#47 | Phil Foden - 2019/20 Performances

[mattcity5]

To be honest it was a bit daft. Yes, the ref didn't need to book him for either, but once on a booking with the game won, be careful. A minute or 2 before the 2nd booking he did a foul near the halfway line and I was surprised the ref didn't have a word to warn him. From then it didn't surprise me at all when he got the 2nd booking.

So yes, he can learn from it and I'm sure he will. Biggest shame is he'll miss the return game.

 

[ChicagoBlue]

But being the best ever doesn't mean he isn't naturally declining with age in terms of energy levels, he's turning 34 and obviously that should be expected. No one is trying to argue that Foden is close to the level Silva has been for us in the past 10 years but I definitely see an argument for rotation to get the best out of both of them; Silva playing the tougher games while Foden slots in to gain experience and give David much needed rest throughout the season.

I covered that in my comment, if you had read past the first sentence

 

[fulabeer]

Should he play a lot more?
Yes, he may feel ready, Pep probably feels he is ready, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have to earn his place.
I get the impression that he is being blooded in for next season, so expect more of the same for now.

Although i would like him to play more, there is still the case of overexposure playing from a young age.
To those crying he should play every game. The rags did that with Rashford and that's working out great for him....

 

[ChicagoBlue]

How's that 'he doesn't deserve more minutes' crew doing, hope they're doing well after tonight.

I’m not aware of any such crew, could you point them out?

OR are you now saying he is better than the players who have been playing ahead of him? KDB? Silva? Rodri? Gundogan? Fernandinho?

Sometimes I wonder if some people understand football, and more especially the way clubs are run and decisions like this are made. Do you think that Pep doesn’t know his abilities and those of his other players? Do you think he is just being obstinate and trying to piss off both Foden and his fanboy base?

When a game is tight, he wants his best players and their natural sub playing. Some players need to play because they are coming back from injury and need to be up to speed when they are available to play a full game....as he did with Stones at CP and Otamendi tonight, and as he did by not overworking Mendy, who is coming back from a long term injury stint and is working back from a hamstring, which as we have seen can be notoriously fickle. In fact, I was especially glad to see him bring off KDB, because he was chasing nothing balls like a hare and was looking like a hamstring waiting to happen even after 65 minutes. It’ll do him the world of good to get 1/3 of a game off!

Foden played well once he got into the game, but was a passenger for the first period of the game (and I’m not saying 5 minutes, more like 25 minutes). Later in the game, when spaces were opening up and he was more comfortable, he played much better....but we don’t have the luxury of waiting 50-60 minutes for a player to get comfortable in midfield.

I’ll tell you two things he needs to improve, just from the game tonight:

1) When we are in possession, it is not enough to just be in space, you have to be in the right space. This is something that David Silva excels at, yet people don’t even notice his movement to find it. It is also what Fernandinho does, and Gundogan was doing so well tonight.

2) His first touch needs to be more clinical, because tonight he got done a few times...and got away with it a few more...when he needed a second touch and it turned him into trouble. The best players USE that firs5 touch to turn them away from trouble while in possession. You saw one prime example of that tonight when Fernandinho moved in to midfield and sold himself on their 30 when a player simply turned the other way as Fernandinho came in from the other side. One touch and away, WHILE protecting the ball. As long as he doesn’t try to learn this skill from Kyle Walker, I’m sure it will be something he nails down in the near future, but these are just two examples of why it is so important have the absolute best you have in the engine room. We can not afford to lose the ball in midfield!

FODEN is an excellent 19 yr old, perhaps one of the best in the world. Sadly, that’s just not enough sometimes in one of the best midfields in the world when the manager needs something specific and TRUSTS WHO HE TRUSTS to give it to him. Foden will, one day, elevate himself into Pep’s circle of trust, but he is just not quite there yet.

 

[Craig]

I’m not aware of any such crew, could you point them out?

OR are you now saying he is better than the players who have been playing ahead of him? KDB? Silva? Rodri? Gundogan? Fernandinho?

Sometimes I wonder if some people understand football, and more especially the way clubs are run and decisions like this are made. Do you think that Pep doesn’t know his abilities and those of his other players? Do you think he is just being obstinate and trying to piss off both Foden and his fanboy base?

When a game is tight, he wants his best players and their natural sub playing. Some players need to play because they are coming back from injury and need to be up to speed when they are available to play a full game....as he did with Stones at CP and Otamendi tonight, and as he did by not overworking Mendy, who is coming back from a long term injury stint and is working back from a hamstring, which as we have seen can be notoriously fickle. In fact, I was especially glad to see him bring off KDB, because he was chasing nothing balls like a hare and was looking like a hamstring waiting to happen even after 65 minutes. It’ll do him the world of good to get 1/3 of a game off!

Foden played well once he got into the game, but was a passenger for the first period of the game (and I’m not saying 5 minutes, more like 25 minutes). Later in the game, when spaces were opening up and he was more comfortable, he played much better....but we don’t have the luxury of waiting 50-60 minutes for a player to get comfortable in midfield.

I’ll tell you two things he needs to improve, just from the game tonight:

1) When we are in possession, it is not enough to just be in space, you have to be in the right space. This is something that David Silva excels at, yet people don’t even notice his movement to find it. It is also what Fernandinho does, and Gundogan was doing so well tonight.

2) His first touch needs to be more clinical, because tonight he got done a few times...and got away with it a few more...when he needed a second touch and it turned him into trouble. The best players USE that firs5 touch to turn them away from trouble while in possession. You saw one prime example of that tonight when Fernandinho moved in to midfield and sold himself on their 30 when a player simply turned the other way as Fernandinho came in from the other side. One touch and away, WHILE protecting the ball. As long as he doesn’t try to learn this skill from Kyle Walker, I’m sure it will be something he nails down in the near future, but these are just two examples of why it is so important have the absolute best you have in the engine room. We can not afford to lose the ball in midfield!

FODEN is an excellent 19 yr old, perhaps one of the best in the world. Sadly, that’s just not enough sometimes in one of the best midfields in the world when the manager needs something specific and TRUSTS WHO HE TRUSTS to give it to him. Foden will, one day, elevate himself into Pep’s circle of trust, but he is just not quite there yet.

The Foden passenger part for the first 20 minutes wasn't because of anything he was doing wrong. Other players were poor but whenever Foden had it he used it well. He was constantly showing for the ball and on the move but wasn't passed to enough. Once he started getting more of the ball yes he did grow into it naturally. The team did also.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

To be honest it was a bit daft. Yes, the ref didn't need to book him for either, but once on a booking with the game won, be careful. A minute or 2 before the 2nd booking he did a foul near the halfway line and I was surprised the ref didn't have a word to warn him. From then it didn't surprise me at all when he got the 2nd booking.

So yes, he can learn from it and I'm sure he will. Biggest shame is he'll miss the return game.

It was obvious what the ref was doing and the older heads should have told him, after the first, don't do anything daft, but instinct in the moment takes over! He'll learn. At least he didn't do what Bert Trautmann did to get sent off!

 

[ChicagoBlue]

The Foden passenger part for the first 20 minutes wasn't because of anything he was doing wrong. Other players were poor but whenever Foden had it he used it well. He was constantly showing for the ball and on the move but wasn't passed to enough. Once he started getting more of the ball yes he did grow into it naturally. The team did also.

I’m sorry, but I specifically remember thinking what I said while the game was going on and noticing how he had grown into the game later, when his movement was much improved.

We were slow to get out of the blocks, but Phil was, for all intents and purposes, a passenger for much of the first half.

And don’t get me wrong, I think he will be the mustard, and showed glimpses of what he can do, but he is far from the finished article and simply not better than others who regularly play ahead of him. Sorry.

 

[Craig]

I’m sorry, but I specifically remember thinking what I said while the game was going on and noticing how he had grown into the game later, when his movement was much improved.

We were slow to get out of the blocks, but Phil was, for all intents and purposes, a passenger for much of the first half.

And don’t get me wrong, I think he will be the mustard, and showed glimpses of what he can do, but he is far from the finished article and simply not better than others who regularly play ahead of him. Sorry.

Totally disagree, he was constantly showing for the ball in tight areas (just like David always does) difference was he wasn't receiving it. Now that might be because the players trust Silva and will give it him anywhere. The fact is once the players started doing the same with Foden he showed he could handle it brilliantly and we looked a much better team and started to play. Should have had an assist just before they scored after brilliant play and showed plenty of class as the first half went on.

 

[sir baconface]

So @mosssideblue, what is your take on last night? Is Foden now ready for significantly more minutes?

Straight answer, please.

 

[Cobra]

2) His first touch needs to be more clinical, because tonight he got done a few times...and got away with it a few more...when he needed a second touch and it turned him into trouble. The best players USE that firs5 touch to turn them away from trouble while in possession. You saw one prime example of that tonight when Fernandinho moved in to midfield and sold himself on their 30 when a player simply turned the other way as Fernandinho came in from the other side. One touch and away, WHILE protecting the ball. As long as he doesn’t try to learn this skill from Kyle Walker, I’m sure it will be something he nails down in the near future, but these are just two examples of why it is so important have the absolute best you have in the engine room. We can not afford to lose the ball in midfield!

I genuinely don’t remember a single bad first touch from Foden, or one that put him in trouble. Perhaps I was watching a different game to you.