It just would not be the start of the Premier League season without an outburst from Sir Alex Ferguson. With nine Manchester United players called up to the recent English international squad, Ferguson sent a not so subtle message to the Football Association. “Maybe they’ll stop treating us like s***,” he remarked.

Though the rant was completely irrelevant, and uncalled for, it is interesting that so many were Manchester United players. It prompted me to ask, how important is it for title chasers to have British players in their squads? Does it give them an advantage over the rest? In a league where there is such a large presence of foreign players, this question could possibly help to answer why United have been such a force in the Premier League and why other teams haven’t been able to string three titles together.

The presence of foreigners in title winning squads has increased massively since the Premier League’s inception. The title winning squads (only including players who made at least 15 appearances) of United in 92-93 and Blackburn in 1994-95 only had five non-British players all together, those being Peter Schmeichel, Eric Cantona, Andrei Kanchelskis, Henning Berg and our own Robbie Slater. Arsenal’s first Premier League win, in the 1997-98 season, most featured starting XI included seven English players, including an all English backline of Seaman, Dixon, Keown, Adams and Winterburn. Even in 2001-02, Arsenal still boasted a largely British squad, with an all English backline.

By that stage, foreigners in the Premier League were nothing out of the ordinary, but no one had managed a championship without a large British contingent. That would change dramatically with the arrival of the Invincibles. In that squad, only three English players made more than 15 appearances for the Gunners, in a season they went unbeaten. This is arguably the best side to ever grace the Premiership, yet they couldn’t back up that title with another, falling 13 points short of an admittedly strong Chelsea side.

That’s a rather sharp fall from grace from a team that was so utterly dominant the year before. Arsenal had all the brilliance and flair, but they didn’t have a Dixon, a Keown, an Adam or a Winterburn. They still don’t in fact and slowly, that brilliant team has fallen apart, replaced by players with just as much talent and flair but never with players that represented that British grit, that “you won’t bully us” mentality, that strength or inspiration in the dying moments to keep out a last minute equalizer, or to snatch that vital three points at the death.

Manchester United on the other hand have had a heavy British influence in every title winning squad. Of course, it helps when you can lay claim to the sort of one club players of the calibre of Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes, and whilst it is the foreigners who have perhaps added that final panache, a la Eric Cantona or Cristiano Ronaldo, there has always been a very British taste to Manchester United, and I believe that helps to explain the continuity at that club. Even Chelsea boast a sizable British influence since their rise to the top in the form of Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole, Joe Cole, Wayne Bridge and of course John Terry.

British players know and understand the English game, and better yet, they’re less likely to seek moves to continental Europe, providing the stability that is so important to sustaining success. This helps to explain why United have kicked on, even when they’ve lost players of the calibre of Eric Cantona, Peter Schmeichel, Ruud Van Nistlerooy, Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez. Arsenal and Chelsea have shown that winning titles with largely foreign based squads is more than possible, and it’s a feat Manchester City might also achieve this season, but to maintain success, the importance of having a British influence ought not be underestimated.

It is no wonder then that Kenny Dalglish has spent so much money on bringing the best available British talent to the club. Is it going to be enough to win Liverpool a title this season? You would think not, but what it can become is the base from which Liverpool can build the sort of side that can once again make sustained challenges for the Premier League title. With Carragher, Gerrard, Hederson, Adam, Johnson and Carroll and the young blossoming talents of Martin Kelly, Jonjo Shelvey and Jay Spearing Liverpool potentially have the spine that with the addition of more players in the Suarez mould could beckon a new era at Liverpool.

There is a balance that needs to be struck and obviously having British players alone is not enough. If it were, British teams would be doing much better in international tournaments than they are, but if long term squad stability and consistency in the Premier League is what you seek; never underestimate the importance of being British.