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Phil Foden: Living up to his potential

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The Manchester City wideman has been an almost ever-present this season, already bettering his best ever season in terms of goals and assists. Now, with one eye on the summer Euros, Foden’s importance to both club and country can not be underestimated.

By Dharnish Iqbal

Normally, for Manchester City, Pep Guardiola likes to use rotation to keep his forwards fresh and to spread the workload. 

Typically, with the club fighting on four fronts, he’s always wary of the tiredness of his forwards. Last season Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gündoğan were around to play more minutes and also provide City with more of a flexible team selection. As Mahrez and Gündoğan can both play in behind the striker or as a false nine, with Gündoğan able to be deployed further back in midfield if needed.

No striker last season, bar Erling Haaland, completed more than 30 Premier League games. If you take a look at the amount of starts, Pep’s rotation policy becomes even more intriguing: Mahrez started 22, Álvarez 13, Palmer 14, Grealish 23, Gündoğan 27, Foden 22, Bernardo 24.

A combination of Grealish’s injuries, and lack of form, as well as Mahrez and Gündoğan’s departures means Guardiola has already relied on Phil Foden a lot more than other seasons, with the young Englishman starting 26 of the 28 league games played to date.

Foden is finally transforming into the complete player Guardiola always wanted and taking up the mantle of a key performer in a City team that needs him, and has changed a lot from last season. 

Foden’s emergence has been vital with City having both less options and contending with Kevin de Bruyne’s injuries. His dribbling ability and penchant to take full-backs on was always there, but he’s more of a complete threat this season, typified by most of his 11 Premier League goals coming from inside the box.

As Julián Álvarez and Jeremy Jérémy Doku have been rotated on one wing, Foden has firmly held down his spot. It’s been salient to see how much more of a threat City have possessed on the wing Foden has been positioned on, compared to the other throughout the season, no less in the recent game against Liverpool where it feet as though neither Doku or Álvarez could really get going.

Looking ahead to this summer’s Euros, one imagines the possibilities for England with Foden on one wing and and in-form Bukayo Saka on the other.

Guardiola mentioned how much Foden’s mistake, rashly conceding a penalty vs. Crystal Palace back in December, was a turning point for the Englishman: “Since Crystal Palace, he learned a lesson and then Urawa, Fluminense, Everton, Sheffield United, he has been outstanding, all four he has been top, top class: playing good, scoring goals, assists and all the important things we need from him.”

When quizzed as to whether this was because Foden could play in the middle, Guardiola said “Not in the middle, in the World Cup in Saudi Arabia he played really good, he understands more the game. His work ethic, how he runs, everything. He has become a top-class player. Right now he’s the best in the league. To be world-class you have to win games, he’s winning games.”

This may be of interest to Gareth Southgate, with the England manager previously having stated that Foden is not a midfielder. Much like the addition of Kobbie Mainoo however, his performances this season may indicate that Southgate will have no choice but to include Foden in his first choice tournament XI for the summer.

Raheem Sterling might’ve been the best player at the last Euros, but with him out of the England setup and finding things difficult at Chelsea, Foden may need to be the wide player that makes the difference for the Three Lions this time around.

Foden already has 18 league goal contributions and has scored more than he ever has this season. Foden was always an attacking threat but typically under Guardiola he always wants more than that – which Foden can now provide.

He can be the attacker that takes players on and the provider for others, but also the player that can slow things down and give City the control they need. He’s become a multi-faceted player meaning whichever way Southgate wants England to play this summer, Foden may have the versatility to slot in. 

You can see his all round game improvement in his passing stats. City tend to control games, and could be accused of passing teams to death. Foden now averages 45 successful passes per 90 with his passing accuracy in the top 92% percentile in the league, whilst not dropping the ball on his creative goal contributing numbers. 

There is a plethora of talent in the current England side and the prospects are tantalising heading into the Euros. The fact that arguably the best manager in the world is relying more and more on Foden speaks volumes of development as a player into a world class match-winner. 

When Southgate is deliberating how to set his team up he may look to Foden’s excellent form and ability to perform in a number of different positions.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every Man City and England game live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Phil Foden: Living up to his potential

The Manchester City wideman has been an almost ever-present this season, already bettering his best ever season in terms of goals and assists. Now, with one eye on the summer Euros, Foden’s importance to both club and country can not be underestimated.

By Dharnish Iqbal

Normally, for Manchester City, Pep Guardiola likes to use rotation to keep his forwards fresh and to spread the workload. 

Typically, with the club fighting on four fronts, he’s always wary of the tiredness of his forwards. Last season Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gündoğan were around to play more minutes and also provide City with more of a flexible team selection. As Mahrez and Gündoğan can both play in behind the striker or as a false nine, with Gündoğan able to be deployed further back in midfield if needed.

No striker last season, bar Erling Haaland, completed more than 30 Premier League games. If you take a look at the amount of starts, Pep’s rotation policy becomes even more intriguing: Mahrez started 22, Álvarez 13, Palmer 14, Grealish 23, Gündoğan 27, Foden 22, Bernardo 24.

A combination of Grealish’s injuries, and lack of form, as well as Mahrez and Gündoğan’s departures means Guardiola has already relied on Phil Foden a lot more than other seasons, with the young Englishman starting 26 of the 28 league games played to date.

Foden is finally transforming into the complete player Guardiola always wanted and taking up the mantle of a key performer in a City team that needs him, and has changed a lot from last season. 

Foden’s emergence has been vital with City having both less options and contending with Kevin de Bruyne’s injuries. His dribbling ability and penchant to take full-backs on was always there, but he’s more of a complete threat this season, typified by most of his 11 Premier League goals coming from inside the box.

As Julián Álvarez and Jeremy Jérémy Doku have been rotated on one wing, Foden has firmly held down his spot. It’s been salient to see how much more of a threat City have possessed on the wing Foden has been positioned on, compared to the other throughout the season, no less in the recent game against Liverpool where it feet as though neither Doku or Álvarez could really get going.

Looking ahead to this summer’s Euros, one imagines the possibilities for England with Foden on one wing and and in-form Bukayo Saka on the other.

Guardiola mentioned how much Foden’s mistake, rashly conceding a penalty vs. Crystal Palace back in December, was a turning point for the Englishman: “Since Crystal Palace, he learned a lesson and then Urawa, Fluminense, Everton, Sheffield United, he has been outstanding, all four he has been top, top class: playing good, scoring goals, assists and all the important things we need from him.”

When quizzed as to whether this was because Foden could play in the middle, Guardiola said “Not in the middle, in the World Cup in Saudi Arabia he played really good, he understands more the game. His work ethic, how he runs, everything. He has become a top-class player. Right now he’s the best in the league. To be world-class you have to win games, he’s winning games.”

This may be of interest to Gareth Southgate, with the England manager previously having stated that Foden is not a midfielder. Much like the addition of Kobbie Mainoo however, his performances this season may indicate that Southgate will have no choice but to include Foden in his first choice tournament XI for the summer.

Raheem Sterling might’ve been the best player at the last Euros, but with him out of the England setup and finding things difficult at Chelsea, Foden may need to be the wide player that makes the difference for the Three Lions this time around.

Foden already has 18 league goal contributions and has scored more than he ever has this season. Foden was always an attacking threat but typically under Guardiola he always wants more than that – which Foden can now provide.

He can be the attacker that takes players on and the provider for others, but also the player that can slow things down and give City the control they need. He’s become a multi-faceted player meaning whichever way Southgate wants England to play this summer, Foden may have the versatility to slot in. 

You can see his all round game improvement in his passing stats. City tend to control games, and could be accused of passing teams to death. Foden now averages 45 successful passes per 90 with his passing accuracy in the top 92% percentile in the league, whilst not dropping the ball on his creative goal contributing numbers. 

There is a plethora of talent in the current England side and the prospects are tantalising heading into the Euros. The fact that arguably the best manager in the world is relying more and more on Foden speaks volumes of development as a player into a world class match-winner. 

When Southgate is deliberating how to set his team up he may look to Foden’s excellent form and ability to perform in a number of different positions.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every Man City and England game live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.