History repeats itself. Twenty years since Sven-Göran Eriksson nudged Paul Scholes to the left flank to make space for Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard in the middle, conditions are ripe for furious arguments about another creative talent being wasted in a team lacking balance, all because narrative has it that England’s coach is shoving square pegs in round holes again.
Phil Foden, then: what’s going on there? Why does he look so Scholesy? Two theories have been posited since his muted display during England’s win against Serbia: one, that he is being constrained by Gareth Southgate’s functionality; the other, that Foden’s struggle to impose himself in an England shirt has nothing to do with the system and is down to a player who needs to be more Jude.
