• Striker will not feature in European group stages
• Paraguayan has scored just four goals since £18m move

Roque Santa Cruz's peripheral existence at Manchester City continued today when the club announced that he has not been included in their Europa League squad.

Santa Cruz was excluded from City's 25-man squad for the qualifying ties against Timisoara last month and the injury-troubled striker has missed the cut again for the first group phase.

Robinho's departure to Milan had opened up a place but the manager, Roberto Mancini, wanted to include James Milner following his arrival from Aston Villa and also had to adhere to guidelines stipulating that a certain number of homegrown players were involved.

Santa Cruz has been included in City's Premier League squad but has scored only four goals since joining them in an £18m move from Blackburn Rovers 15 months ago, and the Paraguayan came close to signing for Lazio on loan before the transfer window closed last week.

Uefa, announcing the Europa League squads on their official website this morning, had omitted the names of Milner and Mario Balotelli but have subsequently admitted this was an administrative error on their part.

Manchester City Europa League group stage squad

Given, Taylor, Hart, Richards, Bridge, Kompany, Zabaleta, Kolarov, Boateng, Lescott, Kolo Touré, Logan, M Johnson, Milner, Wright-Phillips, A Johnson, Barry, Vieira, De Jong, Yaya Touré, Adebayor, Silva, Jô, Tévez, Balotelli

Fabio Capello's team in Switzerland owed more to the likes of Shrewsbury and Sheffield United than the Premier League's elite academies

Take out the minor detail of the world and European titles Spain have won in the last two years and Manchester City could claim to be England's Barcelona in Basle on Tuesday night, supplying six of the 11 who finished the 3-1 victory over Switzerland: among them, the inexplicably ubiquitous Shaun Wright-Phillips.

City fans derive great comfort from the enduring English flavour of their squad. But as attitude and demeanour regain their rightful influence in Fabio Capello's operation, the eye falls first on those who have fought their way in from beyond the gated community of the Premier League's top four or five. Of the 11 who extended the gains of a 4-0 win over Bulgaria only Ashley Cole (Arsenal trainee) and Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) were graduates of the four clubs who habitually filled the Champions League spots over the last 10 years.

This reversal of conventional wisdom is startling. In the Sven-Goran Eriksson era non-Champions League regulars must have considered it pointless to apply. A theory grew that only a side drawn from Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal could hope to match the world's best in international action. The idea was that regular midweek trips to Madrid and Milan worked like a finishing school for English players who were behind the best Europeans in the skills league.

There was a flaw in this generally sensible policy. Champions League players are the ones most likely to be running on empty by the time tournaments come round, and are more likely than, say, Phil Jagielka, to have had their fill of hype-driven all-time-biggest galactic clashes. In South Africa, the analysis turned inexorably to the hunger of the average English household name: his willingness to regard international football as the drama that would shape his career, his life.

England's team in Basle was hardly a relegation-threatened XI, but beneath the attachments to Manchester City, Arsenal and Spurs lies a story of humble starts and upward mobility. The Football League can pop a cork to see so many players who started out below the supposed Harvard and Yale of the big Premier League academies.

Joe Hart will be the poster boy for goalkeepers at 72 non-Premier League clubs. England's new No1 started at Shrewsbury Town and was loaned to Tranmere, Blackpool and Birmingham before displacing Shay Given at City and Robert Green and David James for his country. Joleon Lescott was lifted by Everton's David Moyes from Wolves, then in the Championship, while Phil Jagielka, his central defensive partner, spent eight seasons at Sheffield United before becoming another inspired Moyes recruit.

In Glen Johnson and Jermain Defoe, Capello drew on the great West Ham talent wave that also produced Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand and Joe Cole. That trio, who seek readmission to Capello's inner circle, are further down fame's road and are among those now being challenged to show that pulling on an England jersey is more than an onerous interruption to big Premier and Champions League assignments.

Elsewhere on the team-sheet, Theo Walcott came through Southampton's nursery, Adam Johnson is a sparkling advertisement for Middlesbrough's youth policy, James Milner first made his name at Leeds, Gareth Barry can trace roots back to Brighton and Hove Albion and Darren Bent, who scored England's third, was discovered and polished by Ipswich Town. Even Defoe had his spell in the provinces, scoring 18 times in 29 outings for Bournemouth.

As so much of England's support stems from small-town England it pleases to see the country's strong local traditions so well represented in a national team that might have become a Top Four ensemble. The reason the biggest clubs have lost some of their influence may be the increasing globalisation of their youth squads. Manchester United, Chelsea and (of course) Arsenal pursue a corporate tactic of hooking the world's best young players, regardless of nationality. Where they see a title-winning talent further down their own league they pounce. Wayne Rooney to Manchester United and James Milner and Adam Johnson to City are recent examples.

When Capello gave thanks for the "freshness" of this side he was talking legs and lungs. England are an autumn team who should lobby for all tournaments to be moved to the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness. From September to November 2008 notable results included beating Croatia 4-1 (away), Kazakhstan 5-1, Belarus 3-1 (away) and Germany 2-1 in Berlin. Twelve months ago Croatia were crushed 5-1 at Wembley and Belarus slapped 3-0 in the final World Cup qualifier.

But there is a more spiritual dimension to this minor upswing. By accident (aka retirements, and injuries to Ferdinand, Lampard and Terry), Capello has been forced to elevate players who emerged outside the five-star Premier League academies, who want to work and are not yet infected with the old fatalism and fear.

• Defender assumed his time was up at end of April
• Veteran aware that this season could yet be his last

Gary Neville has admitted he thought his career was coming to an end at the end of April this year. Although his fellow veterans Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes had already agreed new one-year contracts at Manchester United, Neville was still waiting to hear whether Sir Alex Ferguson still wanted him.

At 35, the former England full-back had long since stopped worrying about such matters. Yet, as the realisation of what was coming suddenly dawned, he confirmed his feeling that life was about to change.

"I turned round during training one morning and said 'I have three games to go at Manchester United'," said Neville. "I had not spoken to the club and I genuinely felt it could be the last three weeks.

"The club didn't owe me anything and I was more than happy. I was enjoying myself. In some ways, my best football came in a period I thought I was just going to enjoy."

Neville's form was so good at the time that there was even talk of a call into Fabio Capello's World Cup squad. However the England manager never got in touch and it is almost certain Neville will never represent his country again.

However Neville was rewarded when Ferguson offered him a new one-year contract to stay at United. The past three seasons have been a struggle for the defender due to a succession of injuries, and a groin injury that prevented him going on United's pre-season tour of the United States has stopped him making an appearance so far this season.

"Because of my injuries, I have thought about the fact I might have to find something else," Neville admitted. "Two years ago I thought it would be my last season. Obviously last year I felt the same.

"I recognise this one could be as well. I am on a one-year contract. If I don't perform or I feel the club don't want me anymore I will be gone. That is life. In the 19 years I have been here, it has happened to better players."

• French club made move for Chelsea striker last month
• 'We tried to bring in Drogba, but this was not possible'

Marseille have revealed they tried to bring the Chelsea striker Didier Drogba back to the club before the transfer deadline, despite a breakdown in relations between the coach, Didier Deschamps, and the sporting director, José Anigo.

The club president, Jean-Claude Dassier, has revealed Deschamps and Anigo were in disagreement over several potential signings – as well as the controversial exits of Hatem Ben Arfa to Newcastle United and Mamadou Niang to Fenerbahce - and have only now patched up their working relationship.

But those tensions did not stop the club launching a bid to sign Drogba, the player they sold to Chelsea for £24m in 2004, and Dassier admitted the club could try again in the near future.

"We even tried to bring in Drogba, but this has not been possible," Dassier said. "We'll see, you should never give up in life. "

Dassier revealed that Deschamps and Anigo had met for clear-the-air talks after a testing summer. "This helped dispel some of the misunderstandings," he said. "They said what they thought of each other, it's good. The tensions are behind us. Today they are working together again after a complicated month."

Dassier revealed the two men disagreed on the departure of Niang, last season's top scorer, who left for Fenerbahce after asking to be sold after the arrivals of André-Pierre Gignac and Loïc Rémy, while the club's failure to sign Alou Diarra from Bordeaux also led to disagreements.

Ben Arfa, who went on strike to force through a move to Newcastle, also caused problems.

The loss of the influential Icelandic international will be felt at the Madjeski, although his £7m transfer fee is much needed

The return of the Championship has been eagerly anticipated by Reading following their surprise yet deserved win at Leicester City prior to the international break, but when the team faces Crystal Palace on Saturday there will also be a strong sense of loss surrounding their play.

The fixture, after all, will be Reading's first since they sold Gylfi Sigurdsson to Hoffenheim for a club record-fee of £7m. The deal was done just before the close of the transfer window and while it would be hard for anyone to begrudge the Iceland midfielder a move to the side that currently sits joint top of the Bundesliga (albeit after two games of the new season), the mourning felt at the Madjeski Stadium is real enough.

Sigurdsson was Reading's player of the year last season after scoring 20 goals in what was his first full campaign in the first team having joined the club's academy from FH Hafnarfjordur in 2005, at the age of 15. He excelled playing in support of the principal striker and sealed his name in Reading folklore after converting the late equaliser in January's FA Cup third-round replay at Liverpool, a match the visitors won 2-1 in extra-time.

That victory also played a significant part in Brian McDermott being appointed Reading's full-time manager following the sacking of Brendan Rodgers the previous month, and it was McDermott who most powerfully assessed Sigurdsson's impact at the club when he described the player, who he also coached at reserve-team level, as "Reading's best for a generation". Little wonder, then, that supporters have been in varying states of fury and frustration ever since the 20-year-old, who had already scored twice this season, was sold.

"In a fans' world you do not want to lose a player like Gylfi, but he wanted the challenge and how can you stop a player from playing at Bayern Munich and Schalke" said McDermott. "The club is also now in a far better [financial] position and he has given me the opportunity to bring in players, which we didn't have before."

In that regard Reading have certainly benefited from losing their prized asset. Aided by Hoffenheim's millions, McDermott has been able to sign the former Leeds United and Republic of Ireland full-back Ian Harte from Carlisle for £150,000 and finance a loan deal for the Blackburn Rovers defender and Georgia captain Zurab Khizanishvili, who impressed during a four-month spell at the Madjeski last season.

Lee Hendrie, the former Aston Villa and (literally) one-time England midfielder is also training with the club with a view to signing a long-term deal and there are still funds left for McDermott to cover the wages of Premier League players during the just opened loan-window, with Wolverhampton Wanderers' Michael Kightly and West Bromwich Albion's Simon Cox, who begun his career at Reading, linked with the Royals.

Such reinforcements are a relief for a squad that has been corroded by injuries, particularly in defence where the captain, Ivar Ingimarsson, and Chris Armstrong have been out for long spells. Reading's lack of options at the back have been so bad that the midfielders Brynjar Gunnarsson and Jobi McAnuff have had to fill in there, with both playing at right-back against Leicester following injury to yet another defender, Andy Griffin.

Harte and Khizanishvili are, then, a boon for McDermott as he looks to secure a second league win of the season against Palace, but for those who will be in attendance there is a growing sense that rather than undergoing renewal, Reading are sliding further into decline.

Sigurdsson is the latest player to leave the club for substantial money since their relegation from the Premier League in 2008, following the likes of Dave Kitson (£5.5m), Stephen Hunt (£3.5m) and Kevin Doyle (£6.5m). And while some of the incoming funds has gone towards purchasing high-valued replacements, such as Matt Mills (£2m), who scored the winner at Leicester (Sigurdsson got the first), the bulk has either been spent on much cheaper alternatives or clearing debts.

The need to be prudent has become even more stark now that Reading are no longer receiving their annual £12m parachute payment, a drop in income that led significantly to the decision to sell Sigurdsson. Nonetheless, supporters feel the club's owner, Sir John Madejski, could delve deeper into his pockets if he really wanted to.

But despite insisting his backing for Reading is "unwavering", it is no secret Madejski wants out. He put a £125m asking price on the Berkshire club - which he took over 20 years ago - when it was in the Premier League but knows he will not get that now. There has been interest from investors in the United States and the Far East but a firm offer remains elusive for the 69-year-old founder of Auto Trader.

Reading, then, find themselves in a common dilemma; desperate and determined to return to the Premier League but increasingly lacking the resources to do so. Sigurdsson allowed the supporters to dream, and for the time being at least revel in watching a player who was comfortable in possession on either foot, maintained a wide range of passing, delivered threatening set-pieces and, crucially, scored goals. It is now up to the club's academy to mould another gem.

For McDermott there is no looking back. Having lifted Reading from relegation trouble to ninth last season, the aim now is to make the play-offs. The side have started poorly, losing their opening game of the new campaign to Scunthorpe United and then going out of the Carling Cup to League Two's Northampton Town on penalties. But the win at Leicester has renewed belief within the squad, which the new arrivals, along with the sooner-than-expected return of Ingimarsson and Armstrong following their involvement in a practice game on Tuesday, should embolden.

Come Saturday, however, there will be no escaping the absence of Sigurdsson. The player has expressed his "sadness" at leaving Reading but the emotions among those who delighted in chanting: "Sig! Sig! The Sig's on fire!" undoubtedly run deeper.

• Games may go straight to penalties after 90 minutes
• Governing body could revive 'golden goal' rule

Sepp Blatter has announced that Fifa is considering scrapping extra time at World Cups or reviving the 'golden goal' rule.

Blatter, the Fifa president, wants to encourage more free-flowing football at tournaments and was concerned teams' priority in the last World Cup in extra-time was to secure a penalty shoot-out.

Football's governing body will now look at whether they should go straight to a shoot-out after 90 minutes or re-introduce the golden goal rule where the first team to score in extra time wins the game.

Blatter said: "We have to try to find a way to encourage free-flowing football in tournaments like the World Cup, with teams playing to win. We plan to take the opportunity to look at the concept of extra time as well.

"Often we see teams set themselves up even more defensively in extra time, in an attempt to avoid conceding a goal at all costs. To prevent this, we could go directly to a penalty shoot-out at full time, or reintroduce the golden goal rule. We'll see what emerges from the committee meetings."

Blatter said some teams at the last World Cup in South Africa played for a draw from the first whistle.

"Football has become such a strategic game, with teams moving as a unit," he said. "It can be an impressive sight; gone are the days of simple tactics where you attacked then defended.

"But in the first few matches of the group stage in South Africa, we witnessed some teams that went out to avoid defeat, that were playing for a draw from the outset. This is a topic that I would like to discuss at upcoming Football and Technical Committee meetings."

Blatter stressed however Spain's triumph was well-deserved and he also praised the quality of Argentina, Germany and Ghana.

"For several World Cups now, we've been expecting a new champion to emerge," he added. "There was an element of hope that the champion would come from a continent that hadn't produced a winner before. South Korea came very close for Asia in 2002, while this time around, a couple of centimetres were the difference between Ghana making the semi-final and being eliminated.

"That said, Spain's success was well-deserved; in my opinion, they along with Argentina produced the highest quality of play. On top of that, they're both young teams, just like the German side that finished third, and Ghana. That's a good sign."

This weekend, parks and fields around England will once again be full of children playing football as youth football leagues kick-off around the country. For many children playing a football match is a great way to have fun in an organised way, supervised by qualified coaches and managers, and playing for a team, especially for younger children, is a great experience as they try and copy the skills of their heroes. And is there a better way to teach children how to cope with the ups and downs of winning and losing than playing out a full football season and trying to get to the top of the league table ?

However in 2008 the FA ruled that children who are under the age of 8 will not be allowed to play ‘competitive’ football throughout England. While under-8 teams were allowed to enter leagues to guarantee regular fixtures, results were not allowed to be published and league tables could not be kept.

Teams were also banned from entering knockout competitions where trophies and medals were at stake. Medals are allowed to be given out as long as every competitor receives one. Youth football is about to begin its 3rd season under this rule but is it working as intended?

When the rule was introduced, the FA were keen to point out it does have advantages, after lots of people involved in youth football spoke out against it.  It was intended to allow kids to enjoy the game without being under pressure from league tables, coaches and over-enthusiastic parents (having refereed in youth football for 3 seasons, I know how bad parents can get). The fact that there is no league table doesn’t affect the children.

I was a coach at an under-8s team last season and they didn’t mind too much about there not being a league table. They still enjoyed playing football, whether they won or lost. In fact I was slightly worried after the team lost 7 out of their first 8 games conceding 41 goals in the process (not my fault, honest!). But every time they walked off the pitch they had a smile on their face. Whether this would be different if there was a league table is an interesting point but I suspect they would still enjoy it.

One thing I did notice is that some of the players would try and keep their own league table in their head. The accuracy of their memory to recount how many games we had won, drawn and lost astounded me. They were also very interested in improving their results. Before every match I was asked “Have we played this team before?”, if I answered yes they would then ask “What was the score last time?”.

By the end of the season the team really weren’t bothered that they couldn’t find out where they finished in the table, and despite losing 11-1 twice in the season they had fun and that was the most important thing for them.

So if winning the league isn’t important for the kids then why all the uproar when the rule was announced?

Well, it seems that nowadays some coaches are more interested in winning than letting the kids have fun. Whilst refereeing an u13s match last season, a manager struck me as being much more interested in yelling at me for making a mistake and  shouting at his team to try and get a win rather then just letting the kids play and have fun. Whilst they are older than the team, I coached I still think it is important for the kids to enjoy their football rather than be yelled at for the whole match. I feel it could well have been coaches like these who spoke up against the rule.

Many coaches do not volunteer to bring enjoyment to children, or to give something back to the community. Some sign up so they can pursue victory. While I would doubt a coach that doesn’t enjoy winning exists, coaches must remember to think of the children first. The pressure of competition can affect children in different ways, and most younger children just enjoy kicking a football around a muddy field on a rainy Sunday morning. Getting up at 5am to put their kit on has become a regular weekend routine for some children, and the feeling of knowing they and their friends belong on the same team is enough to keep many children enjoying football.

As I mentioned earlier of course, they would enjoy having trophies up for grabs, but in my opinion the negatives of a league table at a young age outweigh the positives, and I think this rule should be extended until children play 11-a-side football which in some cases may not be until they are 14.

I’m sure kids would enjoy football more if they won trophies, but winning is not always necessary for enjoyment. Some coaches would do well to remember that.

(photo via woodleywonderworks on Flickr)

Fabio Capello has confirmed that he’ll step down as England manager after the end of Euro 2012.

Usually when a manager announces to his squad that he’ll no longer be a manager after a specific date, it’s an accident waiting to happen. Take for example Raymond Domenech and his French team in the 2010 World Cup. Knowing that he was leaving at the end of the tournament, no matter what happened, there was little reason for the French players to take the manager seriously. After all, everyone knew he was leaving.

But the difference with Capello is that I believe he has the respect of the players. And respect goes a long way in football. I don’t believe the England footballers will change their behavior or their attitude to Capello knowing that the Italian will be leaving after Euro 2012. Instead both manager and players will try to perform to their best abilities so Capello can leave in style.

After all, Domenech had few options after leaving France. For Capello, the world is his oyster. He can pick and choose between some of the top clubs and national jobs around the world. But I can see him returning to Italy and managing a top club there.

The speculation will mount between now and then who will take his place. The FA has already announced that the next England manager will be English, so the leading candidate must be Harry Redknapp. But other than Redknapp, there are very few English managers who would be considered for the position. They must include Roy Hodgson, Sam Allardyce, Steve Bruce and Stuart Pearce. Who else is there?

• Adkins has led team to two promotions in four seasons
• Assistant Andy Crosby also expected to move south

Scunthorpe United have given their manager, Nigel Adkins, permission to speak to Southampton about the vacant managerial post at St Mary's.

Adkins, 45, who has steered Scunthorpe to two promotions in four years on a meagre budget, has emerged as the man Southampton want to replace Alan Pardew, who was sacked last month. Andy Crosby, Adkins' assistant manager, is expected to follow him to the south coast, but the two clubs have yet to agree a compensation package.

"The club has given permission for manager Nigel Adkins to speak to Southampton," read a club statement. "Nigel and his assistant Andy Crosby have agreed terms with the Saints but the club have yet to agree a compensation package with the League One side.

"The club will update fans as and when there's more information."