Arsenal: The Future of English Football?

"It's an English club but not an English success," were the words of Gordan Taylor, the Professional Footballers Association's Chief Executive, back in 2006 during Arsenal's tremendous run in the Champions League that season.

Arsene Wenger has been criticized for a lot of things recently. But something which he has been targeted for time and again by the media, and certain other managers, is the fact that Arsenal don't have enough English players in their starting lineup. In fact, "a lack of an English spine" is what many believe is the reason for Arsenal's "softness."

Alan Pardew also added at the time of the raging debate in 2006:

"I saw a headline saying Arsenal are flying the flag for Britain. I kind of wondered where that British involvement actually was when I looked at their team."

Little did he know that there were a bunch of youngsters waiting to come through the ranks at Arsenal and compete against the likes of Chelsea, Newcastle, Tottenham, and Wigan in the years to follow.

Last night's game showed the amount of English talent at Arsenal today. There were no less than 13 teenagers in the squad yesterday and seven were English.

Skill and technique are not necessarily the terms that come to mind when one thinks of an English footballer. Let's face it, not many Englishmen have done well abroad, with most coaches finding themselves reluctant to gamble on English footballers due to their adaptability to the respective countries' footballing culture.

However, when you look at the likes of Jack Wilshere and Mark Randall, you can see the skill and composure on the ball. They have the eye for a pass and are almost the antithesis of what most traditional English players are all about.

The England national team has been criticized for not having enough flair in the side. Too many long balls and one dimensional play were cited as the reasons for not qualifying for the Euro 2008, which contributed the abject performances of the team at the time.

With Theo Walcott now in the England side, there is an element of pace and direct play which wasn't there before. Walcott has combined the pace with excellent link play and dribbling which makes him such a dangerous player.

All that is down to the coaching that he receives at Arsenal.

Many have suggested that Arsenal's lack of English players have also contributed to the England national team's downfall. In fact, the Arsenal manager did say once that he is blamed whenever England don't perform well on the international stage.

What many people forget, however, is the number of ex-Arsenal youngsters or trainees currently plying their trade in the top two divisions in England. The likes of Justin Hoyte, David Bentley, Sebastian Larsson, Fabrice Muamba, Jerome Thomas, Steve Sidwell, and Steve Harper play for clubs in the top two divisions in English football.

Fabio Capello might have been at the Emirates Stadium to watch the likes of Emile Heskey and Chris Kirkland, but he might have left the ground wondering whether he had seen the future of English football in front of him.

He must have ended up thinking that he's watching a lot of potential England national team players. Jay Simpson, Kieran Gibbs, Gavin Hoyte, Henri Lansbury, Jay-Emmanuel Thomas, Abu Ogogo, and Sanchez Watt are names that not many would have heard of. But boy, do they have talent.

What's more? They're all English.

Simpson in particular showed what a good goal poacher he can be on debut against Wigan.

Clubs like Manchester City and Middlesbrough also have some fantastic English talent, and when you combine that with Arsenal's young guns last night—things look really good for England in the coming years.

Arsene Wenger always looks at the player and not the passport before playing him, and that couldn't have been demonstrated better in last night's game, where six of the starting players were English.

Who knows? Arsenal might well become the English success that Gordon Taylor said they weren't two years ago sooner rather than later, and in doing so, might well contribute to the England national team's success as well.