Phil Foden is one of the best players in the world to wear a Manchester City shirt. However, when he moved up to the national level, his skills seemed to falter.
Gareth Southgate appears determined to use Foden as a left winger, a position he rarely plays for his club and says his main qualities are often overlooked. He received strong criticism for his performance against Serbia on Sunday night and will need to impress quickly if he is to win over the England fans.
However, there is still time for the England manager to wake up the best of the six-time Premier League champions and he may have to make some changes to do so.
Here are three ways Southgate can get the best out of Foden.
If Southgate believes Foden is the key to England’s success, he said he can choose to build a team around the star of Manchester City – to put him in his favorite place.
It is clear that Foden excels in the role of ‘number 10’ for his team, but for his national team he is used more widely. Southgate may have created a problem in allowing his players to move freely around the pitch, as it prevented Jude Bellingham and Foden from having their space.
If he wishes to play both Bellingham and Foden, he may need to slot into the bottom of the 10, and pick the Madrid star a little deeper at the 8. He risks creating a new Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard situation if he doesn’t deliver. Each player has his own role – to reduce England’s chances.
Balance and fullness seem to be the issue in England, and Southgate will have to navigate this if he is to see success in Germany.
England need to be stronger down the left, that’s for sure. And if Southgate insists on playing Foden there, he may have to give the star a smaller role and order him to stay on the phone.
A player of Foden’s caliber should not be given this fate, but if he is placed on the left in a consistent position, there will always be a winger who will make the difference.
He has done this before at City and could benefit greatly from the use of a player like Luke Shaw – who can play at left-back once fully recovered.
Southgate has always been clear about his decision to let players roam, insisting that it is more important where Foden finishes than where he starts. But, while England’s left-back situation remains unchanged while Shaw recovers, Foden may have to take one from the squad and operate on the left-hand side.
A key factor that separates Foden from others on the team like Bellingham and Bukayo Saka is confidence. Jude Bellingham’s presence on the field commands respect – he knows the type of player he is and works hard to make sure everyone sees that.
Foden, on the other hand, doesn’t have that assertion. He certainly has the ability to hit the shot and make up his own mind, and he can’t rely on others on the team to carry him.
Cesc Fabregas put it right after England’s opener against Serbia – commenting that Foden just needs to “want it more than anything else” and won’t be afraid to take risks.
Dominating too much on the pitch can be a recipe for disaster, but if Foden is to shine in England, he needs to step up and show he can do it.
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