Shocking Cole Palmer & Phil Foden stats shows why Southgate should be sacked after Euro 2024 England defeat
The star player for Manchester City, Phil Foden, did not score a goal or provide an assist during his seven appearances as an England representative at Euro 2024.
It’s disappointing to see that Gareth Southgate continued to play the 24-year-old when there was obviously a better option in Chelsea star Cole Palmer, who had a fantastic impact when he came on from the bench in the semi-finals and the final. Palmer is capable of so much more than what we saw from him in Germany this summer.
See below for some stats that show what could’ve been, with Palmer managing a goal and an assist despite not starting a single game for the Three Lions this summer…
Cole Palmer:
5 games
0 starts
1 goal
1 assist
1 pre assist
1 knockout pen scored
Phil Foden:
7 games
7 starts
0 goals
0 assists
0 pre assists
0 knockout pens scored
England could really have done with Foden being at his best, as we saw from him in the season just gone at Man City, which could explain why Southgate decided to be patient with him and give him the chance to keep on playing.
In the end, though, it just didn’t look like the right fit for England, and Palmer clearly had more of an impact in the limited time he spent on the pitch, so perhaps Southgate should have been braver and given him more opportunities instead of favouring the big name.
Chelsea fans will be excited by Palmer, however, who continued his superb form that he showed at Stamford Bridge last season, and another campaign like that for the Blues should surely cement his place in the England starting XI for the future.
Palmer is one of many talented young players in this England side, so the future could still be very bright for the national team, even if they now have to deal with the heartache of losing two European Championships finals in a row – the first country in history to do so.