![England's midfielder Phil Foden (C) shoots at Netherlands' goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/football/2024/07/10/TELEMMGLPICT000385128323_17206455736930_trans_NvBQzQNjv4Bq6o4x6a3LUZ_xrpriU2XKGxxrxEWf28JaKtfxHERvl4M.jpeg?imwidth=680)
![England's midfielder Phil Foden (C) shoots at Netherlands' goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/football/2024/07/10/TELEMMGLPICT000385128323_17206455736930_trans_NvBQzQNjv4Bq6o4x6a3LUZ_xrpriU2XKGxxrxEWf28JaKtfxHERvl4M.jpeg?imwidth=680)
Finally Phil Foden was on fire. It may not have lasted, the Dutch may eventually have combatted him, but he provided the spark.
The adaptation of the Bruce Springsteen song Dancing in the Dark has been the new soundtrack for England fans at this European Championship but, until Dortmund, Foden has failed to ignite it on the pitch.
This time he did.
It was not the Germans he played off the park, though. It was the Dutch. This was arguably Foden’s best ever performance for his country, in that first-half at least, stretching over 40 caps and four years.
There has been so much debate about his position in the team. About whether he should be in the team. About how the best player in the Premier League last season cannot find his feet for England. About the general air of frustration.
Here he was picking pockets. As a number 10, where he wants to be, he revelled. His football intelligence was paramount as he found small areas of space to exploit. The Dutch did not know how to cope with him as he dropped in and was picked out, superbly, by Kobbie Mainoo. A link-up made in Manchester albeit from red to blue.
![England's Phil Foden and Kobbie Mainoo](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/football/2024/07/10/TELEMMGLPICT000385125349_17206459240740_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqAHIxY5jazCGuEijL2IJQ-t2n5LIPC1nY6I-ZYFyh6iI.jpeg?imwidth=350)
Where has this England been? Foden epitomised the transformation and was desperately unlucky not to score once, and possibly twice, in the most thrilling first-halves we have seen under Gareth Southgate. Talk about timing.
The manager had spoken about being liberated from pressure and it was evident throughout the team and especially with Foden who was more at ease, more confident and demanded the ball. He was too sharp for Denzil Dumfries with the defender having possession stolen away from him and fortunate to escape after pulling Foden back.
The Dutch will argue about Harry Kane’s penalty but there was no denying England’s dominance. Foden had adjusted his feet to run onto Mainoo’s clever pass and was unlucky when Dumfries managed to stop his shot on the goal-line.
Then he collected the ball and curled a wonderful left-footed shot that beat Dutch goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen and cannoned back off the post.
The best players can adapt. The best players can thrive in any formation. There is no reason why Foden cannot prosper on the left, he has done so for Manchester City, but he needed the right support. And he has not always received that playing for England in this campaign where the left-side of the team had become a problem.
So Southgate changed shape and with that the question about Foden and Jude Bellingham became redundant. They both thrived; they did not get in each other’s way. Foden was not running down blind alleys or arguing with Kieran Trippier about where the ball should be played. Instead he was demanding where he wanted it and he was thriving.
He has been unfortunate in this tournament. He struck the post against Denmark, which could have turned a draw into a win and transformed things. He strayed too far forward and was rightly flagged for offside after finding the net in the last-16 tie against Slovakia.
It has been a familiar theme for Foden. He was unlucky in the last Euros when he dyed his hair blond, drawing parallels with Paul Gascoigne, and again hit the post – in the opening game against Croatia. If that had gone in it would have felt it might have been different for him.
Similarly it did not quite happen for Foden at the World Cup even if there is no question over his work-rate and commitment. He runs further than any other England player and maybe that is part of the problem. Foden has to press and has to find space but the ball needs to be delivered to him rather than him constantly having to go hunting for it.
Such was his impact against the Netherlands that coach Ronald Koeman felt he had to make a tactical change, bringing on midfielder Joey Veerman to man-mark Foden and it made a difference. They had been over-run and were just trying to hang on into the game. Foden had to guard against then dropping too deep to try and get involved and the Dutch had certainly reacted and tightened up their approach. The space was lessened for Foden.
![England's midfielder #11 Phil Foden reacts after missing an opportunity during the UEFA Euro 2024 semi-final football match between the Netherlands and England at the BVB Stadion in Dortmund on July 10, 2024](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/football/2024/07/10/TELEMMGLPICT000385129029_17206461001520_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqpVlberWd9EgFPZtcLiMQf0Rf_Wk3V23H2268P_XkPxc.jpeg?imwidth=350)
By now Southgate appeared to have changed England’s shape and it seemed to be more of a 4-3-3 with Foden moving out to the right, rather than the left, as Bellingham was there, presumably reacting to how the Dutch had squeezed the centre of the pitch. Was that the correct call?
Even the England fans stopping singing the Foden song as they sensed a shift in momentum. England did not carry the same threat because they could not get him into areas of danger. That was the difference. It showed how important he was in this game but Southgate needed to find a way to provide for Foden once again.
Instead he withdrew him and it was the right call. It came seconds after Foden had created an opportunity, with Bukayo Saka finishing for Kyle Walker to be pulled up for a tight offside. With that he was replaced by Cole Palmer and can have no complaint.
Was it a sign of the strength of England’s bench or an acceptance that Foden had been unable to adapt to the Dutch stifling him? We soon had our answer and, gloriously, England were in the final. Foden was off but he had certainly played his part.
Netherlands did not know how to cope with this version of Phil Foden
Manchester City forward, in combination with the outstanding Kobbie Mainoo, led the Dutch a merry dance in the first half