What you say about Defensive Work Rate where do you get that view? English people, along with pretty much any other country, love a player who can defend because it's required in football to be able to defend, so saying Parker is all heart and no talent is IMO wrong because being able to last a full game making decent blocks and tackles is a talent in itself wouldn't you say? To suggest that it isn't is in effect questioning if any other the worlds best defenders have any talent whatsoever. But in the Premier League I'd say people also value the attacking players just as much if not more, players like Rooney at United, Silva at City, Mata at Chelsea and Modric at Tottenham as well as the Out and Out strikers such as Van Persie of Arsenal are important because they create and score goals which again is needed in football.
The reason many don't rate Arshavin (IMO) in England is because after the impressive start he made he faded out fast and then struggled physically to keep up with the EPL, he couldn't influence the game (yeah that possibly the 433 restriction) and the fact the system didn't work for him and so he stopped trying to work for the system. The way he played yesterday showed a glimpse of hope for him, and I'd low to see him in that form in the prem (coming from a United fan) because I love any player who can run a game, or score goals.
Arshavin has bags of quality that's undeniable, but as I sai he began to struggle and he didn't help himsel by coming in and scoring 4 as Liverpool settin the bar so high! :L
Defending is of course crucial and as important as attacking flare (although the attacking side of the game steals the headlines). And in that England has a solid unit, players like Lescott, Cahill (now he's out sadly) and Cashley Cole are top defenders. But if you look upfront, this team will always struggle to score. Rooney is the only one who's truly gifted and ready for the big stage (Ox and Welbeck are very promising but they're still lightweight).
I guess what I'm trying to say is that your attacking players are burdened with this culture of defensive duties. England loves industry, and this is expected from all 11 players even the centre forward. I mean, you cannot have the best of both worlds, this is very difficult to find.
My example of Scott Parker is how I illustrate this culture of praising the effort (which is only fair) but to overlook another quite important element in the game: what else does that player bring to the team?
Stamina and blocks and tackles alone are not enough I think. In modern football if you're a holding midfielder you have to check all these boxes and offer more.
To be honest, I don't even think Parker is that great at what he does. Many will point out to the fact that the diving tackles and blocks he does are due to poor positioning in the first place. I started noticing this and found myself agreeing. He finishes the match all covered in mud from sliding on the ground
but you see other players that are at least equally effective who don't need to dive in front of the ball all the time, because they got their positioning sorted.
Modern football demands players in that position to bring something else to the game, look at Yaya Toure's offensive contributions, look at Alex Song's assists.
To me that's ok, he's ok, I don't have anything personal against Parker. But I just can't understand the hype around him. And there lies the contrast that puzzles me: an average at best player gets lots of praise and a talented foreign attacker who's been played out of position gets all that stick from media pundits and fans. His own fans!
But going back to the English players: the hype and attention they get, the price tags on them (and salaries) has got them in a comfort zone. Some guys in this England squad think they're untouchable, but they wouldn't make the cut on many European 23-men selections.
Talent is out there, I think England can improve a lot in the future, but the mentality being so focused on defense makes it difficult for the emerging talents to turn into strikers full of offensive flair. The attacking talent has not been nurtured in the right way IMO.
The booing of players like Arshavin by his own fans comes to show that the average fan cannot acknowledge that in football there must be space for specialists, guys who are extremely good in one thing (creating) and very poor in another (defending). Arshavin as a no.10 playmaker receives top marks IMO. Special talent requires a bit of freedom.
So under these circumstances and the way the game is played in England, culturally, English players are developed to be all round players, but most end up being flat, not excelling in anything in particular. That's the way I see this England team for years now. It's flat. Look at that midfield, there's not enough creativity and guys who are only suited to play a straight line of 4.
With more foreign stars in the Prem, one would think this approach would change, they would be more influenced by continental style, but this is not happening. This right now is one of England's most boring sides ever
) Some of the titles Chelsea won, would have been Arsenals at that time.
