47 | Phil Foden - 2023/24

[I'm With Stupid]

Don't know what game people were watching. Foden was not stuck to the left wing at all. He was allowed to roam. We were essentially playing with wingbacks.

We really weren't. Neither full back ran beyond their winger at any point. And there's a huge difference between being a winger that's allowed to come inside, and starting in the 10 position. If you're in the 10 position, you can affect the game more because you've got more options to pass to. If you're a LW and you come inside, there's now no-one out on the left (especially if your full back is playing out of position) so you still have few options to pass to. There's also the issue that Southgate has simply not coached attacking play well. You could have Phil coming inside if Bellingham knew to go out wide when he did it to give space and passing options, but he rarely did that, because that takes coaching. Phil should still be better than he was tonight, but it's not accurate to claim that his starting position is irrelevant because he's allowed to come inside.

 

[sir baconface]

Despite being a big fan of Phil, I have to say he almost always looks lacklustre in an England shirt. Blame Southgate’s system if you like but others adapt better … and this isn’t just a recent thing.

He’ll never become a serious Ballond’Or contender until he shines on the international stage.

 

[sir baconface]

What’s he said that’s wrong? We all know how great he is but tonight he was poor. I said before the game i think he’ll lose his place in the team by the knockout stage. That’s not Phil’s fault, he should be central and the left wing is probably the worst position he could be put in out of the 3/4 he could play.

Pep used him the same way until last season. He was out on the wings and not a nailed-on starter until KDB’s absence allowed Phil to step into a different role.

 

[Cobra]

As useless as Southgate is there’s no way he tells Foden to play it safe every single time. Did he make a single pass longer than 10 yards today?

 

[I'm With Stupid]

Pep used him the same way until last season. He was out on the wings and not a nailed-on starter until KDB’s absence allowed Phil to step into a different role.

So what you're saying is that he wasn't a nailed on starter until he was allowed to play in the middle, at which point he became player of the season in the Premier League. And then Southgate decided to play him on the left again.

 

[DisturbedSwan]

As soon as I saw the line-up I knew he’d be out on the left and not in the number 10 role.

Bellingham is a great player but he hardly played any balls in behind to Kane up front like Phil would’ve done if he was there.

A lot of the play for England seems to go through Saka on the right, he was getting a lot of success in the first half then couldn’t beat his man second half and when that creative avenue closed the rest of the players didn’t know how to adapt and just hung on to the lead essentially.

 

[Gundogan's Moustache]

Despite being a big fan of Phil, I have to say he almost always looks lacklustre in an England shirt. Blame Southgate’s system if you like but others adapt better … and this isn’t just a recent thing.

He’ll never become a serious Ballond’Or contender until he shines on the international stage.

With us he has forward runners,

The whole England set up is a shit show if you watch tactically.

Kane basically playing CDM

Rice 3 feet away from ‘Trent’

It’s really bad

 

[argyle]

Despite being a big fan of Phil, I have to say he almost always looks lacklustre in an England shirt. Blame Southgate’s system if you like but others adapt better … and this isn’t just a recent thing.

He’ll never become a serious Ballond’Or contender until he shines on the international stage.

He's too nice.

He's happy to lay the ball off for others. Doesn't demand it aggresively enough for England.

Having said that shoehorn Bellingham out on the left and see how well he does there.

 

[Saddleworth2]

Isolated on the left. Isolated in the middle. Nobody has the vision or technical ability to pass to him in the little pockets of space he inhabits. He didn’t play badly. Linked others when he could. Southgate has zero clue how to get the best of him. Really sad to see.

The only positive is that if England play like that with Sirs Harry, Jude and Trent we will be lucky to make the quarters.
Oh and the BBC commentators make me want to wretch. Shearer in particular gives me the dry boke.

 

[christened at st marks]

All was good played central , went a goal up and the dickhead stuck him on the left