Southgate’s fears over ‘shrinking pool’
LESS than a third of players in this season’s Premier League so far have been English – backing up Gareth Southgate’s warning over his dwindling options.
England manager Southgate admitted last week that ‘I can’t rule out players in the Championship’ – Stoke goalkeeper Jack Butland fits that description in the current squad – ‘as our pool is getting smaller and smaller’.
And research shows that just over 30 per cent of top-flight playing time so far this season has gone to players eligible for the national team.
With four games played, the total Premier League playing time available so far is 79,200 minutes excluding stoppage time – 90 minutes each for 22 players in 40 matches. English players have played for 24,053 minutes – or 30.4 per cent of the overall total.
In terms of players selected in a team’s matchday squad, 446 of the 1,440 places available so far have gone to English players.
Southgate said: “The financial power of the Premier League has a big impact, as does the precarious nature of managers in the top flight.”
It is perhaps no coincidence then that the only two teams to give English players more than 2,000 minutes of football – excluding stoppage time – are Burnley and Bournemouth.
The two teams have well-set and well-respected English managers in Sean Dyche and Eddie Howe.