Has national education failed? By not offering a subject on “Manchester City players and their existence outside the context of Pep Guardiola” on the philosophy baccalaureate, she deprived herself of asking high school students the only problem that is relevant at the start of Euro 2024. Namely: why do the Citizens scattered across Germany experience so much difficulty in the context of their respective national teams while they all excel together in club?
With the exception of defenders like Kyle Walker, Manuel Akanji or Ruben Dias, most of City’s assets were drowned simultaneously or almost, at least enough for the question to be asked. So what could be hidden behind the disappearances of Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva or Phil Foden? And how can we put together the debris of their talent dissolved in the madness of the start of the Euro? Mystery.
In Belgium, De Bruyne and Doku frustrated
The more or less pronounced bankruptcies of the Flemish Paul Scholes and Jérémy Doku were the most damaging of the lot, given that they took place in a context of Belgium’s scandalous defeat against Slovakia. With a certain leniency for the former Rennais, who started his match rather well on the right side, the former Belgian player turned consultant, Alex Teklak, points out to us:
« “He was very good in a classic transition play on this right side, going behind Hanko’s back. But the coach, Domenico Tedesco switched him to the left at half-time, and you didn’t see him anymore because the Slovaks closed his way to two. One outside, one inside and it was over. Overall, in his first match, Doku did some tinkering. He forced his game. It’s not the one we see under Guardiola. In City, he has complicity with others, he has support to be able to combine. He is capable of playing as a first intention, or even in two touches. Control, pass and leave in space. » »
Among the Red Devils, only Kevin De Bruyne speaks the same language as him – Trossard to a lesser extent, the Arteta school is never far from that of Guardiola. But we don’t build a collective dynamic between two or three, not to mention that the red-haired magician also has his problems finding his place in the Belgian chaos. Sometimes too high to wait in vain for the ball to reach him in the decision zones, sometimes too low to ensure the first restarts. Zone in which the Belgian defense, completely decimated, proved totally ineffective.
“For 20 minutes, in the second half, he played in 6 because he didn’t touch one,” sighs Teklak. He was frustrated, it was a disaster. We are “only” Belgium, we don’t have the pool of players that we need around De Bruyne for him to be sufficiently comfortable like at City. So Kevin said to himself “ok , I have to replace several roles in this team. But it can’t work like that. » Indeed, it didn’t work.
In England, Phil Foden eaten by Bellingham
Among the Three Lions, the problem is the opposite with Phil Foden, to whom a lawsuit for lack of personality is beginning to be brought across the Channel as a result of being eaten up by the radioactive aura of Bellingham, which multiplies the calls in the heart of the game, preferential zone that Foden ended up abandoning. A sign of weakness in the eyes of observers. “Phil must want the ball more than the others and Jude has shown that he is a little above him in this regard,” regrets Cesc Fabregas on BBC One. Foden needs to get that personality back and do what he does at Manchester City. »
Easy to say. But as someone else would say, it’s not enough to look like Cetelem to be Cetelem. Without talking about Bellingham, Foden has two problems with the English jersey: 1) Gareth Southgate is not a crack at offensive animation. But we know Foden is infinitely more effective in the choreographic context of Pep’s City. 2) in a club, he can play on the right, but the coach exiled him to the left, on his good foot… or his bad, a matter of point of view. “In City, as he plays in the heart of the game, he is able to move from the right side towards the goal and use his left foot which is quite magical,” analyzes Darren Tulett, indescribable British guarantor for the competition’s full broadcaster, beIN Sports. He also scored a lot of goals like that last year. »
“An extreme talent like Phil Foden will give the best of him in midfield,” Micah Richards also believes, also interviewed by BBC One. When he is on the left side, you put him in a position where he has to dribble past his opponent. It’s not his game! » And this is felt in his calls for the ball, very little focused on depth, very little biting the line, often in the axis and at best in the left half-space. Note also that by placing Foden on the other side, Southgate would benefit from his automatisms with Kyle Walker. But what to do, then, with Bukayo Saka? Rich man’s problem…
In Portugal, Bernardo Silva cursed by CR7
What will we remember about Bernardo Silva’s career with the Portugal team? At this rate, not much. Tactically, the situation of Guardiola’s favorite is very similar to that of Foden, due to his exile in a fixed position in a sector where his qualities are not those of a winger. Against the Czech Republic, the former Monegasque only managed one dribble and stubbornly searched for balls at the feet of his midfielders. For that and other things, he was rotten by a country that is angry at not seeing him at his best anywhere other than at club level.
“This is the consequence of the fact that Portugal continues to play for a 9 [en l’occurrence Cristiano Ronaldo], accuses Portuguese commentator Luis Cristovão. Almost everything in the rest of the squad, however, encourages us to play differently, with a faster attacker in front as Germany can do. As long as there is this reference 9 it will be harder for Bernardo to shine from his right side. »
Don’t miss anything from Euro 2024
Like Foden, Bernardo Silva can only exist in a collective context in movement. “This is the basic idea of total football, where everyone can reach the penalty area. City play like that a lot. It should also be noted that in front in Portugal, there is Cristiano Ronaldo. It’s a player-eucalyptus, it dries up everything around it. He goes into the zone of one, into the zone of the other, he removes the protagonism of the others. Bernardo Silva is undoubtedly the one who suffers from this the most with Rafael Leão. »
Bad luck for Nanardo, CR7 is well on his way to becoming the first player to reach real retirement age, and the other role that could be entrusted to him, in a more central area in the middle, is now occupied by Vitinha. Having your place in the best collective in the world but not a roof at home, the great drama of the Manchester City offensives.
