'Foden needs to get personality back for England'

After lucifer 1 of England's Euro 2024 campaign, we're backmost to nan aforesaid chat again - really to get nan champion retired of Phil Foden.

The Premier League 2023-24 subordinate of nan play is 1 of nan astir dressed up players of his procreation and had his astir prolific run for Manchester City, pinch 19 goals and 8 assists to thief his broadside triumph nan title.

Yet nan BBC Sport assemblage gave him nan lowest people of immoderate England subordinate against Serbia connected Sunday - pinch 4.64 successful our Player Rater.

Here's nan champion of nan debate...

In nan Match of nan Day post-match study connected BBC One, erstwhile Spain midfielder Cesc Fabregas suggested Foden, 24, had to return much responsibility.

He said: "You spot Jude [Bellingham] imposing himself, getting successful nan look of opponents, he oozes this class.

"He [Foden] needs to do that himself arsenic well. A subordinate of this class, level and talent astatine times doesn't moreover request to beryllium told by nan coach what he needs to do.

"Phil needs to want it much than nan remainder and it showed that Jude Bellingham is simply a small spot supra him successful this regard.

"Foden needs to get that characteristic backmost and do what he does astatine Manchester City."

Ex-England defender Rio Ferdinand added:

"Jude Bellingham has travel into this squad and his assemblage connection has said to everyone 'give maine nan shot aliases I will spell nuts', you will beryllium told 'give maine nan shot now' - that is his attitude.

"Phil Foden has seen that and his characteristic is not for illustration that, and he is allowing personification other to travel successful and beryllium nan ascendant fig successful this team."

In response, erstwhile Manchester City and England defender Micah Richards said nan squad request to play much to his strengths.

"The first 20 minutes he sewage into immoderate really bully positions. We request to find nan measurement to get champion retired of him.

"We cognize pinch Man City it is choreographed pinch Pep and nan system, and nan movements.

"It makes maine sad erstwhile I spot a subordinate of this value successful and retired of games."

Speaking connected BBC Radio 5 Live connected Monday, Richards added: “You talk astir positioning and arsenic footballers you person to beryllium capable to adapt, you should beryllium capable to make an effect connected nan transportation wherever you play.

"But erstwhile you person an utmost talent for illustration Phil Foden, his champion activity has been successful nan mediate of nan pitch.

"Sometimes erstwhile he is connected nan left-hand side, you put him successful a position wherever he needs to dribble past his force - that’s not his game.

"The champion portion of Phil Foden's crippled is erstwhile he receives nan shot connected nan half-turn successful tight situations and playing one-twos astir people, find a small spot of abstraction and shooting aliases creating something."

Graham, London: Foden is astatine responsibility for his ain occurrence because he tin play connected nan near side, that's wherever Southgate plays him, but astatine nine level Foden plays connected nan right. He and Walker person a complete understanding, which is ignored astatine nan world level.

Mark, Stockport: Thinking of Phil Foden, I wonderment really galore of Pep Guardiola’s players person outstanding performances for their nationalist teams?

Anon: Foden is amazing, but it's looking much and much for illustration he is squad dependent. With Bellingham it looks for illustration you could driblet him into immoderate team.

After nan opportunity to complaint players has closed, nan people displayed represents nan mean from each nan submissions by BBC Sport users.

BBC Radio 5 Live pundit and erstwhile Manchester City subordinate Nedum Onuoha connected whether Foden tin person nan aforesaid effect for England arsenic he does for his club:

He perfectly can. The cardinal quality betwixt himself and Bellingham is that Bellingham is much physically imposing.

Some of nan things he does, Phil Foden can’t do. But successful nan aforesaid way, pinch those small bits of skill, Bellingham can’t do what Foden does. Foden’s spot is successful nan last third, driving pinch nan ball, looking for a walk aliases pinch his finishes.

Bellingham tin beryllium effective successful galore ways, whether it is simply a last-ditch tackle, winning a header, competing and pushing past group aliases utilizing a spot of guile.

Everyone understands that was not Phil’s champion capacity yesterday. The near is not his champion position. But location are times erstwhile you don’t person nan champion crippled aliases person nan aforesaid influence.

Sometimes that is down to individual things, sometimes it is nan measurement nan crippled flows. I americium not panicking astir it. There is simply a measurement for him to person a bigger effect connected nan game. But it is little visible astatine times because Phil’s effect is ever going to beryllium successful nan last third.

A comparison betwixt him and Bellingham somewhat misses nan point. They are some supremely talented, but Foden is not going to beryllium making a monolithic tackle connected nan separator of your ain box, past bursting past group connected a 40-yard run.

Jude Bellingham is 1 of nan astir complete players England has ever seen for his age, truthful you will spot his power connected nan crippled successful acold much areas.

One of nan cardinal factors is we are comparing betwixt convention shot and tourney play. Manchester City are first aliases 2nd successful possession stats. You person longer to power nan crippled because your squad has nan shot for longer.

You tin beryllium much diligent and you person much moments wrong a game. Spain hit Croatia astatine nan play pinch little possession. Some of their guardant players mightiness person been disappointment because they person much possession astatine nine level.

There are small things to cleanable up but nan measurement he tin play for Manchester City is very different to nan measurement he tin play for England because it is simply a different style of football, not conscionable owed to Gareth Southgate but nan measurement world shot is played.

BBC Sport's main shot writer Phil McNulty

I deliberation nan domiciled connected nan near does not suit him. He was magnificent successful nan cardinal domiciled for Manchester City but Jude Bellingham, perfectly understandably, is nan focal constituent of this England squad truthful Foden has to walk overmuch of his clip successful a wider position.

It will return a alteration of statement to benignant that but I besides work together pinch Cesc Fabregas that it is besides up to Foden himself to make things hap – and I americium definite he can. He is excessively bully not to.

Southgate wants to utilise Foden, but against Serbia he erstwhile again struggled to make an effect successful an area wherever location person been awesome reports astir Anthony Gordon, a imaginable rival for his position, filtering retired of England’s training base.

Foden's left-flank business pinch Kieran Trippier did not look a earthy fresh and it is thing Southgate must see earlier England look Denmark connected Thursday.

There was nary deficiency of endeavour, but Foden was ne'er nan changeless threat he poses for City astatine nine level. It was a low-key, peripheral performance.

No-one would ever mobility nan talent of nan English footballer of nan twelvemonth but accommodating him efficaciously is simply a conundrum for Southgate.

Read much from Phil McNulty here