This week, Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham joine up with England, and both made an impact to help the Three Lions advance to Euro 2024.
In the match against Italy, Foden and Bellingham both performed well.
In the England lineup, Phil Foden may have finally discovered his best position, and it is strikingly similar to his preferred position with Manchester City.
This season, Foden has made an impression playing as a second number ten behind a traditional number nine after moving inside from the wings. Foden has made an appearance next to Julian Alvarez for City to make an impression.
He also looked good playing with Rico Lewis as one of two number eights.
Before being given a chance to play for England, Gareth Southgate has always challenged Foden to prove he can play frequently for City.
The same holds true for the number ten position.
To be fair to Southgate, he chose Foden as a roaming ten against Italy this week after he played in that position for City.
Jude Bellingham, who once again shone in the more definite number ten role, was essential to Foden’s impressive performance, which saw him play on both flanks and drift inside. Bellingham provided two assists to help England qualify for Euro 2024, and he will be essential to the Three Lions’ efforts to improve upon their defeat in the final of Euro 2020.
Bellingham advanced and used Harry Kane’s charade run to feed Marcus Rashford, and it was Foden’s deft pass to him that set England on their way to victory. Gianluigi Donnarumma was put to the test by Foden’s beautiful one-two with Bellingham to open up space, and the two frequently combined to turn England’s possession into opportunities.
Bellingham was a summer target for City, but his allegiance was to Real Madrid.
Bellingham has excelled since arriving at the Bernabeu, justifying his nine-figure transfer fee and sporting the appearance of a Galactico who has been in the league for years.
If City wanted to acquire him in the future, it would cost significantly more than the £115 million Real will pay Borussia Dortmund.
For years to come, he will act and play like a Real Madrid player.
The fact that Foden is still excelling in the center of the field alongside top-tier players can only be a good thing, even though City may not get to reap the benefits of the tantalizing Foden-Bellingham pairing themselves.
When Kevin De Bruyne returns, the possibility of Foden moving inside to play off the Belgian is an incredibly exciting one because of how well he gets along with both Alvarez and Erling Haaland.
Alvarez’s ability to play in the tight spaces behind a striker is different from Bellingham and De Bruyne’s tendency to charge forward with the ball.
Foden has demonstrated how City could benefit from his growing ability in the center, giving De Bruyne another talented player to learn from when he returns.
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