Phil Foden vs. England: Why Man City star continues to underwhelm for Three Lions | OneFootball

In an England friendly masquerading as a half-hearted X Factor reboot, Phil Foden finally had an opportunity to shine.

A stodgy first half against Uruguay had been consigned to history’s dustbin, with Thomas Tuchel resisting the temptation to swap Foden for Cole Palmer.

The ball had broken to the Manchester City midfielder deep in Uruguayan territory, with the opposition helpfully backing off in an amateur reproduction of the Red Sea’s parting.

Foden inched forward, hesitantly, as if emerging into daylight from an extended period underground.

Tuchel, the rest of his England team-mates and most supporters inside an especially bored Wembley were begging Foden to shoot.

Instead, the 25-year-old reached the edge of the penalty area and flicked the ball behind him to Jarrod Bowen.

The execution was poor and Bowen was tackled instantly. Wembley groaned and returned to their mobile phones.

Foden followed this by scuffing another shot into Fernando Muslera’s gloves and being wiped out by Ronald Araujo. Nobody had told Uruguay this was a friendly; the translation seemingly nonexistent in colloquial Spanish.

He was substituted shortly afterwards. Tuchel was firm, but fair in his post-match press conference when asked about Foden’s performance.

“In moments, I thought he could be a bit more adventurous and could be a bit more like a number 10 and try a little bit more and take a bit more risk,” the England manager said after the 1-1 draw.

It feels like we’ve been here before. For all of Foden’s success at club level, he’s rarely impressed for England outside of a few good performances at the last World Cup.

Perhaps it’s an extended hangover from Euro 2024. Foden went into the tournament as PFA Footballer of the Year, as that summer’s Great White Hope.

To accommodate him, Cole Palmer was left on the bench. Jude Bellingham played much of the finals on the left wing, while Bukayo Saka moonlighted at wing-back.

Foden repaid this demonstration of faith with seven peripheral performances and a post-tournament swipe at Gareth Southgate’s tactics.

“I feel frustrated I didn’t get out what I wanted to get out of it,” he told the Manchester Evening News. “The position I was put in on the left was very difficult to influence the game.

“Coming off last season being the best player in the Premier League and playing centre midfield, I do feel the position was quite difficult to get used to.

“I’m one who can play multiple positions and had to try to deal with it the best I could.”

It was a revealing interview; Foden was given a free role by Southgate and failed to deliver, hinting at his unsuitability for the more improvised nature of international football.

The midfielder is a highly systemised player, at his most effective between the lines and half-spaces, thriving under specific tactical instructions from Pep Guardiola.

This led to the unkind jibe that Foden’s best position was in front of Rodri and next to Kevin De Bruyne, unkind because there was an element of truth to it.

Now his performances at club level have also flatlined, often left on the bench by Guardiola for the more direct Jeremy Doku and Antoine Semenyo.

In some ways, Foden is an atypical English footballer. Bellingham is much more Roy of the Rovers, an all-action player with an eye for match-winning heroics.

If the Real Madrid man is gourmet, Morgan Rogers is the homemade version. England can pigeonhole both within their pre-conception of international footballers.

While Palmer, who impressed after replacing Foden against Uruguay, is a recognised maverick. Deep down, all Englishmen wish to be mavericks without the gumption to actually be so.

The Chelsea man is another match-winner, perfect to bring off the bench in tight tournament matches.

He feels more suited to international football than Foden, who suffers from being neat and tidy without the same ability to improvise.

Everyone wants Foden to be good for the national team. The exaggerated reaction to his ‘put it on a plate’ assist for Eberechi Eze’s goal against Serbia is testament to that, while the player is often given kid glove treatment by the media.

But England don’t play to Foden’s strengths and Foden doesn’t play to England’s strengths. It’s hard to make a case for him to be included in the World Cup squad.

If Foden had been born Spanish or Portuguese, he’d be a shoo-in for their technically gifted midfield. Sadly, he’s repeatedly proven incapable of playing the cards he’s been given.