47 | Phil Foden - 2022/23

[Tugay One Cup]

The fact that he hasn't played in the middle for a long time now and especially in a charity match such as this just shows how far away he is from having the trust of Pep to play there.

I think it's funny that people talk about Foden like he's been banished out to the wing because he doesn't have what it takes to play in the middle, instead of acknowledging that he is also a pretty fucking good winger.

He's often our best option on the left, whereas we have plenty of central midfielders. Who was going to play on the left last night instead of him?

For all Pep has said about him being young and needing to learn to slow down, he's also explicitly referred to him as a midfielder. The exact same thing happened with the likes of David Silva and Iniesta when they were younger.

 

[Blue Maverick]

Wasted on the left for me, maybe Pep thinks that as he plays at 100 mile an hour if he loses it wide then they can get the ball back, if he does it in the middle we are on the back foot. Maybe in time as Foden learns to slow down a bit more he may move to the middle, especially if Bernardo goes.

 

[jimmygrimblesboots]

Foden is still learning the game , he has played several postitions and this will enable him to understand the game better , Pep has put a lot of time into Phil and it is paying dividends , eventually i think he will play the same role as Merlin did for us , and if he is anywhere near as good as Merlin we have struck gold.

 

[Tugay One Cup]

Overrated because he's one of ours.

You'd better let renowned Manc lad Pep Guardiola know. He seems to have spent a lot of time overrating him but I'm sure he'd value your input.

 

[Craig]

Wasted on the left for me, maybe Pep thinks that as he plays at 100 mile an hour if he loses it wide then they can get the ball back, if he does it in the middle we are on the back foot. Maybe in time as Foden learns to slow down a bit more he may move to the middle, especially if Bernardo goes.

So from the left where he can’t really cut inside like Grealish and Mahrez constantly do on to his stronger foot. We don’t want him to use his burst of pace to try and get past a fullback on the outside we want him to just come inside on to his weak foot and play 10 yard passes? He’s actually not been going at players half as much but as he’s not been at his best this he only plays at one pace narrative is getting pushed again.

He has shown his class, range of passing and ability to dictate a game on the last few occasions he’s played centrally.Unfortunately it’s so rare he gets the chance to play there. We’ve got better 8’s than left sided midfielders and that’s why it suits Pep to keep playing him there.

 

[Agueroooo9320]

Foden is still learning the game , he has played several postitions and this will enable him to understand the game better , Pep has put a lot of time into Phil and it is paying dividends , eventually i think he will play the same role as Merlin did for us , and if he is anywhere near as good as Merlin we have struck gold.

not merlin but KDB

 

[twosips]

Overrated because he's one of ours.

HolisticWum!

 

[Craig]

not merlin but KDB

He’s got a lot of better natural attributes than David. Very different players though and for Foden to try and play like the great man did you’d be taking away so many of the things that make Foden a truly unique and potentially world class number 8.

 

[Gumzy97]

Or maybe because he's fucking quality? Seems to have escaped a lot of people's attention but it's not only City fans who rate him.

A fair few posts on this thread should be Bookmarked...

See the problem with that is a ego can start to build. When every english pundit is calling you quality or that you should be on the plane to World Cup starting etc. Foden is young and was being compared to Gascoigne during the euros when he doesn’t really have the numbers to back that comparison up yet. he has the ability but more and more players are caring about stats. Foden is no different.

Hopefully pep has kept him level headed but that interview at the start of the season with him saying he wants to get his numbers up in everything might be why hes shooting more instead of passing, which can affect the team in a good/bad way. He’s been a lot more selfish this season whether it would be trying to dribble when a pass is on or shooting when someone else is in a better position. Just hope this multitude of praise hasn’t gone to his head.

From our fan base and oppositions.

 

[schfc6]

He played on the left because Mahrez is so inflexible and it would have been pointless giving Palmer minutes in a position he’s pretty much never played.