World Cup success in hands of FA and Prem

I still maintain that if Lampard's goal had stood (Uruguayans haven't made a great name for themselves this World Cup with crap refs and cheating strikers) then it would have made a different second half between England and Germany and we could have gone on to sneak a win. The fact remains however that even though we were unlucky, we were well beaten by an experienced, skillful and pacey German side; faster than a Stephen Gerrard upper cut and with goals that Emile Heskey can only dream of scoring. Obviously the post match analysis blamed Capello, the formation and the desire of the players...but why is it that this young German side looked so comfortable against a team of apparently world beaters?

For starters, the Premier League must use a quota whereby each club must have a certain amount of home-grown players in the squad. Many young English players are missing out on the chance to gain match experience and play at a high level due to the large number of foreign players. Last September, Premier League Chief, Richard Scudamore announced that all Premiership clubs, from next season, have agreed to new rules on home-grown players where at the end of each transfer window every club must name at least 8 players who have been registered with English or Welsh clubs for at least 3 seasons between the ages of 16 and 21. The Football league have followed suit but with 10 home-grown players per club.

Scudamore said 'It will encourage youth development and the promotion of young players'. A recent survey showed that English clubs employ the highest proportion of expatriate players with 59.2% coming from abroad.The Bundesliga has had a quota for several seasons now which has seen German players play league and Champions League football regularly at a young age therefore giving them confidence and experience.

A similar area where the Premier League can learn from the Bundesliga is the financial situation of its clubs. In Germany, a club is not allowed to start the season if it is in debt, therefore reducing the number of big-money foreign signings and encouraging the development of players through the youth system. This in turn contributes to the quota and ultimately saves the club money. Due to this, the Bundesliga has overtaken the Premier League as the most profitable league. A report has shown that while the Premierships revenues are £1.98billion (£500million greater than the Bundesliga) its operating profit was half that of the top German league. As a consequence, youngsters are developing faster than in England and the extra profit can be pumped back into the system to find rising stars.

When I wasn't screaming at the television, I couldn't help but notice during the match how suited the German players were to their formation...or rather, how suited the formation was to them. With their 4-2-3-1, Oezil is allowed pick the ball up and run at goal with options in the form of Klose, Podolski and Schweinsteiger (where Gerrard should have been). Schweinsteiger (who was awesome against Argentina) was able to skip through our static 4-4-2 with ease (where Lampard should have been) and Klose playing up by himself could make runs and shoot first time (where Rooney should have been). With a talented squad, Joachim Low showed how important it is to chose a formation that suits the players you have and not the kind of football you want them to play (hope you're making notes Fabio!)

The Germans are so dangerous when they counter attack, as England found out in the second half and this is partly due to the clinical finishing of Miroslav Klose. The Bayern Munich striker had an awful season scoring just 3 goals however he already has 4 in this tournament and represents the importance of having a proven international striker. England's best World Cup in recent years in 1990 saw Gary Lineker win the Goldent Boot. Klose, before this tournament, had 10 goals in 2 World Cups...Rooney now has 0 goals in 2 World Cups.

Germany lost to Spain in the semi-finals but represent the kind of team England could have if the English Leagues change their rules and the team is managed with the players in mind. That quarter final showed us what the England team could look like in four years time when this 'Golden generation' have moved on...we'd be fools not to take note.