The forward for Manchester City, Phil Foden, was criticised for his performance after the game despite playing the whole 90 minutes against Serbia in England’s opening Euro 2024 match.
No one in the group made a particularly strong impression. Although Jude Bellingham scored the goal and was just a hair ahead of his colleagues, there was no real standout as England won their opening match at Euro 2024.
Even when they win, though, England always needs a scapegoat. Phil Foden, please step forward.
As he typically does for City, the Premier League Player of the Year and Manchester City player started on the left and displayed excellent ball handling skills in the first half.
The sole goal was created by England’s more fluid play down the right, when Kyle Walker set up Bukayo Saka to cross for Bellingham (by a deflection). Despite the left side being shut down, Foden maintained his form and largely controlled the ball. Bellingham was positioned at No. 10, and Harry Kane was dipping deep to attempt to enter the game. On Sunday night, such opportunities were not present for England as he drifts inside for City.
As opposed to City, where Kevin De Bruyne roams the midfield and Erling Haaland stays up top most of the time to stretch the opposition. Supporters, analysts, and detractors all want Foden to continue doing what he does for City, but this is a whole other system. How many times did a Serbian defender head back a long goal kick that Jordan Pickford attempted?
Foden needs the ball to be played in front of him, so that is not a strategy that works for him.
To be honest, Foden was fortunate to stay on the pitch throughout a tedious second half. By the end of the match, England’s ball-retention was becoming poorer as the minutes passed, and it was obvious he would not be a useful attacking weapon. It would have been wiser to try something different and save his legs. There is a disagreement over whether Jack Grealish should have entered the game and just kept the ball.
When the action cut to the BBC Studio after the game, Cesc Fabregas, who was refreshingly candid, singled out Foden for criticism. “It’s all about the mentality,” stated the former midfielder for Spain, Arsenal, and Barcelona. “You cannot tell me that players with the quality to hold the ball wherever on the pitch, like [Declan] Rice, Trent [Alexander-Arnold], Foden, Bellingham, and others, don’t exist.
“The question is, do you want it bad enough to hold the ball and change things for your team? Do you wish to initiate action? Does getting the ball under pressure provide you joy?
“You won’t see players like Xavi or Iniesta—the best players of the past 15, 20, or more years—do that. To advance, you must accept this duty. The second half, in my opinion, was a tad lacklustre. That, in my opinion, is the correct word. Additionally, I believe that guys like Foden must step up. Now is their chance to enter a major competition with the support of their nation.”
The criticism is reasonable despite being based on a single bad game. However, it is unfair to question Foden’s mentality in light of his recent season. Foden won every individual award this season by “stepping up.” That is not undone by one game for an inept England team against a very strong defending.
Bellingham made it clear that the immediate response to every Three Lions game is negative as the England camp prepared to defend their performance. Southgate said that perhaps they should suffer.
“Job done,” Foden stated simply on Instagram. Let’s move on to the next one.” Because that is precisely what England did; they completed all necessary tasks, putting them in a position to go to the knockout stages and looking forward to the tournament. England will be crowned European champions with six more boring 1-0 victories.
Within the next month, Foden will get his chance to’step up’. Furthermore, the Serbian performance—along with some of the hysterical emotions that followed the final whistle—will be long forgotten.
