Neil Humphreys: Phil Foden must lead England forward
Creative risk-taker will make difference at Euro 2020
The most refreshing aspect of Phil Foden's game is his stubborn refusal to conform to nationalistic cliche.
He's an Englishman who doesn't really play like an England footballer.
The dynamic attacking midfielder is arguably the only member of the Three Lions' circus not playing to stereotype.
Gareth Southgate, the dutiful manager, speaks of creative options and youthful potential whilst picking two defensive midfielders against a nation ranked 66th in world football.
As ever, England made heavy weather of defeating the Albanians in a World Cup qualifier, promising plenty and then treating the affair like a wet Wednesday at Stoke.
Meanwhile, fans and pundits are either handing the Euro 2020 trophy to the Three Lions after two patchy wins against Albania and San Marino or castigating Southgate for not playing like a Pep Guardiola side.
Every day is Groundhog Day when it comes to the fickle fortunes of England.
But one kid didn't get the script. He went his own way and actually looked like a star in a Pep Guardiola side because he is. That's the day job.
Occasionally, he moonlights in an England jersey with the rare joy of a professional musician nipping into a jazz club for a few improvised numbers. He's prepared to make it up as he goes along to lift the performance.
Foden was at his best when the Three Lions were at their worst, a reality that Southgate will acknowledge when he's picking his best XI for Euro 2020. The Manchester City maestro's name has to be on it.
His position? At this stage, who cares? Foden plays as if he doesn't care, when of course the opposite is true.
In a loose 4-3-3, he started on the left of Harry Kane and then drifted to the right, occasionally getting in Mason Mount's way, before floating back to the left and linking up with Declan Rice. He even popped up in the middle.
Such movements suggest a lack of discipline, the typical hallmarks of a young punk more interested in the name on the back of the jersey, rather than the front.
Of course, that wasn't the case. Educated at Guardiola's school of obsessive possession, Foden darted around in pursuit of the ball and anything vaguely resembling momentum.
Against Albania, he cut inside at pace, as if encouraging others to adjust their speed dials to keep up. He was operating at a different level.
He was, in essence, taking risks. And therein lies Guardiola's genius. The City manager is zealously devoted to constant pressing. His best defending is attacking, on both sides of the halfway line, probing and pestering until either magic or mistakes happen.
POSTER BOY
Either way, Guardiola persists only with footballers capable of maintaining his dizzying demands for ball retention. Foden is rapidly becoming the poster boy for his manager's emphasis on discipline and control.
And that's the irony here. Foden's buzzing display, switching flanks and positions, may appear to lack discipline and control, when he was in fact providing both for England.
Foden was the only reliable "out-ball" for the Three Lions, especially in a loose first-half, the one reliable option seeking to drive his teammates forward. It's an instinctive reaction, the Guardiola way. There's no other at City.
But it's usually a little different for England. Two defensive midfielders, four at the back, a tentative approach in attack and a manager who still struggles to remove the handbrake, even now, are all familiar storylines in the Three Lions tragedy (or farce, depending on the tournament) that goes back decades.
Foden is the odd man out. He's a 20-year-old veteran. In a couple of weeks, he'll win his third English Premier League title. He's primed to lead the finest club side in world football to the next level.
Leading the Three Lions may be an easier proposition in comparison.
Foden must start against Poland on Thursday morning (Singapore time), not to pass the JFK test and ask what he can do for his country, but what his country can do for him.
Southgate can consider building his side around the least English footballer in his squad. Foden was born in England, but he was made by a Spaniard.
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