The Curious Case of Phil Foden

During the first international break of the season, there have been mixed fortunes for Manchester City’s players when representing their country after the first round of fixtures. Kyle Walker scored England’s only goal as they drew 1-1 with Spain, whilst Rodri, Manuel Akanji, Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol and others got minutes under their belts for their respective nations. The only negative appeared to lie with Nathan Ake; however, his substitution due a potential hamstring injury was deemed just a precaution, as he started in the Netherlands’ victory over Republic of Ireland. But one player who, surprisingly, saw his minutes limited, was Phil Foden.

The 23 year old started on the bench against Ukraine, despite his excellent form shown during the opening stages of the season for City. He was one of the first players to be brought on by Gareth Southgate, but it was in place of Jude Bellingham, who’s form for club and country has made him an immovable asset for the Three Lions. He started the next game, and whilst he played well and scored, I believe it’s highly likely that the player he replaced, Bukayo Saka, will come back into the side for England’s next meaningful game. Alongside Marcus Rashford and Eberechi Eze, Foden, as a creative, forward thinking player, is a victim of Southgate’s conservative system.

In England’s frontline, Southgate usually likes to have fast, inverted wingers either side of Harry Kane. Saka’s place in the side is nailed down, and it’s likely we’ll see Raheem Sterling start on the other side of attack when he’s presumably reintegrated into the England squad soon. With Bellingham as the primary creator for the front three, Southgate prefers a more defensive minded player, such as Jordan Henderson, Kalvin Phillips or Trent Alexander-Arnold instead, particularly for big games. Unfortunately, this leaves little room for Foden within these tactics, unless Bellingham plays as a more defensive midfielder. This is something that he’s more than capable of doing, but one may feel that it’d be a waste to put shackles on such a talent.

The most likely way Foden could fit into England’s side is through the new 3-2-4-1 system that he not only currently thrives in at City, but is currently being tested by England. In this system, a defender pushes forward, usually to push forward and play as one of the 2 defensive midfielders.. England have numerous defenders who can play either of these roles, such as Alexander-Arnold, Luke Shaw and particularly John Stones, who play the role excellently for City. This’ll free up a space for City’s number 47 as one of the two central attacking midfielders, and whilst Southgate might not always choose to line up with 4 attacking midfielders in tighter games, there is a way to adapt his system for those games.

For favourable fixtures where England are the heavy favourites, Southgate can line up with Foden, Rice and Bellingham in central midfield, with Sterling up front with Kane and Saka. If Stones pushed forward to help control the game, and offer an extra shield for Rice, it’d give both Foden and Bellingham the licence to roam forward and create for the front 3. For games against tougher opposition, such as France, Spain and Italy, Southgate would get the chance to put a Phillips or Henderson-esque player alongside Rice, allow the left back to roam, and have Foden creating from an inverted left position. The second option would appear to be the most likely, given Southgate’s recent comments suggesting he won’t play Foden centrally for the foreseeable future. But, in my opinion, I just don’t see how Southgate, an experienced manager at the highest level, can be completely blind to Foden’s midfield talent compared to his competitors for the role at England.

It could just be that, for whatever reason, the England boss just doesn’t appreciate Foden’s immense talent, and prefers James Maddison as a number 10. The new Tottenham signing is a brilliant player, and would start for the vast majority of teams in the world. However, when compared to Foden, he doesn’t share the same wealth of experience when it comes to playing in a successful team, nor does he have the versatility or technical ability of the 23 year old. Foden is an unbelievable talent, and it’d be a massive shame if his international career continues to trundle along in Southgate’s system. However, if we soon see a change in management, or Southgate finally appreciates Foden’s talent in the centre of the park, we’ll hopefully see our starboy finally receive the appreciation he deserves in an England shirt.

Written by: Will Russell

Edited by: Sheikh