Are Liverpool becoming the new Arsenal?

Castolo

For the past six or so years the conventional wisdom about Arsene Wenger's selection policy is that it favours overseas talent to the extent that almost no British players can be seen near the Emirates on a match day. However, they may soon be joined in the Anglo-free zone stakes by Liverpool.

Benitez's matchday squads in their last two fixtures:

Liverpool’s Premier League squad vs Stoke:
Reina, Arbeloa, Carragher, Skrtel, Dossena, Kuyt, Gerrard,
Alonso, Riera (Babel 65), Keane (Benayoun 73), Torres.
Subs Not Used: Cavalieri, Agger, Mascherano, Leiva Lucas, Degen.

Liverpool’s shadow squad vs Crewe in the Carling Cup:
Cavalieri, Degen (Carragher 73), Hyypia, Agger, Insua, Pennant, Leiva
Lucas, Plessis, El Zhar (Keane 87), Babel, Ngog (Torres 66).
Subs Not Used: Gulacsi, Dossena, Alonso, Skrtel.

So there we have it – a grand total of 3 British players in Benitez's main and shadow squad. For years people have complained about Arsene Wenger’s supposedly ‘anti-English’ policy which a few years ago led to Arsenal fielding a squad in the league without a single homegrown player for the first time ever.

It now appears that the Rafalution (long time since I heard that word) is chuntering towards an almost exclusively non-British set of players. But will they be constantly criticised by the Daily Mail columnists like Arsenal have been all these years, I wonder?

With Pennant surely soon to be shipped out to a mid-table PL side, and Carragher a few seasons away from the knackers yard, we may end up with a Liverpool team with one English player in it’s squad: Gerrard. This does not bode well for Manuel's inflated cousin if FIFA's 6+5 rule is implimented. He'll have to delve into his less than impressive reserves of homegrown talent to make up the numbers.

Contrast this with that 'great French outpost' in North London:

Arsenal’s Premier League squad vs Blackburn:
Almunia, Sagna, Toure, Gallas, Clichy (Djourou 46), Eboue (Ramsey
85), Fabregas, Song Billong, Denilson, Adebayor, Bendtner (Walcott 73).
Subs Not Used: Fabianski, Van Persie, Vela, Gibbs

Arsenal’s shadow squad vs Sheff Utd in the Carling Cup:
Fabianski, Hoyte, Djourou, Song Billong (Lansbury 70), Gibbs,
Randall, Ramsey, Merida (Coquelin 71), Wilshere, Bendtner (
Simpson 71), Vela.
Subs Not Used: Mannone, Emmanuel-Thomas, Ogogo, Frimpong.

And yes, Ogogo and Frimpong are English. Clearly Wenger has a great deal more faith in young homegrown players than Benitez.

Admittedly, there are some foreign players not on these squad sheets due to injury, but crucially, Benitez had all of his British players available for selection against Crewe, yet only two made the cut (Carra and Pennant). And considering Carragher and Gerrard’s fervent ‘Scouse first, English second’ identities, one might even consider Pennant as the sole Brit getting a look in at Liverpool. (If the other homegrown players can’t even make the bench for a Carling Cup tie then they have as much chance as putting on a Liverpool shirt in the near future as Dirk Kuyt winning the Ballon D’or.)

As for us and Chelsea, a simple glance at the Champions League final squads tell you everything about the British representation here (for you, Mr Platini)

Man Utd: Van der Sar, Brown (Anderson 120), Ferdinand, Vidic,
Evra, Hargreaves, Scholes (Giggs 87), Carrick,
Ronaldo, Tevez, Rooney (Nani 101).
Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, O'Shea, Fletcher, Silvestre.

Chelsea: Cech, Essien, Carvalho, Terry, Ashley Cole, Ballack,
Makelele (Belletti 120), Lampard, Joe Cole (Anelka 99), Drogba,
Malouda (Kalou 92).
Subs Not Used: Cudicini, Shevchenko, Obi, Alex.

Excluding Neville, Campbell, Foster, Simpson, Wellbeck, Evans, A Moose, Bridge and Sinclair. SWP has since left for a massive club.

Sorry Rafa, I’m not buying your argument that young British players lack the skill and technique to master the innovative brand of attractive football that Anfield has been treated to under your stewardship. Whatever the reason, they’re being slowly filtered out of Liverpool, a club that from some angles are indeed transforming into the new Arsenal.

Raven_Blade

I would have to agree with you. They are experiencing a foreign invasion these days. However the quality in youth between both teams is not comparable.

Dippersripper

He can't even use the overpriced excuse, he spent almost 200 million. The problem is clearly with Rafa. He could've easily signed a decent British player instead of Kuyt for 12 million. Although, he can turn any decent player into a headless chicken no matter where they come from.

kouroux

Who matter the most ,british or english players ?

GAngel

Robbie keane

Murphman

Hmmm In recent times Liverpool have a fantastic record in the FA Youth Cup but I think Arsenal may be closer than you intimate.

I agree by the way it's a feckin disgrace and ultimately the game in England will suffer.

Castolo

It's because of this reason I'm in favour of a quota on English players, even if it's only 3 or 4 in the starting lineups. Something must be done.

The Hairdryer

Easy option really.

How about scrapping the way kids are coached and developed in this country and start again with the focus on ball control and skill, rather than the getting stuck in and putting yourself about long ball outdated ethos?

hotshot2004

i headr somewhere that Arsene wenger does not like English player because they cannot play the ball on the ground. all of they want to play long ball.

What a load of shit. lot of players play short 1-2 pass game!!

Donado

Why are Gibbs and Ramsey not highlighted from our CC team?

Christofaux

Because it would look like we have too many british players.

Also i always forget with the irelands... is Keane considered british?

lem8sh

No

Donado

Yes I think so.

cesc's_mullet

Seriously, how the fuck did this guy get promoted?

Someone needs to be held accountable for this. Please explain.

noodlehair

All players should have names like this

Sonny Feehan

This is not intended as knock at Liverpool but I don't think the youth cup is such a positive indicator for the future as it used to be as many of the best players are out on loan or, like Arsenal, are in the first team squad and may not be risked in the youth team. Gone are the days when someone like George Best could play for Ireland, United 1st team, and the youth team in the same week.

Count Duckula

No it's because they'd already been highlighted as British players in the previous squad. No need to count them twice.

Notice Carragher didn't get highlighted a second time, either. The point is how many Brits are in the squads overall, not in each squad.

(Oh, and I don't think the OP is pushing an anti-Arsenal agenda here -- he's clearly saying Arsenal are actually fielding more British talent than we give them credit for, and it's Liverpool who aren't.)

Count Duckula

I heard it was you, cesc, when you were on one of your mushroom binges. I'd keep schtum unless you want people to start probing into your history. And we all know there's skeletons back there that nobody wants dug up.

cesc's_mullet

........ I wasn't digging no grave out in me yard that other night, honest, it was just my new 'sex-ditch' that I like to throw myself into.

Christofaux

Makes sense.

Carragher and pennant are the new Hoyte and pre 2008 Walcott... only worse.

Castolo

Don't understand why lots of people rate Carragher so poorly. Granted, this is a United forum, and I'll concede he does have a obvious lack of technical skills, but he must be doing something right to be marshalling one of the Champions League's most watertight defences in recent years.

Christofaux

Hesway over rated thats why, we just bring the rating back down to earth. He would also give a penalty a game away if referees wern't scared of him.

Murphman

The main point of a youth team for the big clubs is to produce loads of Stephen Warnock's and Kieron Richardson's , not quite good enough but moving on for a few million quid, nice business. Has anybody in the big 4 brought through a REALLY top player like Giggs or Gerrard in the last 5 years?

vijay

Maintaining the core with britis- The ethic these days hold value only to some deluded cretins like Keagen or a Pardew who still use their fingers to count as even premiership clubs outside top four dont make it as a mantra.

As for England they must try and win Under 20 WC playing proper football, holding and stringing passes to gether than lumping things over the top, probably hiring some top coach from Ajax. Roping in Capello to manage the senoir team is like applying a bandaid to the bullet wound. I can see it lasting long.

vijay

Man Utd: Van der Sar, Brown (Anderson 120), Ferdinand, Vidic,
Evra, Hargreaves, Scholes (Giggs 87), Carrick,
Ronaldo, Tevez, Rooney (Nani 101).
Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, O'Shea, Fletcher, Silvestre

As for United who are those brits remotedly good enough to replace Giggs or Scholes if they both retire say in couple of seasons. Nani might replace Giggs and we wont get a player of Scholes calibre unless we shell out £30M + somewhere in Spain or Italy. Even Simpson has only a 50-50 chance of replacing Gary Neville. Hargreaves the lesser we talk about him the better...We dont really have talented brits waiting on the wings to take over...why bother prattling about others?

Count Duckula

Even if you discount the players over thirty we still have Ferdinand, Carrick, Brown and Rooney who are all first team players, with Campbell, Welbeck and Evans all bright youths prospects.

That's not forgetting players like Hargreaves, Fletcher and Foster who might still get a reasonable amount of games each season.

vijay

We were fleeced around £77M to acquire three out of those four players, and Rio was deemed worth only after he completed five full seasons at United.. Not sure any other club can shell out such obscene money just to maintain an English core although the players are top notch.