This week Childrens Express reporter Ben Ritchie has turned his attention to the ongoing debate about the proliferation of foreign nationals playing in the top division of English football.
After Arsenal's success in the Champions League there was criticism of Arsene Wenger’s squad selection. There were more English players in Real Madrid’s starting eleven than there were in Arsenal's. That is a fact.
The West Ham manager, Alan Pardew, criticised the Arsenal team sheet for not having a single starting English man. I don’t believe his comments were racist or xenophobic. His opinions were more likely based on the view that Arsene Wenger simply picked his best starting eleven or was there indeed something more sinister at work?
Pardew claimed that the English game was “losing its soul” as a result of the inclusion of too many foreign players in Premiership teams. Others in the game, including the Wigan Athletic Chairman Dave Whelan and the ex Arsenal player and Aston Villa manager David O’Leary, have also criticised Wenger’s recent team selections.
There are already several successful foreign managers in the premiership - Rafael Benitiz at Liverpool and Jose Mourinho at Chelsea have both brought success to their respective clubs and have also introduced many foreign players to the English game. Is it Arsenals fault that they played their best team? They do have English born players however they weren’t available due to injuries or lack of experience at such a high level.
Arsenal have arguably one of the best youth set ups in the league and they involve players not only from Europe but many from throughout the U.K and Ireland. The way people are talking you would think that the Premiership is being invaded by Barbarian hordes of the footballing mercenaries. The critics would have you believe that Rule Britannia is going to be replaced with Le Marseillaise or Deutschland Über Alles if the imports aren’t stopped at our borders.
Are people not happy that an English team is in Europe? Would they prefer that we shut up shop and kicked out the likes of Henry, Drogba and Mido? Have these players not introduced a new buzz into the English game? Have they not put pressure on the English players to perform to a higher professional standard? We all know that British and Irish players are capable of playing as well as their foreign counterparts. Can you really blame a manager for playing his best team?
I feel that managers should stop having these petty disputes and concentrate on the football. Let England enjoy an English team's success and wish them well in doing so. Pardew’s comments take away from the fact that Arsenal are playing well. If a footballer is playing football let him play and let’s not get tangled up in a web of green eyed monsters and childish arguments.
About the team
This story was written by Ben Ritchie and edited by John Monaghan, 18. It was published by Reach for the Sky website.
