The England squad is currently flying high in the EURO 2024 qualifiers, but Phil Foden appears to be out of sync amid Southgate’s notes.

Phil Foden missed only one unregistered match during the EURO 2024 qualification campaign.The Manchester City star came off the bench in all of the remaining games.It is clear that Foden has become a trump card in Southgate’s hands, a real super-sub.However, whether Foden’s quality is deserving of a starting spot remains debatable.

Foden was called onto the pitch in the most recent 1-1 draw with Ukraine, marking his 26th appearance in the “Three Lions” shirt.Foden was thrown onto the pitch with the expectation that England would win.However, the Manchester City star’s performance in Poland in the most recent encounter was not very outstanding.Southgate’s team for the match against Ukraine included James Maddison as left striker and Bukayo Saka on the other wing.When Jack Grealish is unavailable, Marcus Rashford will come on as a substitute and replace Maddison.Saka and Kane’s places are near to Southgate’s, making Foden’s position in the attack tough.

So, what exactly is Foden’s job in the midfield? All winning sides in recent tournaments like as World Cup 2018, EURO 2020, and World Cup 2022 rely on a solid midfield foundation, including France, Italy, and Argentina. At the moment, the “Three Lions” midfield is made up of two players: Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham. In a situation where there is still a lot of quality, Foden will find it tough to obtain a starting spot. Southgate will have to compel Foden to play a new position if he wants to create circumstances for Man City’s star. Fortunately, Pep Guardiola anticipated this issue.

The fact that Bellingham attacks so successfully at Real Madrid is due in part to the fact that this squad no longer has any outstanding attackers. The English midfielder is responsible for scoring goals and is performing well. As a result, Southgate may not succeed Bellingham in this position. Rice will naturally play the defensive midfielder position. As a result, if Foden is partnered with these two teammates, he will be compelled to perform in a leadership position.

Pep famously declared during his initial years as Man City manager that he would make Foden into the Etihad Stadium’s David Silva. When Grealish excelled last season, Foden was demoted to the left wing. When Kevin De Bruyne was injured, the English sensation stepped in and performed admirably.When De Bruyne was injured in the first half of the Champions League final, Foden came in and performed admirably. With “Chinese” Kevin not expected to return to health until the end of December, this is a chance for Foden to develop his skills in this new role.

Southgate has seen from Pep everything that needs to be documented in terms of how to utilise Foden.Now is not the time to experiment; the British teacher must be more determined in personnel concerns.

“He started in the team’s last 3 matches at the 2022 World Cup. We have many good players, Maddison has proven his excellence in training and competition. Therefore, I ranked Maddison plays wide on the left wing. Bellingham has a very good offensive momentum so it will often enter the penalty area. If Foden is present, there must be a way to keep these two midfielders from stepping on each other” – Southgate shared shall.