- England
England players can adapt to technical style - Rooney
Wayne Rooney believes English players have the ability to play a more technical brand of football, citing Everton manager Roberto Martinez as an influence.
England have been in the spotlight as Football Association chairman Greg Dyke seeks to address the problems that have led to the decline of the country's national team, and many feel that young English players are not taught to retain possession in the manner of Spain and Germany.
Rebuilding England: Club Focus
- With safe passage to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil still yet to be secured going into the final two qualifiers, all week long ESPN FC are exploring England's dwindling number of homegrown stars in the Premier League in a series of features that explain the problem, the current climate and the way forward:
- Lomas: Time to pluck the golden goose?
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- Brewin: England stuck in the middle
However, Martinez has introduced a greater emphasis on passing football at Everton since replacing David Moyes in the summer, and Rooney says that shows the players are capable of adapting.
"You look at what Martinez has done at Everton in terms of style of football which they used to play compared to what they play now - there are a lot of English players who have adapted to that," he said.
"Why can't the younger players do that? I am sure [the FA] will be looking at everything and coming up with the best decision."
There are also concerns that young English players are not given first-team football by Premier League clubs, but Rooney said: "I always believed if there are players who are good enough, they will play: Ross Barkley, Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain."
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Premier League 2020/21
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City | 38 | 27 | 5 | 6 | +51 | 86 |
| 2 | Man United | 38 | 21 | 11 | 6 | +29 | 74 |
| 3 | Liverpool | 38 | 20 | 9 | 9 | +26 | 69 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 38 | 19 | 10 | 9 | +22 | 67 |
| 5 | Leicester | 38 | 20 | 6 | 12 | +18 | 66 |
| 6 | West Ham | 38 | 19 | 8 | 11 | +15 | 65 |
| 7 | Tottenham | 38 | 18 | 8 | 12 | +23 | 62 |
| 8 | Arsenal | 38 | 18 | 7 | 13 | +16 | 61 |
| 9 | Leeds | 38 | 18 | 5 | 15 | +8 | 59 |
| 10 | Everton | 38 | 17 | 8 | 13 | -1 | 59 |
| 11 | Aston Villa | 38 | 16 | 7 | 15 | +9 | 55 |
| 12 | Newcastle | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | -16 | 45 |
| 13 | Wolves | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | -16 | 45 |
| 14 | Crystal Pal | 38 | 12 | 8 | 18 | -25 | 44 |
| 15 | Southampton | 38 | 12 | 7 | 19 | -21 | 43 |
| 16 | Brighton | 38 | 9 | 14 | 15 | -6 | 41 |
| 17 | Burnley | 38 | 10 | 9 | 19 | -22 | 39 |
| 18 | Fulham | 38 | 5 | 13 | 20 | -26 | 28 |
| 19 | West Brom | 38 | 5 | 11 | 22 | -41 | 26 |
| 20 | Sheff United | 38 | 7 | 2 | 29 | -43 | 23 |
