Phil Foden, Guardiola’s favorite, and how he convinced Southgate to start in England

England came as a candidate for Qatar 2022 because of the individuals they have on their squad, including Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Bellingham and of course, because of Phil Foden. Gareth Southgate was criticized because they had just been relegated to Serie B in the Nations League and with a record of not winning in the last six games before the World Cup.

But her face changed in Qatar 2022 and she became a candidate thanks to her play. Phil Foden had started the World Cup without starting. He entered the rout of Iran (6-2), but only played 20 minutes. He then was not against the United States and won the title for the match against Wales (3-0), where he contributed with a goal.

“Foden is the most talented player I’ve ever seen,” Pep Guardiola, his manager at Manchester City, declared a couple of years ago. In 2021 Foden already filled the eyes of the Spanish coach. “Messi is the best, but at 17 I never coached anyone with Foden’s potential,” he said.

World presence

Gareth Southgate was widely criticized in England for not including Foden in the draw against the United States, as they felt that Phil’s skill could have broken the goalless draw. “Well we thought it was the right thing to do to keep the team from the start and then we went with Jack Grealish and Marcus Rushford over Phil in the trades,” he said, adding: “We thought Jack would keep the ball for us and we thought the Marcus’ speed, he would also be a threat in the latter part of the game.”

It was thought that Southgate was still making Foden pay for a 2020 indiscipline, when before the game against Iceland he and Mason Greenwood brought girls into the concentration, breaking the protocol against COVID-19. This earned both players a penalty.

Foden, the man for the goal

The way of playing on the entire attack front convinced Gareth Southgate to start him, when at the beginning he considered other players in his position, such as throwing Bellingham to the wing or placing Rashford and his speed or Grealish for control. of ball.

But based on dedication and good play, Foden earned a place in the eleven. Against Wales he played 90 minutes, scored a goal, finished off 5 times and missed a clear play on goal, but he was unbalancing on his wing.

Thus he convinced Southgate. “There are different possibilities. He can play on either wing and he can play as a false nine if we decide so, ”said Phil Foden’s coach, who came out in the starting eleven against Senegal and provided two assists.

With his goal passes, Foden joined the long list of players with two assists in the World Cup and was only one behind Harry Kane, his teammate who is the top assister in Qatar 2022.

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