Phil Foden Responds to Claims he Didn’t Want to Take Penalty vs Switzerland

Phil Foden said he would have had no issues taking a penalty for England against Switzerland if he had needed to. Foden was substituted in the 115th minute of England’s quarter-final win, with penalties looming.

His replacement, Trent Alexander-Arnold, scored the winning spot-kick in the shoot-out, setting up a semi-final meeting with the Netherlands. All five of England’s players who stepped up from 12 yards found the net, with Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Ivan Toney also scoring.

After the match, a clip circulated on social media that showed Liverpool star Alexander-Arnold speaking to his family and friends after the match. In the clip, Alexander-Arnold could be heard saying, “he didn’t want to take one”.

England Fans Suspicious of Foden

City star was taken off in 115th minute vs Switzerland

There was no evidence to suggest that Alexander-Arnold was definitely referring to Foden, but plenty of responders on social media pointed the finger at the Manchester City star. While Foden admitted there are better penalty takers than him in the England squad, he said he would have been fine with stepping up.

Foden, who has a 75 per cent conversion rate from the spot, told talkSPORT: “I would have taken one if I was still on the pitch but I think there are players who take them regularly for their clubs. It makes sense for them to take it. I think that is what Gareth [Southgate] done, put the best penalty takers on the pitch.

“I am glad he did that, now, as it definitely worked in our favour. I think it is a confidence thing. If you believe you are going to score, then you can definitely be a penalty taker. I wouldn’t have minded taking one if I was still on the pitch but there are probably better penalty takers than me [in the team].”

Foden Hails Toney

Brentford man netted memorable penalty

The manner in which Ivan Toney dispatched his spot-kick garnered the most attention from pundits and fans after the match, with the Brentford striker having found the corner of the net without even looking at the ball in his run-up.When asked which of England’s give penalties was his favourite, Foden replied: “I think Ivan’s to be honest. It is crazy how he never looks at the ball and generates the power that he needs to score. Yeah, I just find it unbelievable how he does that.”Foden is yet to show his best form for England at the Euros, and has been substituted in all but one of their five games at the tournament in Germany. England face the Netherlands on Wednesday night, with a spot in Sunday’s final against either France or Spain at stake.