Phil Foden’s alleged furious reaction at his England teammate, Declan Rice, during the Three Lions’ 2-1 loss to Greece has sparked controversy on social media, as fans who seem to support Arsenal and Manchester City take sides, defending their respective club players.
Manager Lee Carsley opted for a midfield-heavy lineup, leaving the team without a traditional striker. The decision to field a plethora of attacking midfielders, including Foden, Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Anthony Gordon, seemed like a promising strategy. However, the Three Lions struggled to break down the Greek defense.
One of England’s best chances came in the first half when Palmer missed a golden opportunity. Foden’s frustration boiled over as the match progressed.
During a sequence of passes involving Levi Colwill, Declan Rice, and Rico Lewis, Foden’s body language clearly expressed his displeasure with the team’s backward passing as the Manchester City star gestured and muttered in frustration, urging his teammates to play the ball forward.
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Jude Bellingham was also available to receive the ball in a more advanced position, but Rice opted for the safer pass, highlighting England’s cautious approach. The team managed only two shots on target, with Jude Bellingham’s equalizer being the only goal they scored.
Fans react to Foden’s reaction at Rice
Fans were critical of England’s negative style of play, with some singling out Rice for his defensive approach.
One wrote, “Look at Foden’s reaction to this Rice guy being unable to play the ball back into the pocket to advance. Zero intelligence as a 6.
“Gets a second chance at it and passes it to the wrong side of Foden. Not good enough as a 6 in this system at all.”
Another replied saying, “He is the biggest fraud bro, can’t take risks to pass forward.”
A third remarked, “Rice is a bum. I keep telling Arsenal fans but they can’t see beyond their bias. We paid £100m for a DM that can’t play DM.”
Watch the video as posted by Sulkfenomeno on X:
Look at Foden’s reaction to this Rice guy being unable to play the ball back into the pocket to advance. Zero intelligence as a 6. Gets a second chance at it and passes it to the wrong side of Foden. Not good enough as a 6 in this system at all. pic.twitter.com/38jUrroDx0
— – (@sulkfenomeno) October 10, 2024
Meanwhile, other factions of fans defended the former West Ham captain, saying Foden’s reaction was unnecessary, also pointing to the fact that the City attacker was guilty of the same offense in that same sequence of pass.
One wrote, ”Foden’s first pass could’ve have even gone to Lewis, a simple left footed pass”
Another commented, ”These minions are out here reacting as if England were playing against mannequins….if Rice attempts that pass to Foden, it’s getting intercepted by Greece no 11. Pure waffle from these lot.”
A third wrote, ”Hilariously, at the end of the clip Foden does the exact same thing, receives it on a bit of space but passes backwards.”
England will now look to put Thursday’s setback behind them as they take on Finland on Sunday.