Germany Are In Fashion But England Must Not Forget Its Football Identity, Says Gary Neville: The Nightly EPL

Opinionated pundit Gary Neville is back with his weekly column in The Sunday Mail. Today he writes about how England must not forget is football identity. If you’re a football supporter, it’s an informative read.

For example, Neville discusses how Bayern Munich’s formation that beat Barcelona on Wednesday was straight out of an old school English coaching manual.

“As far as English football is concerned, the German system is as near to our game as we’re going to get in terms of the strength, power, intensity and high tempo. And what Wednesday night’s performance tells you is that with energy, organization and structure — all of which are English characteristics — you can achieve plenty.

Neville closes his opinion piece, by stating:

“It is the time of year when we start trying to find a new footballing identity for our country. Last year Athletic Bilbao beat Manchester United and we needed to be Spaniards. This year, the Bundesliga prevails and we must be Germans.

“But we should maintain perspective. The reality is the quality of the players is paramount in deciding a game, rather than the tactics.

“England need to develop their own football identity but we should embrace what is good from abroad while maintaining faith in our own determination, discipline and work-rate. Ironically, it might have taken two German teams to remind us of that.”

Mark my words, Gary Neville will be the manager of England someday in the future. He has a greater vision of what’s good about the England game and how to adapt elements of the foreign game that can enhance England’s chance. The future looks bright for England with Neville involved on the coaching staff.

Here are tonight’s Premier League news headlines:

• Germany are in fashion but England must not forget its football identity — The Mail
• Ferguson says he has no intention of retiring as Manchester United boss — BBC Sport
• Sir Alex Ferguson ready to welcome José Mourinho back to Chelsea — The Guardian
• Wigan’s Jean Beausejour may miss the FA Cup final after injuring a hamstring — BBC Sport
• Will he stay or will he go? Everton’s David Moyes keeps us guessing — The Guardian
• Michu has played his last game of the season due to a hamstring injury — YouTube
• ‘The way we play, we need to enjoy ourselves’: Wigan prepare for FA Cup Final — Independent
• VIDEO: Hull celebrate after promotion drama — BBC Sport
• Rodgers insists his side are still Merseyside’s top team ahead of derby at Anfield — Telegraph
• Martin Jol insisted his side are not safe from relegation after their fourth defeat — Sky Sports
• The Liverpool mosaic thanking Everton for their support over Hillsborough — 101GG
• Liverpool FC begin talks with Steven Gerrard over new contract — Liverpool Echo
• Man United fans forced to move to make way for 3D cameras — The Mail
• Sir Alex Ferguson says he has no plans to sell any of his key players — The Telegraph
• Jose Enrique says he has only met two Everton fans — The Mail
• Sick radio comment by Stuart Hall now haunts the BBC — Daily Express
• FA Cup Final Day – ITV-style (Part 1) — The Football Attic
• Liverpool v Everton: David Moyes fears for the future of Merseyside football — The Telegraph
• Jonathan Pearce dyes hair blond after losing QPR bet — The Mail
• Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck falling short following early promise — The Telegraph
• Criticism of hospital in handling Hillsborough — The Independent

The Nightly EPL is tomorrow’s news today. It’s often tomorrow morning’s British newspaper headlines that are published the night before. We do all the work for you, combing the Internet and aggregating the news for you. Read The Nightly EPL on EPL Talk every night before bed, so you can stay on top of all the news that matters.