England have to start Phil Foden over Mason Mount vs Wales

11/27/2022

James Maddison returns to training with England

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It was after 1am Qatar time when Phil Foden walked past the waiting media in the bowels of the Al Bayt Stadium and off to the England team bus. Foden smiled politely but he was not for stopping and chatting. Unused in the drab scoreless draw against USA, he had nothing to talk about.

Assuming he is not carrying an injury that England have kept under wraps – and Gareth Southgate gave no indication of that afterwards – it was perplexing that Foden was judged entirely surplus to requirements. England were clearly finding it hard to work their way through an organised US side and Foden is one of their most creative players.

It was like planning a robbery and leaving the lock-picker in the getaway car. In one sense Southgate’s decision was vindicated by the position England now find themselves in heading into Tuesday’s final group game against Wales. The four-goal defeat that would see them eliminated has never happened before against Wales and is not going to happen in Qatar.

Phase one of the World Cup operation has been all but done with the soporific draw against the USA. But after the eminently forgettable evening at the Al Bayt, an uplift is needed heading into the knockout stages.

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One swallow does not make a summer and if England are to convince themselves as much as anyone else that they are capable of achieving something of note at this tournament they need a performance against Wales that revisits the delights of Iran rather than the desert night of a thousand snores.

Southgate has some thinking to do over his line-up for Wales and central to that is Foden. There is no sense in a knee-jerk slash-and-burn job on a side that looked so good only six days ago. But the 22-year-old is in form with seven Premier League goals and four assists to his credit this season and was impressive off the bench against the Iranians, slotting into Mason Mount’s spot behind the attacking line.

With Mount ineffectual against the Americans, Foden should be handed the chance to make his mark on this World Cup from the start against Wales. When it comes to these selection face-offs it often makes sense for a manager to put himself in the shoes of his opposite number and ask: ‘who would they least like to face?’

Rob Page’s answer would be Foden. Mount has his attributes but Foden possesses the capacity to pull an opposition apart. This tournament was supposed to be his time but at the moment, on a personal level, it looks like going the same way as last summer’s Euros experience.

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He actually had a starting spot then but lost it after the second game against Scotland and never regained it, eventually missing the final with a foot injury. Perhaps this World Cup can yet be a mirror image if he is promoted against Wales and can make an irresistible case.

There is an argument that Mount is best deployed from the bench anyway against tiring defences with his boundless energy. He was the very definition of an impact sub in England’s last match before the World Cup against Germany, scoring a superb goal to turn the direction of the game.

Over to Southgate. The England manager’s hope has to be that the USA game was the World Cup equivalent of the goalless draw against the Scots at the Euros 17 months ago – a one-off misstep at an otherwise uplifting tournament. There are no guarantees on that front but bringing Foden in from the cold would surely help.

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