Read the next section of this article: I heard Jermain Defoe questioning whether it was worth him doing his coaching badges, because none of the black players he has looked up to in his life are working in management, leaving him feeling like the opportunities simply are not there for people like him. Gareth Southgate, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard walked into excellent coaching positions at the end of their playing careers, and while I would say they absolutely deserve them – they were great players and leaders, and would lose those jobs pretty quickly if they were failing – we must start confronting why black players find it so hard to take the same path. The talent pool is enormous, and it isn’t just the 35% of players on Premier League pitches. Of the great Premier League managers of this century so far – Alex Ferguson, Arsène Wenger, José Mourinho, Pep Guardiola and Jürgen Klopp – most had unimpressive playing careers. Mourinho’s big break came as a translator, and I know there are intelligent black guys out there who can speak six languages and understand and love the game like Mourinho does. At what point do we also look beyond footballers? There will be fantastic black sports scientists and performance analysts, but if you’re not looking for a potential black Guardiola you’re not going to find one. How has the writer used language to convey her message?