After smashing Iran 6-2 in their 2022 FIFA World Cup opener, England looked absolutely abysmal in a scoreless draw with the USMNT on Friday. Sure, the Americans did play rather well, but the Three Lions looked like a completely different side than the one who was firing on all cylinders in the final third earlier in the week. This was the first respectable opponent they've faced and although you can blame the players for not delivering, a lot of the blame also needs to be put on manager Gareth Southgate.

The England boss started the exact same 11 as the Iran match and to be frank, the front three of Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, and Raheem Sterling did absolutely nothing to threaten a US backline that is anchored by two average defenders in Walker Zimmerman and Tim Ream. The biggest issue however is the substitutes Southgate made in the second half. Bringing on Jack Grealish to add some creativity to the England attack was a solid decision, but the one player who he had to give a go was Phil Foden. And if the Three Lions are going to have any chance at going deep into the World Cup in Qatar, Foden must play moving forward.

The Manchester City youngster is one of the most promising attackers in world football. He's a wizard with the ball at his feet and can create something out of nothing. England fans already roasted Southgate after the draw for not giving Foden a chance. Everyone is thinking the same thing. Iran was a weak opposition. The US isn't world-class, but they're decent enough to give the Brits some problems. As soon as Southgate saw his frontline struggling to muster up any chances in the opening 45, changes had to be made immediately.

Also, Trent Alexander-Arnold is the clear-cut choice to come on over Jordan Henderson, too. At that moment, you're looking for a winner. Kane wasn't getting targeted barely at all. If Southgate had brought on TAA, it's at least a wing-back who can swing in quality balls into the box and give Kane an opportunity to do what he does best: Find the back of the net.

England was outplayed on Friday. Gareth Southgate is partially to blame. If he wants to keep his job, the Englishman has to put Phil Foden in the starting XI or at least use him as a second-half sub moving forward. It's that simple. He's proven himself at club level and brings a necessary element to the Three Lions attack.

We'll see if Southgate listens to the critics.