After England’s Euro 2024 opener, the debate about how to maximize Phil Foden’s potential has resurfaced.
The Premier League 2023-24 Player of the Season is one of the most accomplished players of his generation. He had his most prolific campaign for Manchester City, scoring 19 goals and providing eight assists to help his team secure the title.
However, in the match against Serbia, where Jude Bellingham excelled in a central role and Bukayo Saka shone on the right, Foden’s performance sparked more discussion.
During the Match of the Day post-match analysis on BBC One, former Spain midfielder Cesc Fabregas suggested that the 24-year-old Foden needed to take more responsibility.
He said: “You see Jude [Bellingham] imposing himself, getting in the face of opponents, he oozes this class.
“He [Foden] needs to do that himself as well. A player of this class, level and talent at times doesn’t even need to be told by the coach what he needs to do.
“Phil needs to want it more than the rest and it showed that Jude Bellingham is a little bit above him in this regard.
“Foden needs to get that personality back and do what he does at Manchester City.”
Ex-England defender Rio Ferdinand added:
“Jude Bellingham has come into this team and his body language has said to everyone ‘give me the ball or I will go nuts’, you will be told ‘give me the ball now’ – that is his attitude.
“Phil Foden has seen that and his personality is not like that, and he is allowing someone else to come in and be the dominant figure in this team.”
In response, former Manchester City and England defender Micah Richards said the team need to play more to his strengths.
“The first 20 minutes he got into some really good positions. We need to find the way to get best out of him.
“We know with Man City it is choreographed with Pep and the system, and the movements.
“It makes me sad when I see a player of this quality in and out of games.”
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live on Monday, Richards added: “You talk about positioning and as footballers you have to be able to adapt, you should be able to make an impact on the pitch wherever you play.
“But when you have an extreme talent like Phil Foden, his best work has been in the middle of the pitch.
“Sometimes when he is on the left-hand side, you put him in a position where he needs to dribble past his opponent – that’s not his game.
“The best part of Phil Foden’s game is when he receives the ball on the half-turn in tight situations and playing one-twos around people, find a little bit of space and shooting or creating something.”