Southgate may have to sacrifice Bellingham's position to unlock Foden

England have entered the knockout round of EURO 2024 as Group C winners. However, the Three Lions still show stagnation and deadlock in their playing style. After each match, fans hope that Gareth Southgate needs to do something better, but it's the same.

Over the years, English football has produced a series of world- class attacking stars. Like previous tournaments, perhaps the "Three Lions" squad is not suitable to cram all the brightest stars to play together.

After the Slovenia game, the positions of Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham were the most controversial. Southgate may have to choose between one of these stars playing in the "number 10" role. It is clear that this duo is not effective when they often overlap positions.

England's average position map against Slovenia shows how Foden and Bellingham are blocking each other. Photo: Telegraph

The map above shows that Foden and Bellingham’s average positions are a mess, with two of England’s most creative talents competing for the same space. Going into the Slovenia game, Foden started on the left in a 4-1-4-1 system and Bellingham joined Gallagher centrally. Notably, Foden and Bellingham switched positions frequently but neither seemed to want to play out wide.

As a result, England’s left wing continued to be ineffective, just like in the previous two matches. The Three Lions did not have a true left winger and Trippier was not allowed to venture forward because he played with his left foot.

Based on his performances in the three group stage matches, Bellingham has been England's least impressive player. The Real Madrid star has been out of sync and unable to make the impact he has made in his club career.

Apart from his goal against Serbia, Bellingham's performance was completely lackluster. Photo: AFP

For Foden, the Man City midfielder shows that he fits Southgate’s plan, with the winger and the attacking midfielder constantly switching roles. England need to play with true wingers and the squad has plenty of them, such as Bukayo Saka, Anthony Gordon, Cole Palmer and Eberechi Eze.

Foden had a better performance than his previous two games but it was still a far cry from his form at Man City. At the Etihad, the 24-year-old midfielder settled into familiar patterns that Pep Guardiola's players know all too well.

At Man City, Foden often plays in the half-space on the edge of the box. He can create chances by appearing behind the opposition defence. Foden is trying to replicate that for England as best he can, although it is not easy.

Foden played much more energetically than in the previous two matches. Photo: AFP

Bellingham must accept that he is not good enough and that a place on the bench is inevitable. Southgate has to make a tough choice but it will help England find better attacking options. The knockout stages are no longer the place to experiment.

Source: https://laodong.vn/bong-da-quoc-te/southgate-co-the-phai-hi-sinh-vi-tri-cua-bellingham-de-mo-khoa-foden-1357716.ldo