Is it the fault of the Premier League?

[Cochise]

I could look into the percentage of the bottom 7 sides on another day and with a little bit of time the cost of non elite national players in those leagues, though where I'd start I'm not sure.

As I said in my final paragraph I don't lay the blame for the condition of the national team solely at the feet of the Premier League, as I do recognise there are many problems which have lead us to this point. I do however believe that they are a part of the problem.

As for the national style question. Well that's a subject for a different thread. The problem likely comes from the diversity of the teams in the league. 442, 433, 352, 4231 and 451 are all on display and some players will always have to learn a new system. Growing up I always remember us as a solid 442 team, with two wingers and two strikers. Shearer and Sheringham for years, Owen and Heskey after that and then combinations involving Crouch, Rooney, Owen and Defoe. Somewhere along the line we realised that a two man midfield struggles in the major tournaments and have been flitting between different ideas ever since.

 

[Mr_B]

its nothing to do with the PL which is only interested quite rightly in developing a profitable product that can be marketed domestically and internationally. There are less qualified coaches in england than any other country of comparable size in europe, coaching is very dated still, kids take part in games too much when there's not enough emphasis on developing the skills like passing and ball control.
It doesnt help that hardly any english players play abroad, travel broadens the mind and exposes player to different systems and ways of playing, its no surprise England do so poorly in international tournaments when they only know one way of playing, the hustle and bustle of the PL.