Jurgen Klopp has recently drawn the ire of rival fans with his suggestion that Liverpool have the best set of English players of any team in the Premier League.
There was a caveat: the German acknowledged he was better acquainted with the players he watches train every day than those of other clubs – and, to be fair, you can’t really expect the manager of Liverpool to pass up an opportunity to throw some shade on his own team.
It does raise an interesting debate, though. The Reds are one of the few teams occupying a spot in the upper half of the Premier League with a solid contingent of English players. Better still, most of them are regulars in the starting line-up, instead of back-up options or quota-filling youngsters.
In defence, right-back Nathaniel Clyne is an automatic selection, the ex-Southampton player having been one of the club’s most consistent formers in the eighteen months since he swapped St Mary’s for Anfield.
James Milner is a solid if unspectacular utility man to whom a manager like Klopp – whose laissez-faire style of play can, at times, invite defensive fragility – is a huge asset. He’s disciplined, hard-working, and his recent run as a makeshift left-back shows he’s plenty versatile as well.
Captain Jordan Henderson, like Milner, is better known for his ability off the ball than on it. Those early Gerrard comparisons were unfortunate, but he is a valuable cog in the relentless Klopp machine.
It’s upfront where Liverpool’s English players have quality, not just the ability to run around a lot. Lallana has grown into a classy attacking midfielder under Klopp, the type of which English football does not produce many, and is quickly developing an eye for goal too.
Sturridge, perhaps the most gifted English player of his generation, is a conventional number nine working under a manager without the need for one – but that’s no slight on the former Chelsea man’s obvious quality.
Which other teams can really lay claim to this title? Chelsea and City share a handful of English players between them, while most of the homegrown players on United and Arsenal’s books fit more into the category of youngsters with a bright future than bona fide first teamers.
Tottenham may have a case, though. Mauricio Pochettino’s side were better represented among Roy Hodgson’s Euro 2016 squad than any of their rivals (although, to be fair, this wasn’t much of a claim to fame).
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In Harry Kane, Tottenham boast the first English player to win the Premier League’s Golden Boot in more than fifteen years, and while the striker endured a disappointing Euros, he is probably England’s first choice upfront when fit.
Behind him, the midfield duo of Eric Dier and Dele Alli are prone to moments of petulance, but at 22 and 20 respectively, have the time to grow into the players their meticulous coach needs.
Walker and Rose, meanwhile, are probably the best set of full-backs in the country, and without them Spurs would lose much of their offensive potency.
The verdict? Let’s compare them like for like. If you go by the form book, Kane has to get the nod ahead of Sturridge; Alli and Dier have a much higher ceiling than Lallana and Henderson; and Walker and Rose are – according to England’s managers – a better pair of full-backs than Clyne and Milner.
Sorry, Jurgen, but Spurs take this one.