them to release their players.
I am, of course, leading toward the current debate of the England U21 squad that are heading to Denmark for the U21 European Championships, and in particular Jack Wilshere. The question as to who’s decision it was to exclude the 19 year old from Stuart Pearce’s summer plans remains unanswered. Well, officially at least. Here are a few quotes [in order] decide for yourself:
Wilshere: “It is international football and I want to play in any international football.”
Wenger: “We have to sit down at the end of the season and see how many games Wilshere has played, before considering that he plays in the under-21′s. That the boy wants to play, I find that positive. But that he is now playing with the first-team until June and then playing in the under-21s, that will not work.”
Pearce: “I have a feeling we [Pearce and Wenger] are going to have different viewpoints but the most important thing is the lad himself wanting to play in the under-21 tournament and I have had that conversation with [Wilshere]. Two years ago I had the same conversation with [Wenger] about Theo Walcott.”
After his exclusion:
Wilshere: “It is about me looking after myself. Over the last few weeks, I have been feeling tired and my GPS (Global Positioning System) results have shown that.”
In comparison, here is a quote from World Cup winning midfielder Sergio Busquets, who was told some time ago he can feature in the tournament if he so wishes by his club Barcelona: "If you can't do it when you're 22 and in good physical shape, you will never be able to do it"
There's no doubting that the Arsenal midfielder is the brightest talent this country has to offer, and has seen in some time. Comfortable on the ball and with the vision to find the tiniest of gaps to thread a through ball, nothing seems to faze him. But he is not, by a long shot, a finished article. His game lacks discipline, too often diving into needless tackles and losing his temper. A young Paul Scholes some might say. And that is why he really needed to go to this tournament and participate in a competition where two yellow cards see’s you miss the next game through suspension. When will his first tournament experience come? Poland and Ukraine next year at Euro 2012, a poor decision if you ask me. A youngster like Wilshere needs to get the feeling of what a tournament is like, everything from the get together to the structure, and even what it feels like to take part in a penalty shootout. Experience is key. Besides, that’s even assuming we make it to the Euro’s next year. I seem to remember back in 2007 David Bentley pulled out of the U21 squad for the European Championship so he wouldn’t suffer from burnout, thus improving his chances of making it to Euro 2008, a tournament in which England eventually failed to qualify. You can count on one hand the amount of times Bentley has turned out for England since. I’m not for one minute implying the same will happen with Wilshere, he will be a star player for years to come, but I’m just giving an example on how planning for the uncertain future can backfire. I say live for the present, let the future take care of itself.
Two years after that Euro U21 Championship in 2007, the 2009 tournament took place in Sweden, with Pearce and Wenger having the aforementioned similar argument over Theo Walcott. This time, the flying winger was included, with the French manager far from happy. England made it to the Final in that tournament, suffering a crushing 4-0 defeat at the hands of the Germans. 12 months later, England and Germany met at the senior World Cup, with the Germans again coming out on top, this time 4-2. Four Germany players took part in both of those games, with just the one from England.
There’s a reason why FIFA and UEFA run these youth tournaments. It’s not just to give the players games, it’s to help them develop, to get the feeling of what participating in a competitive international tournament is like. Just look at the under 20 World Cup, a competition that has seen the rise of stars such as Lionel Messi, Juan Roman Riquelme, Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry, Sergio Aguero and Diego Maradona. The reason why the U20 World Cup and the Euro U21 Championships are played in the same year, at the same time is a debate for another day, but the bottom line here is that these tournaments are essential for the young stars of today, if they are to become the senior stars of tomorrow.
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