World Cup: Germany highlight madness of England

Rio de Janeiro: Belo Horizonte — twinned with Malmo. Six of the German starring, starting XI against Brazil in that staggering World Cup semi-final also engaged in an equally ruthless destruction of England in the 2009 European Under-21 final in Sweden, events reflecting contrasting approaches and fortunes in youth development.

While the English have until recently been too slow and too dysfunctional to find sustained progression in talent identification and promotion, the Germans have raced ahead. Manuel Neuer, Benedikt Howedes, Jerome Boateng, Mats Hummels, Sami Khedira and Mesut Ozil all began in Malmo, ending the evening by donning T-shirts emblazoned with “Euro Heroes 2009”.

Even their wardrobe was well-prepared. Preparation is key. There are no instant panaceas that produce results as seismic as in Malmo or Belo Horizonte. Germany juniors’ 4-0 win over England was five years in the making; their seniors’ 7-1 destruction of Brazil was a decade in the planning.

When Germany failed to qualify for the knockout stages of Euro 2004, intelligent, patriotic individuals looked to rescue die Mannschaft.

Stepping in as Rudi Voller’s successor as national coach on July 24, 2004, Jurgen Klinsmann began the evolution, starting the journey that wound via Malmo to Belo Horizonte. Encouraged by Klinsmann, wise men at the Deutscher Fussball-Bund worked with the Bundesliga clubs to foster native talent, not duelling with the paymasters as the FA does with the all-powerful Premier League.

The “50 + 1” percentage rule keeps clubs in German hands, celebrating the home-grown. The Premier League attempts to nurture more English talent, and invests heavily in the new elite-focused EPPP (Elite Player Performance Plan) programme, but the percentage of foreigners grows by the season and the league enjoys its global marketability as the league of nations.

Klinsmann, his assistant Joachim Low, team manager Oliver Bierhoff, sporting director Matthias Sammer (from 2006-12) and all at the DF-B embarked on what Sammer termed “the long road towards success”.

They immediately began educating 20,000 school teachers to coach pupils. They backed schemes for the three to six age group to be more “physically active”. They founded hundred of training centres for the 11-17 age group. They established elite football schools from 2006.

They upgraded academies from 2007. They built for success. Klinsmann worked with club coaches to establish what style of football the national team should play, eventually reaching the conclusion of a fast, technical game, the type that so damaged Stuart Pearce’s Under-21s in Malmo, England’s seniors in Bloemfontein in 2010 and ripped Brazil to shreds in Belo Horizonte. Malmo was a sign of significant progress.

“The youth academies have been developing well in the last five or six years,” observed Per Mertesacker in Belo Horizonte. “It started off in 2009 when we won the Under-21 tournament. That was a real turning point.”

Players were also encouraged to hone their talent overseas, further maturing them as responsibility-takers. The DF-B was busy, scouring the immigrant communities, including the offspring of Turkish gastarbeiter such as Ozil and Khedira.

Against Spain in their opening game in 2009, only Neuer and Howedes of Horst Hrubesch’s starting XI had two German parents. Where did they consider home?

“The intention is that the DF-B will be their home,” reflected Bierhoff at the time. Bierhoff is a hugely influential figure, a powerful voice with a strong, winning playing background. The FA has nobody similar on its board.

Along with others, Bierhoff helped keep the new wave accelerating to Malmo, to Bloemfontein, to Belo Horizonte and soon rolling across the Copacabana towards Maracana on Sunday.

Continuity rules: continuity of commitment to youth, continuity of an attacking philosophy and continuity of personnel, creating a pathway as seen with the boys of Malmo coming of age in Belo Horizonte.

There has been continuity of leaderships, with Low stepping up to follow Klinsmann. People call what the Germans are doing joined-up thinking, linking the assorted parts of the game for a common purpose. It is really just grown-up thinking, the type too often too absent in the club-v-country realm of the Premier League. The remarkable element to Germany is that they have undergone this transformation while still progressing in tournaments, a tribute to their strong mindset. “We have two excellent players for every position,” said Mertesacker.

Some emerged in Malmo, prompting Hrubesch to declare: “This win shows that the great cooperation between the German FA, the clubs and the Bundesliga is being repaid right now with the tremendous young players we have.”

For those of us present in Sweden, Germany’s gathering menace was clear, while all of England’s limitations — technical, tactical, managerial and strategic — were exposed. Germany’s No. 10 was Ozil, who controlled the game, creating the first and scoring the second from 35 yards. England’s No. 10 was Mark Noble, willing but limited at international level.

Only one of England’s starting XI graduated to the 2014 World Cup squad, James Milner, who struggles for a place at Manchester City. Joe Hart was suspended for the final. Indiscipline also cost England the striking services of Fraizer Campbell and Gabby Agbonlahor. Theo Walcott started up front on his own. At least he has trained on, albeit hampered by injury.

Adam Johnson has allowed a potentially fulfilling career to wander. Jack Rodwell’s rich promise was stymied by his decision to move to City where he has sat on the bench or in the stands. Young English players need to consider game-time as well as financial rewards.

In fairness to the FA and the leagues, England are beginning to develop some excellent prospects, but the inflated valuation of Luke Shaw at £30 million (Dh188 million) makes him appear far more advanced in his development than he really is.

Raheem Sterling is still a work in progress. The development of young English players is not assisted by their cosseting by the FA, and officials’ unctuous attitude created by a fear of clubs. Players have to start taking criticism and taking responsibility as well as taking the praise and the money. It would help if some ventured overseas, learning to look after themselves more. England need to develop more home-grown managers as well as players.

Roy Hodgson retains his job because there are few high-class alternatives. England’s managerial inadequacies were also seen on the bench in Malmo. Pearce was truculence personified, being stroppy with Hrubesch before the game and almost confronting Sebastian Boenisch during it. His loyal assistant, Steve Wigley, defended his antics afterwards saying: “It’s not like the lunatics running the asylum.” It just often seems that way with England. The madness of St George is highlighted further by Germany’s sane, successful strategy.