England star Phil Foden says he feels sorry for under-pressure boss Gareth Southgate.
The 24-year-old, alongside his Three Lions team-mates, have not been up to par so far at Euro 2024 and the backlash is falling on the shoulders of the manager.
And Foden, who is a Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup winner, says those on the pitch need to take some of the blame.
England have edged through to the knockout stages and will face Switzerland in the quarter-finals on Saturday, although they were on the brink of elimination in the last 16.
Slovakia were seconds away from knocking the favourites out but for a Jude Bellingham overhead kick.
Harry Kane scored the winner in extra-time but it was another uninspiring performance on all fronts.
Phil Foden admits that he has been ‘frustrated’ by his performances for England so far in the Euros 🏴 pic.twitter.com/K71aZoA4a4
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) July 4, 2024
Speaking ahead of the Switzerland game, Foden said: “The players have got to take some of the blame.
“There has to be some leaders to get together and find out a solution to why it is not working.
“There is only so much the manager can do. He sets you up in a system and tells you how to press. If it is not going like that, you have to [work it out].
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“I feel sorry for Gareth.
“In training, he has been telling us to press and be high up on the pitch and I feel like sometimes, it has to come from the players.
“We have to be leaders. In games we could have got together a little bit more and worked out a solution.
“So yes, we have spoken about it more. If it happens again in a game, we can get together and find a solution, see where it is going wrong and adapt our press.”
Foden has a huge amount of talent and was not voted the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year for no reason.
He has not shown his best at Euro 2024 and is yet to score a goal, but he arrived at the pre-match press conference with fighting talk.
Foden added: “I’ve not been the best player in the Premier League to come here and not show it.
Phil Foden says it’s time for the England players to step up.#Euro2024 #BBCEuros pic.twitter.com/AxQd74vtBN
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 3, 2024
“[But] every game I’m moving little steps forward and, hopefully, I can put in good performances for England.
“That’s always been my aim to show it for the national team.
“The first game was very quiet, in terms of how the game went I didn’t have much going forward for myself.
“The next games after that I grew. I came close a few times and I was offside [when seeming to score] in the last game [against Slovakia]. Against Denmark I hit the post.
“My performances have improved a lot and if [the efforts] go in no-one’s saying anything.”
