Richards says Man City star Phil Foden can’t thrive for England due to Jude Bellingham’s ‘main man’ desire
England’s midfielder #10 Jude Bellingham and England’s midfielder #11 Phil Foden warm up ahead of the UEFA Euro 2024 round of 16 football match bet…
Micah Richards has suggested Jude Bellingham is part of the reason why Manchester City Phil Foden hasn’t thrived for England at Euro 2024.
England have managed to reach the semi-finals in Germany and now face the Netherlands after beating Switzerland on penalties.
Gareth Southgate’s side have been way off it so far, and yet they find themselves in the last four. But they now face their biggest test yet on Wednesday night.
While the Dutch have had a couple of poor displays of their own, they have been much better than England and have some dangerous players in their ranks.
Southgate’s team selection will be fascinating, and it will be intriguing to see if Foden keeps his place.
There have been calls for Southgate to drop the 24-year-old, who has struggled at times. But Micah Richards has explained why it isn’t necessarily his fault.
Richards says Man City star Phil Foden can’t thrive for England due to Jude Bellingham’s ‘main man’ desire
Coach Gareth Southgate of England with Kobbie Mainoo of England, Jude Bellingham of England, Phil Foden of England during the UEFA EURO 2024 round …
Photo by Stefan Matzke – sampics/Getty Images
It has been a tough few weeks for Foden.
After winning several individual awards at the end of the 2023/24 season, expectations on him to deliver at Euro 2024 were big.
But Foden has struggled to make an impact so far. While he has not been as bad as many have made him out to be, we definitely haven’t seen the best of him.
He’s operated a lot on the left side, and it just hasn’t really worked.
But against Switzerland, he moved inside to play alongside Jude Bellingham. He was better in this role, but still didn’t grab the game by the scruff of the neck like he does for City.
In the eyes of Micah Richards, Foden is struggling to shine right now because of Bellingham.
He told BBC Sport: “Part of Foden’s problem is that, alongside him, Bellingham is doing what he does so well and he wants to be the main man in this team.
“The runs Bellingham makes sometimes are positive ones, but they are making it hard for Foden to get on the ball. It was always going to take time for that understanding to develop, but instead, it feels like Foden is being judged already, after only one game in this new role.
“I am not saying Foden is above criticism, though.”
Bellingham undoubtedly a problem for Foden
Richards has a point about Foden being unable to shine as normal due to the presence of Bellingham.
We have seen Bellingham cropping up in those areas between the opposition midfield and defence, where Foden is so good for City, and there just doesn’t seem to be that same space for him.
It has been surprising to see Southgate persist with using Bellingham in the number 10 role. Yes, he has scored two goals, including one sensational equaliser against Slovakia.
But his general level of performance has not been good, and it just seems obvious that he should be used alongside Declan Rice, but be given license to go forward and support. He’s a powerful player with solid ball-carrying capabilities. Having him drive forward from deep could be a really effective thing.
Whether Southgate will allow Foden to operate as the sole number 10 at this stage feels unlikely though, which is a real shame.
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