FC BARCELONA

Showing posts with label Dortmund. Show all posts

The Remarkable Resurgence of Borussia Dortmund

3:32 AM | Labels: Bayern, Bundesliga, Dortmund, Jurgen Klopp

This past weekend Dortmund defeated Bayern in the final of the German cup. It was a comprehensive 5-2 defeat and it was the fifth win in a row for Dortmund over the side from Bavaria. It is a remarkable achievement that Dortmund are where they are, and much credit must go to their impressive coach Jurgen Klopp.

Dortmund completed an historic double by beating Bayern, being only the fourth different club to win the double since the creation of the Bundesliga in 1963. Dortmund are yet to lose in 2012 and although their rivals Bayern are in the Champions League final this weekend, it is Dortmund who deserve the accolades and who, in my opinion, are Europe’s best side this season.

Last season saw Dortmund win the league in convincing style; their brand of attacking football took the league by storm, however the win was somewhat tarnished by the mediocrity of Bayern. This season Bayern were much more focused and determined and after a first day loss to Mongengladbach, they then went on an eight game run winning seven, putting them top of the league. Dortmund however struggled in the early part of the season, picking up just seven points in the first six games. The experience of the Champions League can be said to have affected Dortmund, an experience which was a harsh one for this young and naïve side. Klopp had not experienced Europe before and his use of a domestic style of play did not suit the more punishing environment of Europe. A last minute equaliser against Arsenal gained Dortmund a point, yet they lost all but one of their remaining games in the group stages and ultimately ended bottom. It was however probably a good thing to finish bottom, it meant no more Europe and allowed Klopp to focus just on the league. And focus they did.

A bit of history

For those who don’t know the situation at Dortmund it is important to understand that in terms of winning titles, money was not the reason. In fact, not having money was. Dortmund were one of the top sides in Europe in the late 90’s, an impressive defeat of Juventus in 1997 brought a Champions League to the club, however, the success came from unstable foundations based on high investment and the club went through a bad period at the turn of the century.

However, the club did not learn it’s lesson and the same problem surfaced due to mis-management of finances. Having spent beyond their means on foreign imports; Rosicky (€14.5m), Koller (€10.5M), Marcio Amoroso (€25m) who all arrived in 2001, the club was close to bankruptcy. It meant that the sale of the stadium and the sale of many players led to Dortmund drop out of the elite levels of the Bundesliga.

During 2005-2008 Dortmund were a mid table side, regarded as an example of financial mis-management. To imagine that this side would be back to back champions in 2011 and 2012 would be a shock to many, yet to have done it without spending huge sums was even more impressive.

An undefeated run

In September Dortmund lost twice to Hertha Berlin and Hannover, putting Dortmund in 11th place, the champions season was very much looking precarious. However, since then Dortmund went undefeated in the league, out of the remaining 29 games Dortmund won 24. At the end of January Dortmund beat Hoffenheim 3-1 and went top of the league. They would remain there for the rest of the season. And they would set a new Bundesliga record for a points haul of 81. They also improved on their goals record from last season too, 80 goals scored this year compared to 67 last.

Last season players like Nuri Sahin and Lucas Barrios were important members of the title winning side. However, when Real Madrid came in for Sahin, it appeared it was another example of a side losing it’s star players to bigger sides who dangle more money in players faces. Barrios was injured at the start of the season and so the £4.5m signing Robert Lewandowski was used as his replacement. Lewandowski was deemed skilful yet not good enough to lead the line in Dortmund’s 4-2-3-1, bought in 2010 as Barrios' understudy as such, however this season he has proved his doubters wrong; his hat trick against Bayern in the cup final meant that he finished the season with 30 goals, and has been a key figure in the title win this season and his worth was rewarded when he picked up the Bunesliga Player of the Year award.

Lewandowski was enabled to score so many because of the talents around him; this season was supposed to be all about the potentially world class Mario Gotze, however injury curtailed much of his season and it was up to the Japanese star Shiniji Kagawa to step up and carry on his impressive performances from last season. His 13 goals and 9 assists almost fails to justify his contribution, he plays with guile, agility, speed and skill and is regarded as one of the brightest talents in Europe. Along with the impressive Kevin Großkreutz supporting the attack has led Dortmund to play some precise and rapid attacking football.

With any winning side, a strong defence is always important. And this season Dortmund have conceded only 25 goals, a remarkable achievement, even if they only play 34 games. This is no small part to the impressive partnership of Mats Hummels and Neven Subotic, flanked by Marcel Schmelzer and the continually impressive Łukasz Piszczek; who is reported to be interesting Madrid, signed by Dortmund for free in 2010. This is not a rare occurrence for Dortmund, their new model which needed to be sustainable, had to find a way to compete with the financial might of Bayern, Schalke and Leverkusen.

They did it by investing time and their small amount of money into developing their youth academy, in which time players like Sahin, Gotze and Schmelzer have emerged. They also put intense resources into an intricate scouting network which sought to find under valued talent from around the world. Kagawa is the best example of this, finding him in the 2nd division in the J-league, bought for £300,000. Quite remarkable and if any club is carrying out the “Moneyball” model and being successful then surely Dortmund are it.

The future

Can Dortmund win the title again next season? As long as Jurgen Klopp is manager then the club will be successful. He has shown the world that he is one of the best coaches in the game; able to work on a tight budget and yet able to overcome the might of Bayern is an achievement which deserves more recognition. His ability to bring out the best in players is a trait of the greats and to have done it with relatively little money is astonishing. Perhaps people assume Dortmund have invested heavily to get where they are, this is just not true. And their model, along with many models in Germany, should be learnt from for the future of English clubs and youth development.

It will be important that Klopp improves Dortmund’s performance in the Champions League however, after this first experience I am sure he learnt a lot, similar to that of Man City, and so expect more tactical nous next year. However, the biggest issue will be of personnel; Alex Ferguson was in attendance for the German final and he was reportedly looking at Kagawa, Lewandowski and Subotic. Kagawa is apparently a near done deal and will give Dortmund a hefty profit margin. Yet Lewandowski would be a bigger loss based on his performance this season, whereas Gotze and new signing Marco Reus (who was a youth graduate of Dortmund) from Monchengladbach will fill the hole of Kagawa, it will be difficult to find a striker as good as the Pole, especially as Barrios is off to China.

Another worry will be Hummels, who is reportedly a target of Milan, Barca and Man City. Justifiably so, yet Dortmund will not want to break up this great defensive partnership. As mentioned the right back Łukasz Piszczek is wanted to by Madrid. And so it seems that Klopp has a job on his hands to keep this double winning side together. What will be important will be to make sure the scouting is in overdrive in order to make sure replacements are brought in if required.

What is for sure is that Klopp has built an amazing side considering the restraints put on him and talk of him moving to some of Europe’s elite is not surprising. Yet, Klopp has no intention of leaving this club, he loves it and while they want him, he will be there. Expect to see changes this summer, yet do not be surprised to see Dortmund continue their dominance in Germany, whereas Bayern appears a team divided, Klopp has developed a unified and winning club.

Follow The Whitehouse Address on Twitter @The_W_Address

0Comments

Borussia Dortmund. A model of sustainability.

5:48 AM | Labels: Dortmund, Germany, Youth Development

At the top of the Bundesliga right now lies Borussia Dortmund, you may not be surprised considering they are the current champions, yet when looking at the last ten years, this is a remarkable achievement.

In the mid 90’s Dortmund enjoyed their greatest success, winning the Bundesliga in ’95 and ’96 and the Champions League in 1997. Dortmund, with European player of the year Mattias Sammer, Andreas Moller and Karl Heinz Riedle overcame the talent of a Juventus side blessed with Deschamps, Zidane, Vieri and Del Piero. It was certainly a win for the underdogs, and any thoughts of prolonged success were halted by poor management.

The following two seasons meant their glory was short lived and a 4th place finish the following season was nothing compared to the capitulation that followed in 1999-2000 where they avoided relegation by five points. Problems had surfaced through the poor management of finances and a change of manager had rocked the club and affected results.

Management decided to take drastic action and Dortmund became the first, and only, publicly traded club on the German stock market. This generated money which enabled the purchases of Marcio Amoroso who scored 28 goals in his time at Dortmund, finishing top scorer in their title winning season in 01-02. The front line of Jan Koller, Ewerthon and Amoroso was prolific and with the addition of the creative Tomas Rosicky built on the defensive strength of Lehman in goal and Metzelder in defence all underpinned by their coach; their once formidable sweeper Sammer. Eventually, this side appeared to have got over it’s problems on and off the pitch.

However, the same problem surfaced; mis-management of finances. Having spent beyond their means on foreign imports; Rosicky (€14.5m), Koller (€10.5M), Marcio Amoroso (€25m) who all arrived in 2001, Dortmund’s fortunes then steadily declined for a number of years.

Heavy debts of £125 million led to the sale of their ground due to their failure to advance in the 2003 Champions League, (amazingly they had budgeted for Champions League football without the guarantee of actually being in the competition.) This put the club on the brink of bankruptcy in 2005 and Dortmund were on the brink of financial collapse. Success had come at a cost and one of the biggest teams in Europe were on the brink.

During 2005 - 2008 Dortmund achieved only mid table finishes, they had lost their players due to a mass clearout due to their over indulgent ways and were now regarded only as a mediocre side. When Thomas Doll, the coach in 2008 led the side to a 13th place finish, their worst position in 20 years, it appeared that the "might" of Dortmund was never to be again.

A new beginning

A new management team came in with the intention of slashing costs and boosting commercial activity. They were also needing a new manager, and they made, in retrospect, an inspired choice in Jurgen Klopp. The highly-rated young manager Klopp had just lead Mainz into the Bundesliga for the first time in their history. He was regarded highly in Germany as a progressive, disciplined coach. He was hired on an initial two-year deal with the re-mit to make Dortmund respectable once again; this time using a sustainable model which would not burden the club with debts.

His focus had to be on youth development, any signings would need to be young players for cheap. So he set out then with the intention to build a side of hungry, young players whose value would gradually improve. A version somewhat to Arsenal, who buy young and cheap and sell on for more. A business model for growth and sustainability, yet for success?

The rise of the new Dortmund

Klopp’s impact was almost imminent, as the club won the DFB Supercup in his first competitive game. They finished in 6th place, much improved on 13th and having lost only five of their 34 league games they boasted the best defence in the league. He understood the importance of building the defensive foundations; Klopp favours the German national sides 4-2-3-1 system, with an emphases on pressing, effective possession and imaginative attacking interplay.

He decided to build his defence with Neven Subotic, the Serbian defender signed from Klopp’s former club Mainz for a bargain €4.6m, and Mats Hummels, the talented German youngster who was deemed not good enough at Bayern who joined on an initial loan deal from Bayern, before signing permanently at the end of the season. Their partnership has been the foundation for Dortmund's success and shows that with the right manager, expense is not the answer to every problem.

The following season Klopp added the striker Lucas Barrios to his side for €4.2m and the German midfielder Sven Bender, Barrios would go on to score 19 goals in his debut season, playing as the focal point in the managers preferred 4-2-3-1 formation, finising 5th and 13 points behind champions Bayern

The on-field improvement that Klopp’s side was making, allied with the support that he was receiving from the Dortmund supporters, indicated that times were changing at the Westfalenstadion. That following season the squad remained one of the youngest in the Bundesliga, with an average age of just 24, and the coach had full belief in the players already at his disposal.

They had to be shrewder because of their restricted budget and more precise in their scouting. With their in-depth scouting network, working from a template in order to recruit players based on their attributes more than reputation they found Kevin Großkreutz Bundelsiga 2.

They have managed to capture Shinji Kagawa who was found in the J-league 2nd division, bought for just £300,000 he is proving to be a very shrewd piece of business. Kagawa is quick, mobile and creative and his performances this season in Gotze’s absence have been terrific.

The inclusion of Nuri Sahin, another youth product from their Academy had a vital impact on their title winning season. Deemed too slow by many, Klopp brought him back from his loan from Feyenoord and made him his playmaker, setting the tempo for the rest of the side. He scored four and assisted eight in the season and a move to Madrid was no surprise if you saw his performances and impact for this side.

The future is bright

After three years at Dortmund Klopp has taken them from 13th to Champions. With debt-reduction Dortmund's main aim, Klopp had to buy carefully and the championship-winning squad cost last season cost less than £5m to assemble. They didn't just win it, they did in style. In the end winning by seven points, yet at one stage the lead was thirteen. Although other teams around them had poor seasons, there was something about this Dortmund team which indicated a new force had awoke in Germany. And this season they are back on top again.

After a relatively slow start due to a focus on European competition they have improved and their form has overtaken the early leaders and seemingly uncatchable Bayern side. However, undefeated in the league since September 18th Dortmund have won 17 games since then, drawing four. The run has been quite astounding and has knocked Bayern back, currently Dortmund have a five point lead at the top.

The future looks bright for Klopp’s side also, he himself appears settled and talk linking him to other clubs appears very wide of the mark. Mario Gotze has just signed a new long term deal, which has surprised many. However, Dortmund are his home club side and those in England should not be so quick to assume that because of his talent he “must” move to the Premier League. He is still young and like Messi has shown, loyalty to the club who made you can often times be more beneficial.

Many examples of the “next big thing” have left at young ages to go abroad and have more than often flopped. A great example is Anderson at United, or Ricardo Qauresma who left Portugal too early. Gotze has struggled with injury this season and it may be better to wait for a few more seasons before leaving Dortmund. It is exciting times for the club, confirming already the return of another Dortmund youth product Marco Reus from the Bundesliga’s surprise package Monchengladbach.

Dortmund may be resigned to losing some of their players in the coming years, yet this is a compliment to the work they have done. Where before they were buying the talent for big sums, now teams are wanting theirs. This is a sustainable model for success, enabling profitable finances which keep the team safe. With the scouting system they have in place and a youth academy fit to rival many in the world, things look very good for Dortmund now. The Dortmund model is one for English clubs to learn from, it can be seen in the national team.

So what was the key?

The transformation that Klopp has achieved is nothing short of miraculous. This is a team who for the past decade has wallowed in mid table mediocrity, a victim of overspending and unsustainable growth. From 2004-2010 the team did not finish above 5th. It shows that with the right man in charge and a relationship between the youth academy and senior side, sustainable growth is possible.

The academy is impressive, situated next to the senior buildings there is a feeling of togetherness and a sense of German efficiency where you know that they are doing things right. The atmosphere is positive and their emphasis on education and patience is reflected in Mario Gotze, who at 17 was still pushed to finish his education. I wonder how many clubs in England would have the same mentality. The fact that they also have an Under 23 side indicates that they allow players to develop to their full maturity and not judging them at 14-16 like what happens here.

There have been significant factors to the rise of youth players in Germany. Firstly, they began opening up their citizenship laws and began to integrate more players from immigrant families. Mesut Ozil, Sami Khedira and Dortmund's Nuri Sahin are examples of those who come from Turkish descent.

Added to that the rules which the German FA have enforced from FIFA regarding the 6+5 rule and the evidence of sustainability and effective youth development is there. How many English youth players have Chelsea brought through in the past ten years, John Terry and now Josh Mceachran, is this good enough? And Arsenal, famed for their youth development, yet there has only been Ashley Cole, Kieran Gibbs, Jack Wilshere and now Yennaris who are English products brought through their Academy. It is only United who have the best reputation for developing home grown talent from the bigger sides, you have to look lower down the leagues to see clubs doing more; Southampton, Watford and Aston Villa have good reputations for developing first team players.Yet this is surely not enough?!

Sustainable future is the key

The current state of the global economy is rather unstable. The economy which once seemed solid and reliable is becoming increasingly fragile. From an economic point of view, acting responsibly and considering the consequences and implications of one’s decisions is obviously more important than ever. Therefore, the simultaneous striving for economic success and growth is a balancing act that presently poses a special challenge. The Bundesliga has been embracing it for years. It all shows the efficiency of the German model, one which we should aim to replicate in this country as much as possible. Is there talent in the lower leagues, of course there is.

The English Premier Average financial power compared to Bundesliga is amazing, revenues in the English league are £2.3 billion compared to Germany which is £1.7 billion. The money in England improved the sides during the past decade, yet the game has evolved and sides like Dortmund and Barcelona have shown that home grown talent can be more sustainable and can lead to more success than trying to do what Man City, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern have attempted in their “Galactico” projects.

The Bundesliga doesn’t have financial doping like Chelsea or Manchester City. The league is imbalanced in England due to these owners wealth. The average Bundesliga club has significantly less debt. And the average Bundesliga club has on average better youth players, which can save the clubs transfer fees and wages as young talent you produce has small contracts.

Dortmund had major financial issues at the turn of the century; they were quite simply on the verge of going out of business. They realised that a sustainable model of success was required for their survival and the modern economic climate. They invested in youth and improved their scouting network, it's worked out well for them and more and more clubs need to wake up to the fact a sustainable model will ensure stability and long term survival. A lesson for those in England who are right now enjoying a bubble which will inevitably burst.

Dortmund may have been forced into developing talent, yet they have seized their opportunity we both hands.The Dortmund model represents the changes that Germany took to make them great again. With a little help from the directors of Dortmund's youth team, Klopp has hand-crafted the team into what it is today. Dortmund have shown that with the right people in place, sustainable success is possible. Jurgen Klopp has nurtured and developed rising talent, showing that spending lots of money is not the only answer to success.

The Whitehouse Address is on Twitter @The_W_Address

0Comments

Why Germany is the best model for England to follow

4:39 AM | Labels: Dortmund, England, Germany, Youth Development

In the 2000 Euro championship’s England and Germany both failed dramatically with squads which were clearly inept. Changes needed to be made, problems needed to be addressed. The decisions made by the two countries differed and the consequences of those decisions are seen today.

What did England do to remedy the situation, we changed the manager. We didn’t believe that the players were at fault, we never do, it is always the manager who lacks the skills to win tournaments; either he is not motivating enough or not tactically good enough. Since then we have continued to fail, we have failed also to address the players deficiencies and those of the coaches in this country.

What the German FA did was different; they looked at why their team failed and believed there was not enough young players with the necessary quality to make the German national team great. So what did they do? They invested in youth development; they implemented guidelines to the German teams that there must be more work put in to developing youth, that Germany must produce better quality players.

Have they been successful? At the Under 21’s Euro’s in 2009 the German team showed the world that Germany had started to produce players for the future. They destroyed an average England in the final 4-0 and gave credence for the long term development plan put in place in 2000. At the 2010 World Cup England were shown up again by an excellent counter attacking team possessing fast, creative and clinical players in an organised German team which won 4-1, possessing players from that Under 21 side, most notably Ozil. They showed the world that Germany had developed players that would challenge for honours for the next decade.

As well as this there has been more teams developing youth than buying foreign talent. German champions Dortmund are a great example of side who have invested in youth and are seeing the benefits paying off. They were in dire financial conditions in the early 2000's and were forced as much as anything to develop youth. It has paid off splendidly; spending only £5 million last season they ran away with the league, with players from their Academy becoming top class players in Sahin and Gotze and with ex Academy star Marco Reus returning next year after doing excellently at Mönchengladbach this season, Dortmund have blended young stars with youth products have produced a potent attacking team.

It is a great example of German efficiency; a plan was put in place and through far sighted planning and co-operation between federations and clubs a new generation was produced. In the last decade both the national team and domestic clubs have benefited from an emphasis on youth development and nurturing potential stars.

What the Germans did.

What did they do that has made such an impact on German football? A good article in Sports Illustrated covered the improvements made in Germany all across the country. They required quality in facilities and coaching. They built 121 national talent centers in order to help 10- to 17-year-olds with technical practice. Each centre would employ two full-time coaches. The second key point was a new requirement for all 36 professional clubs in Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 to build youth academies.

In 2003/04 Germany had 44% foreign players playing the Bundesliga, they realised something needed to change. Today it is 38%, which means the Bundesliga has 62% of players playing each week who are able to play for the national team. In England the numbers are reversed.

The most significant change in Germany was insisting that in these new academies at least 12 players in each intake have to be eligible to play for Germany. The key difference to England is that in Germany the 6+5 rule means only players from Germany are eligible to play. In England the rule is any player from any nationality who has been trained and developed in the country is classed as home grown. Cesc Fabregas is a perfect example. What the German model enables is the home grown youth to play more, enabling more players to gain the necessary experience to improve..

It is no surprise then that Germany has more players, their rules enable them to develop a greater number. In Germany there is a very strong relationship and goal to develop youth. The Premier League is restricting England’s chances at achieving success because in the Pro game they are not being hard enough on clubs to develop home grown talent. The new EPPP plan may look to improve talent in England, however many people and many clubs have their doubts. Ultimately it comes down to what happens when these players get to the Pro game.

English clubs currently spend more than Germany each year on youth development, around £90 million per season, and put 10,000 boys aged between nine and 16 through a much-criticised structure designed by Howard Wilkinson in 1997. Yet, only about 1% of boys who join an English academy aged nine become professional footballers. This is not economical and clearly there is a problem which money cannot fix.

The problem with the English league is that there a lot of words and promises of a brighter future yet no governing body in total control of youth development. Too much fighting between the FA, Premier League and Football League has resulted in poor management and planning that has restricted the development of a larger pool of talented players. There is a short sightedness to the English development model which is restricting the long term development of players.

The top clubs and Premier League are doing a disservice to the English game by not creating more opportunities for clubs to develop talent. If every club was forced to play 6 English players weekly then the talent and quality will improve. Through selfish gain the owners and business men have marketed the Premier League to be the best and many have benefitted from the TV deals and high wages, yet it is the fans of the country who have lost out most. Each tournament creates a larger chasm between the best and England.

We must address the key issues that plague our game, from the quality of coaching in the foundation levels to the restrictions on the amount of English players in the pro game. The issues in the Pro game need to be addressed in order for more English players to gain experience in the top league, not on loan to the lower leagues. Compared to Germany we are lagging behind. A lack of communication and broken relationships between the clubs and governing bodies have restricted growth.

The National team

The game is always changing, new tactics and new styles of players are making the game faster and more tactical. Coaches need to adapt to these new changes in order to keep up and players need to be developed to suit this ever evolving game. Comparing England and Germany tactically is very interesting and shows again why Germany are further advanced.

German tactics in the last 12 years have evolved along with the ever changing game. Initially Klinsmann, the former Spurs and Bayern forward, wanted Germany to play an (idealized) version of Premier League football; a 4-4-2 system with attacking wide players, overlapping fullbacks and only one holding midfielder behind a box-to-box midfielder.

However, they found this formation to be flawed because the 4-4-2 was ill-equipped to deal with sides that had deep-lying shadow strikers or playmakers "between the lines" and also suffered from predictability. Under Joachim Löw a more fluid 4-2-3-1 system was adopted as it fitted with the current tactical trends involving false 9’s, deep lying 10’s and inside forwards from the wings. With the emergence of young talent like Ozil, Muller and now Gotze and Schurrle the formation suited fast, creative players who were given licence to attack quickly and with a fluidity which is not seen much in England.

There is a real attacking flair in the side which is supported by an organised and defensively strong base. The Germans adapted their style to suit the changes in the modern game. The players showed an understanding of a changing system and the ability to adapt; can we say the same about our players and teams? Today perhaps Man City resemble this tactic and it is not since Quieroz was assistant at United that a top team has played such fluid football. Until more teams adapt their styles to suit European and international football then we will not produce players who are good enough for this level.

Why is Germany the best model to replicate?

How successful is the youth model in Germany? Of the 23-man national squad in South Africa, 19 came from Bundesliga academies, with the other four from Bundesliga 2 academies. Of the current Germany squad there are 15 players under the age of 24, with players like Ozil established in the team and up and coming stars like Gotze, Reus and Schurrle already in the squad. Their centre back pairing are both 23 years old in Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng. It is a team capable of playing in the present and one built for the future.

Many people now want to play like Spain and Barcelona and of course this is desirable as their football is excellent. Spain’s success has come from addressing the root issues. It involved improving and educating coaches; educating them to expert level and having them go and work in training centres around the country. This meant it was not a few teams who benefitted but every child. Through this, standards improved, players developed more and after 20 years they have a successful national team and football culture whose foundations were built on expert coaching.

In our Academies the level of coaching is average, we require experts in order to lay strong foundations for young players. Spain and Holland have mastered this and their players are unquestionably technically better than ours. It is not rocket science, coaching is the answer.

Nevertheless, as good as Spain are we cannot look to emulate this side. Our cultures do not match, we are not like the Spanish or the Dutch. We can look to improve our coaching like they have done, yet we cannot try to be them, if we do we will fail. It is the German model of youth development and values that should underpin our development pathways.

England resembles Germany more than any other country in terms of style, attitude and characteristics. They have taken their organised, disciplined manner and added guile, creativity, agility and craft. The new EPPP is a model for better coaching and improved standards, yet it is changes in the Pro game which are required in order to allow potential England players opportunities to gain the experience necessary to improve. Until the governing bodies in England agree and enforce clubs to have more English players in their teams, then the national team will not improve.

Follow The Whitehouse Address at @The_W_Address

0Comments

FC BARCELONA

Popular Posts

Archives

Followers

The Remarkable Resurgence of Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund. A model of sustainability.

Why Germany is the best model for England to follow