After the first game of England’s Euro 2024 campaign, we’re back to the same discussion: how to get the best performance from Phil Foden.
The 2023-24 Premier League Player of the Year is one of the most decorated players of his generation and enjoyed his best season with Manchester City, helping them win the title with 19 goals and eight assists.
However, while Jude Bellingham in the middle and Bukayo Saka on the right both performed well against Serbia, Foden’s performance was the bigger discussion point.
What the experts say
The former Spain midfielder gave a post-match analysis on BBC One’s Match of the Day. Cesc Fabregas He suggested the 24-year-old Foden needed to take on more responsibility.
He said, “Jude [Bellingham] He holds himself intimidating, faces his opponents and exudes dignity.
“he [Foden] The players themselves need to do that too. Players of this class, level and talent sometimes don’t even need to be told what to do by a coach.
“Phil has to want it more than the others and I’ve found that Jude Bellingham is a little better than him in this regard.”
“Foden needs to get his character back and do what he did at Manchester City.”
Former England defender Rio Ferdinand Added:
“Jude Bellingham has come into this team and his body language is telling everybody: ‘Give me the ball or I’m going to go mad’. They’ll say: ‘Give me the ball now’. That’s his attitude.”
“We’ve seen that with Phil Foden but it’s not his character. He allows someone else to come in and be the main guy in the team.”
In response, the former Manchester City and England defender Micah Richards He said the team needs to make better use of his strengths.
“He got himself into some really good positions in the first 20 minutes and we just need to find a way to get the best out of him.”
“We know that at Manchester City it is run by Pep, the system and the movements.
“It makes me sad to see players of this calibre playing and not playing.”
He spoke on BBC Radio 5 Live on Monday. Richards He added: “When it comes to positioning, a footballer has to be able to adapt and make an impact on the pitch no matter where he plays.”
“But when you have a player of such exceptional talent as Phil Foden, he is at his best in the centre of the pitch.
“When he’s on the left wing, sometimes we put him in a position where he has to dribble past the opposition and that’s not his game.
“The best thing about Phil Foden’s play is when he half-turns in tight situations, receives the ball, plays a one-two around him, finds a bit of space to shoot or create something.”
What do your fans think?
Graham, London: Foden is responsible for his own success because he can play on the left. Southgate uses him on the left but at club level Foden plays on the right. He and Walker have a perfect understanding but that is ignored at international level.
Mark, Stockport: Think of Phil Foden, but how many of Pep Guardiola’s players have performed spectacularly for their respective national teams?
Anonymous: Foden is good but seems increasingly team-dependent, Bellingham could be slotted into any team.
Where did Foden play against Serbia?
Foden’s key statistics
“Don’t panic” – Tactical analysis by Nedum Onuoha
BBC Radio 5 Live commentator and former Manchester City player Nedum Onuoha said of whether Foden could have the same impact in England as he has at club level:
Absolutely. The big difference between him and Bellingham is that Bellingham is bigger.
There are some things he does that Phil Foden can’t do, but by the same token, Bellingham can’t do those little skills that Foden can, whereas Foden’s strengths are in his backline ball-carrying, finding the pass and finishing.
Bellingham can be effective in a variety of ways, whether that be making the final tackle, winning a header, racing past a man or using a bit of guile.
We all know Phil’s performance yesterday wasn’t his best, the left wing isn’t his best position, but sometimes you just don’t play your best or have the same impact.
Sometimes it’s personal issues, sometimes it’s game flow. I’m not in a panic about it. There are ways he can have a bigger impact on the game. But Phil’s impact is always in the final minutes, so it’s sometimes hard to see.
Comparing him to Bellingham is a bit of a stretch – both are extremely talented, but Foden is not going to make a thunderous tackle on the edge of his own box and then sprint 40 yards past his man.
Jude Bellingham is one of the most complete players of his generation in England’s history and his impact will be felt in far more areas of the game.
One important factor is that we are comparing league matches to tournament matches, with Manchester City coming in first or second in ball possession, meaning teams have more time to have possession of the ball and therefore more time to influence the game.
If we are more patient, we can have more moments in the game. Spain won against Croatia at the weekend with less possession, which may have frustrated some of their forwards as they have more possession at club level.
There are some areas he needs to improve on but the way he can play for Manchester City is very different to the way he can play for England because it’s a different style of football, and not just because of Gareth Southgate but because of the way international football is played.
‘Foden failed to make an impact’ – McNulty’s verdict
BBC Sport’s chief football correspondent Phil McNulty
I don’t think the left wing role suits him – he did well in a central role for Manchester City but, of course, with Jude Bellingham at the heart of this England team, Foden will have to spend more time in a wider position.
A change of formation will be needed to solve that but, as Cesc Fabregas said, I think it’s down to Foden to make things happen – and I’m convinced he can do it – he’s too good to not.
Southgate will be keen to feature Foden but against Serbia he again struggled to make an impact in an area where potential rival for his place, Anthony Gordon, has reportedly left England’s training base.
The left-wing pairing of Foden and Kieran Trippier does not seem a natural fit and Southgate will have to take this into consideration ahead of England’s match against Denmark on Thursday.
It wasn’t for a lack of trying, but Foden has never been a consistent threat for City at club level, and it was a low-key, unspectacular performance.
No one will doubt the talent of England’s Footballer of the Year, but accommodating him effectively will be a challenge for Southgate.
Learn more about Phil McNulty here
