47 | Phil Foden - 2024/25

[mcfcpride]

If you’re meant to be the focal point of our attack, and the attack is so blunt, obviously you’ll be blamed. There’s so many reasons to criticize him.

1. A ‘washed’ KDB was pressing more than him, and running back to help in defence more and faster than him.

2. Everytime he gets the ball, he does the same things over and over. Run at the defence and lose the ball, pass and lose the ball or shoot and starts the opponent counter. Before this, he scores it and that’s why there was no criticism.

3. He’s ‘the golden boy’, and last year’s player of the year. Do something. Make runs, be smart etc instead he keeps giving the ball away or shooting the ball at someone.

 

[heslops barnet]

If you’re meant to be the focal point of our attack, and the attack is so blunt, obviously you’ll be blamed. There’s so many reasons to criticize him.

1. A ‘washed’ KDB was pressing more than him, and running back to help in defence more and faster than him.

2. Everytime he gets the ball, he does the same things over and over. Run at the defence and lose the ball, pass and lose the ball or shoot and starts the opponent counter. Before this, he scores it and that’s why there was no criticism.

3. He’s ‘the golden boy’, and last year’s player of the year. Do something. Make runs, be smart etc instead he keeps giving the ball away or shooting the ball at someone.

Seems his confidence is shot to fuck….definitely something wrong behind the scenes

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

I thought that was one of his worst games this season. What has happened to him this season, after the amazing one he had last season

 

[Keeper!]

I thought that was one of his worst games this season. What has happened to him this season, after the amazing one he had last season

Agreed there were lot's of signs of recovery a few weeks ago but back to square one after yesterday and as I said earlier the lack of effort is the biggest issue, form and confidence can be a factor but lack of effort is inexcusable.

 

[Always Ali]

Couldn't trap a bag of cement
Second touch is always a sliding tackle

Both of these apply to Foden at the moment and the drop off is quite alarming. He's such a quality player and it's hard to watch him struggling for any sort of form.

 

[Tugay One Cup]

I've seen a lot of bollocks written about him recently but I'd be all up for him getting dropped. This is the worst form I've ever seen him in and it doesn't look to be stopping.

Get Bobb up to speed asap.

 

[Charlesfarsbar]

When was the last time when one player made the difference to make a shite season into a great one

Football is a collective , you win and lose as a team

Phil is off form and the team is off form

He’s also being asked to fill gaps where others are injured , not many other players get moved around so much

He’ll be back to his level and people in this thread will bee looking foolish

 

[heslops barnet]

When was the last time when one player made the difference to make a shite season into a great one

Football is a collective , you win and lose as a team

Phil is off form and the team is off form

He’s also being asked to fill gaps where others are injured , not many other players get moved around so much

He’ll be back to his level and people in this thread will bee looking foolish

Problem with City we rarely have just a couple of players off form, either all at the top of their game or all shit, no half measures

 

[117 M34]

Academy player or not, if he doesn't have a much better season next year, he is in real danger of being sold.
I know he has his problems at the start of the season but he can't carry on putting in performances like has been and expect to play

 

[spiny]

The old one played with swagger, a smile on his face and would run through the proverbial brick wall for the club he loves, the one this season is lazy, arrogant, miserable and constantly moaning about been tackled or complaing to his teammates.

Where is the real Phil Foden?

Worse than a passenger yesterday, passive, static staying by his marker and getting in the way of his team mates when he should be moving into space to attack the ball or draw a man. Definitely not a happy chap and sad to watch.

He is going through the motions when getting back to defend or closing down. He drops back to receive the ball from our defenders when they bring out the ball only for him to pass back to them or sideways and some criticise Gundo. Hardly any creativity or a forward pass in him.

When attacking should be finding threatening positions and doing give and goes but our defenders are more likely to do runs into the box whilst he drops back. His team mates do not pass to him as there is no point yet he waves his arms - a repeat of his recent England games?

Pep has said Foden was not up to playing a pivotal midfield role so what is his position? Games are passing him by when previously he could be relied on for energy, goals and assists. Foden needs to impose himself and will only do that by hard work and running, running, running. KdB put in more of a shift and even MacAtee did more in his short apearance.

Pep is giving him chance after chance to play back into form but it must be getting hard to justify.

 

[K-Bo]

Deserves serious criticism for this season.

 

[Blue and true]

He needs benching for the remainder of the season, or until we get a proper reaction from him, if he still wants to reach his potential that is.

Playing him in the hope that he gets his game together, consistently, isn’t working.

His first touch was abysmal today; for such a talented player that simply shouldn’t happen.

It's concerning that he has hasn't just stagnated, but rather seems to be regressing.

There was talk of him reaching Balon d'or heights a couple of seasons back. He's a million miles away at the moment.

 

[Blue and true]

Worse than a passenger yesterday, passive, static staying by his marker and getting in the way of his team mates when he should be moving into space to attack the ball or draw a man. Definitely not a happy chap and sad to watch.

He is going through the motions when getting back to defend or closing down. He drops back to receive the ball from our defenders when they bring out the ball only for him to pass back to them or sideways and some criticise Gundo. Hardly any creativity or a forward pass in him.

When attacking should be finding threatening positions and doing give and goes but our defenders are more likely to do runs into the box whilst he drops back. His team mates do not pass to him as there is no point yet he waves his arms - a repeat of his recent England games?

Pep has said Foden was not up to playing a pivotal midfield role so what is his position? Games are passing him by when previously he could be relied on for energy, goals and assists. Foden needs to impose himself and will only do that by hard work and running, running, running. KdB put in more of a shift and even MacAtee did more in his short apearance.

Pep is giving him chance after chance to play back into form but it must be getting hard to justify.

I think that's part and parcel of the problem. He's never been given a defined role, and on the evidence of this season I don't think he's good enough to replace Kev. So he's in limbo.

 

[IrishBlueSince92]

I'm loathe to criticise Foden as he's one of our own.

Yesterday was a worrying performance though, albeit he was asked to play a role that is never going to suit him.
Play up front up against Van Dijk and Konate with the main attacking outlet to pass it to Doku.

Anyway, I haven't seen his touch be as bad as yesterday, and he seems to have lost the power in his shots from distance. They're all so powder puff these days.

 

[Tevez City]

 

[CΛL]

He looks like he’s playing with weights on his ankles. Keeps saying he’s been mentally and physically exhausted in his last few interviews and it really does look like it.

Can’t wait to see him back playing with a smile on his face. You don’t suddenly turn shit after being the best player in the division. I’ll give him as long as it takes.

 

[.db.]

Deserves serious criticism for this season.

Depends.

If his illness from last Summer affected him a lot, then he deserves a lot of grace and time to get himself right.

If it’s just a drop off due to years of high level progression and high intensity performance demands of the squad, then let’s just wait and see if it’s just a blip in his career and see how he’s doing in a year.

If it’s something to do with something off the pitch, like anyone in any job anywhere, it could be a factor, but shouldn’t be brought into the workplace affecting performance.

If it’s a combination of all these things then it’s understandable.

Footballers are athletes but they’re not robots. Humans aren’t perfect. It’s completely normal that a sportsman can have peaks and troughs in a career.

 

[Sibierskii]

If i were Pep i’d tell him to get himself off to Dubai for a week

 

[BadSeedPro]

Deserves serious criticism for this season.

What he does deserve is support en respect for being dropped at 17 in a world class team and perform all these 7 years at a very high level. There is not a player in the world who could replace David Silva or now Kev. People should stop with all these expectations for Phil. He is a class player. Kev was 24 when he came to City.

 

[super_city_si]

Depends.

If his illness from last Summer affected him a lot, then he deserves a lot of grace and time to get himself right.

If it’s just a drop off due to years of high level progression and high intensity performance demands of the squad, then let’s just wait and see if it’s just a blip in his career and see how he’s doing in a year.

If it’s something to do with something off the pitch, like anyone in any job anywhere, it could be a factor, but shouldn’t be brought into the workplace affecting performance.

If it’s a combination of all these things then it’s understandable.

Footballers are athletes but they’re not robots. Humans aren’t perfect. It’s completely normal that a sportsman can have peaks and troughs in a career.

Might be making excuses but I think it is something along those lines. He just looks to have absolutely no stamina and no strength.

I'm not going to put too much emphasis on anyones season this year, its been a shit show from everyone. If it was only him then I'd be worried. Lets get this season over and done with and see where we're at next season, although this stupid CWC doesnt give anyone a much needed break.