Gabby Agbonlahor says he genuinely feels for one Manchester City player at the moment.
England squeezed past Slovakia at Euro 2024 on Sunday evening, having been on the brink of a shock exit.
Gareth Southgate’s side were abysmal for the fifth match in a row, and are remarkably lucky to still be in the competition, having won 2-1.
England needed extra-time to win, having trailed 1-0 up until the very last minute. Jude Bellingham equalised right at the death to force an additional half-hour, with Harry Kane then scoring early on.
There was obviously jubilation about the win, but fans know this level of performance is nowhere near good enough for the calibre of players.
Phil Foden struggled once again on Saturday, but Gabby Agbonlahor expressed his sympathy with the Manchester City star.
Gabby Agbonlahor urges Gareth Southgate to end Phil Foden left wing experiment
Foden has now played as a left winger for five games in a row for England.
In some games, he has wandered centrally to try and influence the play. But this has then left Kieran Trippier to try and hold the width alone.
Foden has done well previously on the left for City. But with England the balance hasn’t been right.
Against Slovakia, the 24-year-old was once again a shadow of the player we saw throughout 2023/24 for City.
Agbonlahor spoke about the game this morning on talkSPORT, and he has called for Southgate to cease playing £225,000-a-week star Foden out wide once and for all.
He said: “Just let Foden get off the left. It’s painful to watch him there. It really is. I feel for him. He doesn’t want to play on the left. He is not playing his best football on the left. For the fifth game, Southgate, please get him off the left.”
Foden must change position for England now
Southgate has all kinds of problems at the moment and Foden’s position is probably one of the biggest he’s facing.
It is incredible to see the Premier League Player of the Season performing in the way that he has been.
Clearly, it is not working with him playing out on the left. The balance isn’t right with Kieran Trippier in behind him.
Against Switzerland, Southgate must do one of two things. Either play Foden as the 10 we all know he is – which is something Darren Bent urged over the weekend – and drop Jude Bellingham back alongside Declan Rice. Or drop Foden altogether.
City fans obviously do not want to see that happen. But we saw Julian Nagelsmann bench Bundesliga Player of the Season Florian Wirtz against Denmark because it was what was needed. Southgate cannot proceed with the same tactics of playing Foden on the left against Switzerland.