47 | Phil Foden - 2024/25

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Find all this (almost gleeful) criticism of Phil to be a bit weird and over the top. He's not been good enough this season - that's fair enough to point out. We know it and Pep knows it, but Phil will know it more than anyone.

But is it really much of a surprise that a young lad who's played over 300 career games and won almost everything there is to win (as a team and an individual) before his 25th birthday is showing a few signs of tiredness?

We know he's got off-field issues as well, apparently related to his health (I've personally heard all sorts, from iron deficiency to Chron's) - but even without them a bit of a personal reality check after last season is fair enough.

A lot on here seem to be enjoying sticking the boot in at the moment, like they spent all of last season gritting their teeth in anger as he took us to yet another league title and won more Player of the Year awards than Soft Mick.

This lad grew up supporting City in Stockport, got into our academy and graduated to the first team, has won numerous pots as part of our best ever team, and took us a record fourth title in his best ever season personally...

But a few underwhelming months - after playing football non-stop for about five years - and it's apparently enough for some people to seemingly forget everything Phil's been for us and done for City since he was a teenager? Nah.

He's still gonna finish this season with 15-20 goals despite being nowhere near his usual self, and despite the team being nowhere near itself as well. What does that say about how good Phill will be when the fire comes back?

And it's not just Phil having an off-season - we can see on the pitch that it's affecting everybody. It speaks to an issue larger than Phil himself. It speaks to an issue larger than any individual player really. It's collective burnout.

But here I am reading posts about him being "the type of person to watch his own mother get slapped and just stand there". It's going a bit like the Grealish thread where the line between criticism and weird personal attacks is awfully thin.
 
Crooked_rain said:
He looks the type that'll just be skinny and not physically that strong no matter what. Some people are just like that.

Didn't bother him too much last season. Nobody was asking him to bulk up then.

Whatever is going on with him, he needs to get his head out of his arse and regain the self belief that he's one of the most gifted players out there.

He's probably affected by the fact we're way shitter than we've ever been since he become a first team player. He's city through and through and this is very new to him as a player. I'd say maybe it's dented his confidence a bit. Who knows.
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I agree with that bulking up isn't his priority. But still losing ball that easily while getting pressed will be a huge disadvantage for him when we play against a high pressing team, and I don't think a change of mindset will help that.

A player being skinny and short doesn't always mean he's not good at physical duel, imo Bernado and Modric are very good examples. Maybe with more experience Foden will be better and better.
 
youngbob said:
Find all this (almost gleeful) criticism of Phil to be a bit weird and over the top. He's not been good enough this season - that's fair enough to point out. We know it and Pep knows it, but Phil will know it more than anyone.

But is it really much of a surprise that a young lad who's played over 300 career games and won almost everything there is to win (as a team and an individual) before his 25th birthday is showing a few signs of tiredness?

We know he's got off-field issues as well, apparently related to his health (I've personally heard all sorts, from iron deficiency to Chron's) - but even without them a bit of a personal reality check after last season is fair enough.

A lot on here seem to be enjoying sticking the boot in at the moment, like they spent all of last season gritting their teeth in anger as he took us to yet another league title and won more Player of the Year awards than Soft Mick.

This lad grew up supporting City in Stockport, got into our academy and graduated to the first team, has won numerous pots as part of our best ever team, and took us a record fourth title in his best ever season personally...

But a few underwhelming months - after playing football non-stop for about five years - and it's apparently enough for some people to seemingly forget everything Phil's been for us and done for City since he was a teenager? Nah.

He's still gonna finish this season with 15-20 goals despite being nowhere near his usual self, and despite the team being nowhere near itself as well. What does that say about how good Phill will be when the fire comes back?

And it's not just Phil having an off-season - we can see on the pitch that it's affecting everybody. It speaks to an issue larger than Phil himself. It speaks to an issue larger than any individual player really. It's collective burnout.

But here I am reading posts about him being "the type of person to watch his own mother get slapped and just stand there". It's going a bit like the Grealish thread where the line between criticism and weird personal attacks is awfully thin.
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Agree with every word. Can’t believe some of the comments in this thread.
 
Prestwich_Blue said:
I agree. Watch him next game. He rarely puts in a tackle, even when he appears to be favourite to win the ball (and he's not the only one either). When he loses the ball, he should be busting a gut to get it back but he never gets up with, or ahead of, the player with the ball. It's almost as though he's thinking "Shit, I'd better stay behind him otherwise I might have to put a tackle in". He's physically and mentally weak.
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We have far too many who are reluctant in the tackle…..Nunes, Gundogan, Akanji, Savio and to a certain extent, Bernardo……added to Foden it’s far too many and one of the main reasons that teams are able to bully us.
 
bluegaz13 said:
Nasri was really strong on the ball and very rarely lost it….agree with the Silva comments though
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True. Foden has never shielded the ball particularly well. To do that well doesn’t even require much strength. You can see in the few games Bobb has played he’s very good at it. Less of a problem when Phil was able to play on the half turn and produce at a bit of magic before getting away from his man. Very rarely see it anymore though.
 
Craig said:
True. Foden has never shielded the ball particularly well. To do that well doesn’t even require much strength. You can see in the few games Bobb has played he’s very good at it. Less of a problem when Phil was able to play on the half turn and produce at a bit of magic before getting away from his man. Very rarely see it anymore though.
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It’s his technique what I find concerning. He struggles to control the ball like he did before. Passing also in downfall.
 
clarion said:
All past. He deserves respect and support.

And criticism when he passes the ball to opponents and watches how they score. Happens quite often this season.
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Does it? He made a howler yesterday, granted, just like we’ve seen many of his colleagues do this season. He’s been fairly and roundly criticised for that. Can’t think of many other bad passes he’s made, this season or others, that have led to the opposition scoring.
 
10 goals from 28 starts isn't to be sniffed at even with him having his first "bad season" since his breakthrough into the first team.
 
Right,
So Foden misplaces a tight pass because the rest of the team haven't given him options because they are shit and suddenly he's had a shocker?

Yet, Kovatic was responsible for 1 goal and a direct shot on target in close succession because he went wondering off in his own and lost the ball after blaming it against the opposition and that is ok?

Not having it.

Pep has gone mental. Foden is rightly lost in this team which is set up to sit tight on the 20 yard box and then let kovatic do his thing. (See above).

Pep played him on the left against Brugge.
The same Foden who earlier in the day gave an interview stating he fucking hated playing on the left for England.

Pep continues to hang the fucker out to dry on the pitch because he's the only one able to cope with peps positional hokey cokey.
 
RayCTID said:
10 goals from 28 starts ism't to be sniffed at even with him having his first "bad season" since his breakthrough into the first team.
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People just have short memories. David Silva was excellent for City from beginning to end, apart from the 2015-16 season when he just decided not to turn up for most of it and finished the season with 16 G/A in 36 appearances.

For context, Foden is currently on 14 G/A from 29 games despite having his worst season since breaking into the first team, as you've said. I don't remember Silva getting the kind of accusations that Foden's currently getting.
 
Mr Grumpy said:
Right,
So Foden misplaces a tight pass because the rest of the team haven't given him options because they are shit and suddenly he's had a shocker?

Yet, Kovatic was responsible for 1 goal and a direct shot on target in close succession because he went wondering off in his own and lost the ball after blaming it against the opposition and that is ok?

Not having it.

Pep has gone mental. Foden is rightly lost in this team which is set up to sit tight on the 20 yard box and then let kovatic do his thing. (See above).

Pep played him on the left against Brugge.
The same Foden who earlier in the day gave an interview stating he fucking hated playing on the left for England.

Pep continues to hang the fucker out to dry on the pitch because he's the only one able to cope with peps positional hokey cokey.
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and Pep tells him to jog back when he loses the ball I guess.
 
Saddleworth2 said:
and Pep tells him to jog back when he loses the ball I guess.
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Do you actually watch any of his games?
He's one of the most proactive players we have.

He's not hench so can struggle in the dual I'll give you that, but that's it

Woopidoo.
 
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