England coach Gareth Southgate has justified the replacement role of his most valuable player Phil Foden after the 0-0 draw against the USA. “We didn’t think that was a game for Phil in the middle. We thought Hendo (Jordan Henderson) could help us so we could give Jude Bellingham a break too. We thought Marcus Rashford’s pace would help us,” said Southgate, explaining why he decided not to play Manchester City’s offensive all-rounder in the second group duel at the World Cup in Qatar.
Foden was actually expected to be up front in a 3-4-3 formation alongside captain Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling. But Southgate is currently operating with a 4-2-3-1 system at the World Cup, in which Mason Mount fills the role of playmaker.
For this reason, there is currently no place for Foden in the starting eleven, although he is currently the fourth most valuable footballer in the world with a market value of 110 million euros – he has scored seven goals and provided three assists for Man City in 14 Premier League games this season at. The 22-year-old was on the bench for 90 minutes against the USA, having only been given a 20-minute cameo in the 6-2 win against Iran. But Southgate made it clear: “We love Phil, he’s a great player.”
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TM Community, The Athletic and Neville: Southgate Criticism Over Foden
Southgate was partly criticized for the decision in English media, social networks and the TM community. “What did Foden actually do?” asked the “Dream Duo” user, while “Stoffler” said: “You can’t understand some of his decisions/changes.”
The portal “The Athletic‘ analyzed: ‘Foden, it seems, was never one of Southgate’s real favourites. He’s never been the man to come up when the team lacks creativity. They’ve worked together as a coach and player for two years but there’s still a feeling that Southgate is more likely to experiment than rely on a player who has already achieved so much in his club career.” Gary Neville, longtime Manchester United captain, said: “It’s a real shame Phil Foden isn’t in the England team as he’s a huge talent. He is by far our best player, our greatest talent and he should play.”
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