#47 | Phil Foden - 2019/20 Performances

[Larry Stranger]

It's akin to saying 'we already have Iniesta, so don't need Xavi'. Different players for different purposes. If we pass on Aouar, we'll have only one competent press-resistant DLP in Gundogan next season.

And I'm not sure 8 is Foden's best position currently, he had his best performances closer to the goals (LC Final vs Villa, Liverpool home). He's very far from a finished article as CM

Edit: @Larry Stranger has pretty much summed it up in his post

Thanks, but to be clear it's not that I think Phil can never play there. I think in time he could, but the key is in time. It's a learning process and with Aouar he has and is playing as a natural #8 in a 4-2-3-1 already so he has the experience and knows what to do more as a midfielder. He could also probably play as a #6 like Gundo as well.

Where Phil has played more as a #10 or on the wing. He has good pace so in counter attacking positions and in space he can use his ability as a #10 to either assist or finish and that's why I think we see him there a lot.

I think we will see Phil as an #8 from time to time in the future, but with Dave already there we need Phil's finishing more because we've been lacking in that area at times.

 

[Tugay One Cup]

I really struggle to understand you guys sometimes.

He's a central midfielder, not a winger. He has no problem when we're playing with either a fast or slow tempo. He doesn't need a loan.

Some of you still don't see just how good a player we have. Not for the future but for now.

 

[Saddleworth2]

Issue with that is if Guardiola is allowed to buy Torres, Aouar etc, will he still get regular starts, or become peripheral again? If Bernardo and Gundogan stay, they’ll be absorbing a lot of his potential minutes.

He needs a full season playing centrally every week to really develop; a season on loan at Leeds under Bielsa would benefit him - and the club - more long term than him being a squad player here.

If he’s Silva’s in-house replacement next season, which he’s earned the right to be, he’ll be ok - but if Aouar arrives then he’d be naive to stay.

The way Bernie is playing at the moment, Phil would be first pick.

 

[Larry Stranger]

I really struggle to understand you guys sometimes.

He's a central midfielder, not a winger. He has no problem when we're playing with either a fast or slow tempo. He doesn't need a loan.

Some of you still don't see just how good a player we have. Not for the future but for now.

I struggle to see why you'd say that if you watched the game against Liverpool and saw where Phil played opposed to Gundogan who was a central midfielder in that game. Point being I wouldn't put Phil in a midfield 2 at this point in time because he's better in attack.

 

[Tugay One Cup]

I struggle to see why you'd say that if you watched the game against Liverpool and saw where Phil played opposed to Gundogan who was a central midfielder in that game. Point being I wouldn't put Phil in a midfield 2 at this point in time because he's better in attack.

He had a great game against Liverpool, what's your point? It goes hand in hand with being a great player.

I'm not saying he can't do a job on the wing when we need him to, I'm saying he's much better in the middle. Because he is.

Give me Phil over Ilkay in that 8 position all day every day.

 

[Craig]

He had a great game against Liverpool, what's your point? It goes hand in hand with being a great player.

I'm not saying he can't do a job on the wing when we need him to, I'm saying he's much better in the middle. Because he is.

Give me Phil over Ilkay in that 8 position all day every day.

Plus our press would improve remarkably again with him and Kev playing as 8’s. They were brilliant together there against a very good Atlanta side as their work rate and energy really helped stop Atlanta playing out from the back.

 

[Larry Stranger]

He had a great game against Liverpool, what's your point? It goes hand in hand with being a great player.

I'm not saying he can't do a job on the wing when we need him to, I'm saying he's much better in the middle. Because he is.

Give me Phil over Ilkay in that 8 position all day every day.

The point is that Pep doesn't always play the same formation every game. It differs depending on the opponent. Against Liverpool we played a 4-2-3-1 with Gundogan and Rodri in a double pivot because when we played out from the back they have the ability to break the press. Could Phil do that? Maybe one day, but why would you want him there when he was obviously better further up.

If you are talking Phil playing a duo 8 like how we play with Dave and Kev when we play only 1 of Rodri and Gundo then yes he can do that. However, Pep wants players like Gundo or maybe Aouar for when the formation changes, sometime within games. We played with 3 at the back at times with a 2 man midfield and at times a 4-2-3-1. Pep plays all types of formations.

 

[Tugay One Cup]

The point is that Pep doesn't always play the same formation every game. It differs depending on the opponent. Against Liverpool we played a 4-2-3-1 with Gundogan and Rodri in a double pivot because when we played out from the back they have the ability to break the press. Could Phil do that? Maybe one day, but why would you want him there when he was obviously better further up.

I didn't say otherwise. All I said is Phil is a much, much better 8 than Ilkay.

I think if he scored or assisted yesterday than this thread would be ten pages longer with comments saying what an amazing player we have. But he didn't so it isn't.

It was exactly the same against Fulham earlier this year. Phil gets put out of position and doesn't have his best game (not a bad game, it's should be noted, but one where he has less influence) and then a handful of commenters sit here and think... "maybe he's not as good as we thought."

He is and this fanbase is too fickle to fully realise it.

 

[Tricky_Trev]

There’s nothing wrong with Phil on the wings. He’s been scoring and assisting plenty since the restart in those positions. People forget that we played David Silva from the wing in the Mancini days. Phil will be the same and then gravitate towards the middle in due course. But for now, he is a wide man, and a very dangerous one at that. He had a bad game, but it doesn’t change his quality.

 

[Tugay One Cup]

Plus our press would improve remarkably again with him and Kev playing as 8’s. They were brilliant together there against a very good Atlanta side as their work rate and energy really helped stop Atlanta playing out from the back.

It's part of why we were so shite yesterday and why we've lost games against shite opposition this season.