Joe Davis' World Cup column: Foden to the fore for England but Southgate could make changes again

For every minute that passed in England’s 0-0 stalemate against USA last Friday, frustration soared and the nation’s calls for the introduction of Phil Foden crescendoed.

The game was crying out for an injection of creativity in the final third – a quality the Manchester City man has in abundance. But the ‘Get Foden ons’ went unheard and Gareth Southgate instead turned to Jack Grealish and Jordan Henderson before Marcus Rashford was thrown on in the closing stages.

Groans poured into English streets from living rooms and pubs. How could Southgate not see that if anyone was going to slice open the stubborn USA backline it was Foden?

The draw left us all unconvinced by our chances of ‘bringing it home’ and the debates on team selection continued deep into the night.

By the time Tuesday arrived, the deflation had eased and we had fired ourselves up again for the huge clash against Wales.

Much to the delight of England fans, Foden was in from the start and scored between a Rashford brace to send Rob Page’s side on an early plane back to Cardiff Airport.

The result was pleasing but the first-half performance was poor. Southgate’s decision to leave out Raheem Sterling, Bukayo Saka and Mason Mount had seemingly failed and we were all fearing England would head into the next stage devoid of confidence after two bad games in a row.

The Manchester boys stepped up after the half-time oranges, though, and I include Harry Maguire in that, who was faultless again.

He is a perplexing character, who leaves Manchester United fans scratching their head every time he excels for his country.

I have the utmost respect for Maguire, having come up against him several times when he was starting out with Sheffield United a decade ago.

I can’t say I shared a pitch with many of England’s current stars but I also recall playing against Grealish when he was on loan with Notts County. Socks rolled down, calves oiled up, pink boots on and hair slicked back with half a tub of Brylcreem – he had a huge red target on his back but none of us could get anywhere near him to inflict any damage.

He would draw fouls, much like he does in the Premier League today, but he would also create opportunities, score goals and get you backpedalling with his jinking runs.

Foden is cut from similar cloth in the sense that he has ability to glide past defenders with little effort. It’s a natural gift that separates the good from the elite.

I’m one for sticking with the same team, especially for knockout games, but Southgate is a more abstract thinker and will base his plan on Senegal’s strengths and weaknesses.

Unlike the Wales game, where England’s direct running caused problems, it will take more than sheer physicality to break down Senegal’s back door. They have a squad filled with natural athletes, so clever link-up play and quick combinations will be needed.

For that reason, Foden and Sterling must start for me.