Gareth Southgate has named an exciting squad bristling with firepower for Euro 2024.
It’s a testament to England’s strength in depth in the attacking areas that Manchester City winger Jack Grealish and Tottenham playmaker James Maddison were both omitted.
Harry Kane, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham are all expected to start England’s opener against Serbia on 16 June but Southgate has plenty of options in reserve with Eberechi Eze, Cole Palmer and Ollie Watkins among his alternatives.
According to Declan Rice, it is Foden has particularly wowed the England players during their pre-tournament training camp.
“He turned up three days ago and he’s been out of this world in training,” Rice said.
“Everyone has been talking about him: ‘Have you seen Phil in training?’ He’s that good. So, so special.”
Where does Phil Foden fit for England?
While he has bigger problems in defence and central midfield, the most important decision Southgate has to make is how to get the best out of Foden.
Despite him being named Premier League Player of the Year, there is a reasonable argument that the best individual option at No 10 is Jude Bellingham and the obvious tactical foil at left-wing is Anthony Gordon.
As he demonstrated in the 1-0 defeat to Iceland, Gordon runs in behind and stretches play in a way Foden naturally does not, something which could be crucial for England in bigger games.
And Bellingham, the new darling of both English and European football, was crucial for Real Madrid as they won both La Liga and the Champions League, scoring 23 and assisting 11 more in those competitions.
On the right, Bukayo Saka appears immovable so long as he can stay fit.
Yet benching Foden, potentially England’s most in-form player, simply is not an option for Southgate. When you have a footballer as talented as the 24-year-old, you cannot leave him out.
His preferred position would be at No 10, but to fit him there you either have to bench Bellingham or move him to No 8, alongside Declan Rice.
The midfield move is an outside possibility and one Southgate has previously trialled, but it would not offer England the stability necessary to protect their makeshift defence or navigate tougher opposition.
This leaves the left as Foden’s most likely starting point, but that is by no means perfect. His England record has been patchy almost entirely because he has been moved around the attacking midfield, and left-wing may well be his least comfortable of the three possible roles.
He currently has just four goals from 34 caps and has never scored from the left wing for England, yet did set up two of the three goals in the 2022 World Cup last-16 win over Senegal from the left.
And if right-footed Kieran Trippier starts at left-back early in the tournament, having a left-footer on the left flank offers a different texture to England’s attack with more creative options.
This would mean asking Foden to play a role he is less comfortable with, hugging the touchline and attempting to push up the pitch, but it’s certainly a brief he is capable of satisfying.
Making the most of this will be partly about quelling Foden’s ego and asking him to adapt for the good of the team, something players are often not keen to do at international level.
But while Gordon may well offer a more obvious threat, Foden can still be an integral part of England’s attack from the left. So long as he sticks to his role and does not attempt to move inside too much, occupying the central space Bellingham and Harry Kane will already be vying for, he can thrive.
Southgate has to help the City man adapt. His inclusion should be beneficial if he understands and respects what he’s required to do.
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