In a recent radio interview Paul Scholes was asked to describe the relationship between players from rival clubs within the England camp; to which he bluntly replied `there was no love lost`. The ginger prince has become rather loquacious in the past few months, it`s funny how retirement can loosen a players tongue. But we should be grateful that former United man is willing to put his two cents in, for his views are insightful and thought provoking.
It must be stressed that Scholes was talking about his own tenure in the national team, and there is no guarantee that his comments are indicative of the current state of affairs. However if we were to believe his point of view and assume this veiled tension still exists within the England camp it could explain a few things.
If I had a pound for every time an England performance was described as a `group of strangers thrown together` I would be richer than David Beckham. The England team over the last decade has rarely given off a vibe of great unity and team spirit. Rather an embattled and tense air has hung around the national team in recent times. Perhaps the rivalry between the clubs has played a part in this and prevented the players from forging the bonds of unity needed to prosper in major tournaments.
The increasing prominence of the club game allied to the emergence of the Champions league has diminished the importance of the International scene. English players have constantly been accused of putting club before country, and Scholes comments may indicate these criticisms are not entirely unfounded. Gary Neville has admitted he always put United first whilst Scholes early retirement made it as clear as day where his priorities lay.
Jamie Carragher`s admission that he would rather miss a penalty for England than Liverpool was laudable for its honesty but despairing for its truth. Clubs like United and Liverpool often build a siege mentality around themselves and therefore it is difficult for players to shake off this mindset when playing for England.
Perhaps the most obvious parallel to draw is with the Spanish national team. For years they were beset by difficulties borne out of the Barca-Madrid rivalry whereby players from both clubs would sit separately and barely utter a syllable to each other. Spain was described as a `country of nations` with too many dividing factions and ideologies to be successful at tournaments.