History Shows Antonio Conte Can't Ignore an English Spine as He Rebuilds Chelsea
There was a time when Chelsea's English contingent helped stock the national team with world-class talent.
For the best part of a decade, England's so-called Golden Generation came complete with Frank Lampard, John Terry and the Coles, Joe and Ashley.
Vital for their country, they were equally so for Chelsea. Those four players were essential to what the Blues achieved between 2004 and 2010. In the absence of Joe Cole, the trio that remained were the big characters in Chelsea winning the 2012 Champions League.
It's all changed now, though. Gareth Southgate's England squad has just Gary Cahill included from Chelsea—also a Champions League winner four years ago—with Terry no longer available to represent his country.
It's not because Chelsea's Englishmen aren't good enough, it's a simple factor of numbers. These days, the club don't have any others ready for the senior England team.
That a club of Chelsea's size are so low on indigenous talent is a serious concern for the Three Lions. It's an example of how the team's power at the top has been gradually diluted, which doesn't help breed confidence in where they are headed in the near future.
That lack of quality is what will haunt England for a long time yet, regardless of how Premier League teams perform on the continent in the Champions League and Europa League.
Sure, it's not Chelsea's problem, nor is it Antonio Conte's. The club and their new manager have their own issues to worry about, like how to go about regenerating a squad that remains stale and needs to take a new direction.
What the national team do doesn't impact Chelsea, which will equally be the thought of many fans.
However, it almost certainly does.
Chelsea were never stronger in English football than when they were supplying the national team with some of their best players. And it wasn't just about talent, either; what that quartet offered went well beyond a football pitch. They gave the club an identity and helped piece everything together.
Jose Mourinho spotted that fact in his first spell as manager. It was he who added Ashley Cole to his defence as he set about building on what Claudio Ranieri had already started. For all the millions he and subsequent managers would spend, Terry, Lampard, Joe Cole and Ashley Cole were key to their success.
"It's still a miracle that Chelsea have 3 Englishmen in the starting line-up
— Dean Ammi (@whufcammi) January 31, 2016"
There are plenty of factors besides, yet seeing Chelsea's collapse these past 12 months or so, it is no coincidence it has come at a time when the squad is low on homegrown stars.
The criticisms thrown at Chelsea have been a lack of fight, coupled with a diminished character and sense of identity. The cosmopolitan squad they boast may look good on paper, but it's missing a vital element to help make it work collectively. It needs an injection of Englishmen.
We need only look to Europe's other elite clubs to witness how a blend of international stars and homegrown talent complements what we see on the pitch.
Real Madrid have nine Spanish players in their first-team squad; Bayern Munich have 12 Germans; Juventus 10 Italians; Barcelona nine Spaniards, while Atletico Madrid boast six.
That group of five are arguably Europe's best teams right now, and they're enjoying sustained success by blending the best of what they have at home with those players they can bring in from overseas.
Looking closer to home in the Premier League, Maurico Pochettino's Tottenham Hotspur are exciting many right now, and they're doing it with a squad that has nine Englishmen. They're of varying abilities, but we can point to at least five of them who start regularly for Pochettino.
Spurs have got it right; Chelsea haven't. The club have swung too far from what made them successful in recent years, and they're paying the price for it now.
Of course, the style of play Chelsea have attempted to adopt and a failed transfer policy have been just as vital in that. But with the changes sweeping through Stamford Bridge right now, the club need to maintain their soul. That's what everything is built around, no matter the club or their size, and Chelsea are losing theirs.
When Terry retires, where will the next captain be from? Who will be the next player the club build around for the long term? Who will be the group of players that help keep the traditions alive?
Right now, it's a question that's impossible to answer. We can't look at Chelsea's squad with much confidence for where that culture will remain strong; we can't identify with certainty how history will be maintained.
It's a big problem; it's one just as significant as shipping goals on the cheap against the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal.
There is a semblance of good news. While Southgate is off on caretaker duty with England's senior side, his temporary replacement with the under-21s, Aidy Boothroyd, has four Chelsea youngsters among his number. They aren't just any Chelsea youngsters, either; they represent some of the best players Chelsea have coming through.
Tammy Abraham, Nathaniel Chalobah, Lewis Baker and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are names every Chelsea fan will be familiar with. They're the youngsters who have helped the club become such a dominant force at youth level in recent years, and now they're trying to break into the first team to do the same.
Conte cannot ignore them. As he rebuilds this Chelsea side—a process that will take time and no shortage of patience—that homegrown talent the club have nurtured can't be neglected. It is they who should be the future of Chelsea.
Not only are they English, but Loftus-Cheek, Chalobah and others have been Chelsea players since before they were teenagers. They know what makes the identity of the club; money can't buy that.
By showing more faith in the players the club have coming through—not to mention other English players—Chelsea can get back on track. Right now, the overly cosmopolitan nature of the team isn't working.
Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes.
.jpg?w=600 "Manning Asked Mendoza to Attend Draft")
.jpg?w=600 "Report: Pickens Signing Tag")
.png?w=600 "Top 300 Prospects 📊")
