47 | Phil Foden - 2025/26

He’s back. Maybe, just maybe, showing signs of being even more central to what we do and taking on more responsibility now Kev has moved on.
 
dennishasdoneit said:
I've been a little surprised at certain posters comments about Foden ...mainly after one poor injury ravaged season and largely based upon comparisons with Silva when he's never really played that role ,and then the argument that's he hasn't got a top players passing range.

David Silver wasn't one for spraying balls around the pitch over 50 60 or 70 yards
( Yaya and Kdb were)
Silva had a bloody tremendous short passing game weaving intricate patterns largely from deep central mid.pretty much what Phil did on Sunday with a nod to dictating tempo also.

Going back to Fodens passing range ...I'll concentrate on two examples which most fans have probably forgot.

1. Bournemouth away season before last iirc ..long punt from Ederson straight to Foden in an advanced midfield position but with his back to goal. On the volley with his right foot straight from edersons pass..he sends Erling thru on goal with a brilliant lofted pass which completely split the home defence taking around 4 players out the game in one foul sweep ...utter brilliance.
Haaland thru on goal but blazed over when unmarked.whst a goal that would have been!

And :

2 Spurs away season before last .a match City had to win .and we did 2nil
Foden incidentally had been kicked to bits(pretty much how Silva used to be ) but it didn't put him off his game ..
2nd half Foden again with his back to goal, spots Doku racing away in space down the left wing.
With a nonchalant cross field left foot pass,which was ahead of Doku.but with a little back spin on it so it sat up for him...Dolu draws the .penalty. Haaland scores job done.

These are examples of Foden passing range when playing advanced midfield, ....
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Agreed, last night he pulled the strings for City, the pass for the goal was sublime. Great vision.
 
He was great central, finding that space between their midfield and defence quite often. Hope he keeps it up.
 
So pleased to see Phil enjoying himself again.

Not quite doing that feint where he beats a player before his first touch yet, but that won't take long.

Last year - like a lot of players - he was pretty static, waiting for the ball to come before looking around, but last night he was a step ahead of those around him. As others have said, it's like having a new marquis signing. And his vision/passing is encouraging Erl to regain his movement again, now that he thinks the ball might actually reach him.
 
went straight into my fpl team after that united game. Peak phil coming into view
 
I have expressed my opinion many times on here that the greatest player City have had that I've seen live (and I've thought it over carefully) is David Silva — Merlin. For reasons I won't go into, because the thread isn't about him, he edges it from Kev and even from King Colin. Just a personal assessment.
But I swear that that pass last night, when you take account of how fast he had to think, and how despite that he slowed down time to deliver the perfect dink that left that defence for dead, was as good as any assist I saw Merlin make. It was filthy. It's up there with Merlin's pass for the final goal in the 6-1 — maybe even better, because brilliant as it was, Silva had a bit more time to think, sent it in the general direction of Edin, and United's defence was terribly exposed at that point. (The strong point about Merlin's assist is of course that he plucked it out of the air, on the volley. You don't see that every day).
Anyway, comparisons are unnecessary.
If Phil can move in the direction of his best, and if Rod can move in the direction of his best, it could have a big impact on the PL season. Phil isn't quite there yet, and Rod is still some way off. But if…
 
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Lovebitesandeveryfing said:
I have expressed my opinion many times on here that the greatest player City have had (and I've thought it over carefully) is David Silva — Merlin. For reasons I won't go into, because the thread isn't about him, he edges it from Kev and even from King Colin. Just a personal assessment.
But I swear that that pass last night, when you take account of how fast he had to think, and how despite that he slowed down time to deliver the perfect dink that left that defence for dead, was as good as any assist I saw Merlin make. It was filthy. It's up there with Merlin's pass for the final goal in the 6-1 — maybe even better, because brilliant as it was, Silva had a bit more time to think, sent it in the general direction of Edin, and United's defence was terribly exposed at that point. (The strong point about Merlin's assist is of course that he plucked it out of the air, on the volley. You don't see that every day).
Anyway, comparisons are unnecessary.
If Phil can move in the direction of his best, and if Rod can move in the direction of his best, it could have a big impact on the PL season. Phil isn't quite there yet, and Rod is still some way off. But if…
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He nearly replicated Silva’s pass when he volleyed that through ball first half, he just slightly over hit it
 
His playmaking seems to be coming on a few notches, team looks to be moulded round him and Erl.

Great to see, I reckon he gets at least 10 or so league assists and more than that in goals if he can stay fit.
 
eastmanc said:
Agreed, last night he pulled the strings for City, the pass for the goal was sublime. Great vision.
Click to expand...
The pass was sublime,that is the correct word it was almost as if to say ...it's champions league so I'll show off a top trick.made it look easy
.in all my days playing and watching football I don't think I've ever seen such magical dexterity between two players leading to a goal.maybe The Goat and Ali B at Gillingham away... ? But this was Champions league night,supreme skills showed by 2 of the best players on the planet right now.
Awesome.
 
CΛL said:
His playmaking seems to be coming on a few notches, team looks to be moulded round him and Erl.
Click to expand...

I suspect that was always the thinking in the club, from when he broke through in his teens. He was being groomed for the long term. I always felt, somehow, that as long as Kev was around, he deferred to him somewhat, almost unconsciously. When Kev was on that pitch, he was the big cheese. No one was in any doubt. Let's say that Phil was the main courtier to the king. Important as he was: Gundo, Kev, Bernardo — these were the senior midfielders. Well, two have gone, and one is slowly but surely coming towards the end of his time?
Now I'm hoping that Phil can kick on, and become the team's prime playmaker. He is still only 25, which is downright weird. He should be coming into his best years only now.
After his “sabbatical” of last year, I'm expecting a lot of him.
 
Phil should feel that's this his is team now and he's the main man, confidence is king in football and a confident Phil is a top 3 player in the world for me.
 
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