47 | Phil Foden - 2023/24

[skillman]

How are you guys feeling a couple of months on?

It was a fair assessment at the time. He’s kicked on and matured in the past few months into the player we knew he could be.

Long may it continue.

 

[Tugay One Cup]

It was a fair assessment at the time. He’s kicked on and matured in the past few months into the player we knew he could be.

Long may it continue.

Phil's been putting up great numbers since he joined the first team. Although I accept his finishing dropped off for a while, he still averaged around a goal every three games throughout that period.

To downplay his contributions over the years as "a few decent dribbles" was in no way a fair assessment.

 

[Crooked_rain]

How are you guys feeling a couple of months on?

I feel I was correct at the time

If you read through more than one of my posts, not cherry pick one, I've always said he really needs to kick on this season and prove he is the player he can be. I never questioned his footballing ability.

His form at other times has been patchy in my opinion, so he wasn't showing he was a generation talent. A generational talent or world class players run games most weeks, which he has started doing. He wasnt doing that before. So that's all i ever wanted from him. But he still has to sustain it too.

The Jack Wilshire thing wasn't a comparison of their ability, it was for years Wilshire was either injured or his form was patchy and people would be saying he's this generational talent, which I disagree with because it has to be proven on the pitch over a period of time, very regularly.

Foden's ability to influence games on a very regular basis was lacking in my opinion until a few months ago. I don't call anybody world class or some generational talent until they're doing it on a regular basis, most weeks, over a sustained period of time.

I think this ls Foden's first period where he's truly doing it.

 

[Tugay One Cup]

I feel I was correct at the time

If you read through more than one of my posts, not cherry pick one, I've always said he really needs to kick on this season and prove he is the player he can be. I never questioned his footballing ability.

His form at other times has been patchy in my opinion, so he wasn't showing he was a generation talent. A generational talent or world class players run games most weeks, which he has started doing. He wasnt doing that before. So that's all i ever wanted from him. But he still has to sustain it too.

The Jack Wilshire thing wasn't a comparison of their ability, it was for years Wilshire was either injured or his form was patchy and people would be saying he's this generational talent, which I disagree with because it has to be proven on the pitch over a period of time, very regularly.

Foden's ability to influence games on a very regular basis was lacking in my opinion until a few months ago. I don't call anybody world class or some generational talent until they're doing it on a regular basis, most weeks, over a sustained period of time.

I think this ls Foden's first period where he's truly doing it.

I'm not trying to have a dig at anyone or anything, I'm just always interested to see how opinions flitter over a season and whether or not people have a lightbulb moment or stick to their guns.

From my perspective, some of you struggle to differentiate between a player's ability and the run of form they're on.

And it's all well and good saying that generational talents have to prove themselves as such over a sustained period of time but you were specifically saying that Phil isn't a generational talent, which is something quite different.

I think everyone can agree he's gone up a level recently but some were far more negative than others about his previous level and I'm interested to hear from them, especially because I've been on here far less in recent months.

 

[Crooked_rain]

I'm not trying to have a dig at anyone or anything, I'm just always interested to see how opinions flitter over a season and whether or not people have a lightbulb moment or stick to their guns.

From my perspective, some of you struggle to differentiate between a player's ability and the run of form they're on.

And it's all well and good saying that generational talents have to prove themselves as such over a sustained period of time but you were specifically saying that Phil isn't a generational talent, which is something quite different.

I think everyone can agree he's gone up a level recently but some were far more negative than others about his previous level and I'm interested to hear from them, especially because I've been on here far less in recent months.

His form in the past wasn't that of a generational talent. So I wasn't going to call him one when that was the case. A generational talent is someone that plays excellently on a regular basis over a long period of time. I don't think we should be calling young players a generational talent until they've had real time to prove it.

Phil has all the ability one could wish for, but it has to utilised most weeks over a long time. That's how I define world class.

There's a difference between having world class ability and being a world class player, and the world class player maximises their ability time and time again.

Phil's ability is unquestionable. If he keeps this form up and it becomes who he is as a player most weeks, this season and beyond, then he will be a generational talent people think he could/should be.

 

[GaudinoMotors]

With the latest wave of kneejerk, outrage and calls for a ban of XL Bully Crossbows - can see he'll be the subject of a media driven, public outcry for his arrow celebration.

 

[Tugay One Cup]

His form in the past wasn't that of a generational talent. So I wasn't going to call him one when that was the case. A generational talent is someone that plays excellently on a regular basis over a long period of time. I don't think we should be calling young players a generational talent until they've had real time to prove it.

Phil has all the ability one could wish for, but it has to utilised most weeks over a long time. That's how I define world class.

There's a difference between having world class ability and being a world class player, and the world class player maximises their ability time and time again.

Phil's ability is unquestionable. If he keeps this form up and it becomes who he is as a player most weeks, this season and beyond, then he will be a generational talent people think he could/should be.

To have had the impact he has, by the age of 23, fighting for a place in some of the richest squads in the world featuring the likes of Kevin de Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, David Silva, Ilkay Gundogan, Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling, is incredible.

To have his statistics, as a player who has been gradually eased into being a legitimate starter, is incredible.

He's not inconsistent, he had a few months of poor form and an injury last season. You don't get those numbers if you're inconsistent. You don't keep getting opportunities if you're not taking them and soon he's going to be one of our longest serving players.

All we're seeing this season is the continuation of a legitimate great career. Some of you just seem too guarded to appreciate it.

 

[skillman]

Phil's been putting up great numbers since he joined the first team. Although I accept his finishing dropped off for a while, he still averaged around a goal every three games throughout that period.

To downplay his contributions over the years as "a few decent dribbles" was in no way a fair assessment.

Contributing isn’t all about goals. There’s a reason this season feels like a coming of age moment for him and not simply a continuation of what he’s already been doing.

In my opinion of course.

 

[Bluewars II]

I'm really pleased with Phil's recent performances, if he has to play LW for Kdb to play LCM I don't mind cos those two have a great on field relationship.

 

[Crooked_rain]

To have had the impact he has, by the age of 23, fighting for a place in some of the richest squads in the world featuring the likes of Kevin de Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, David Silva, Ilkay Gundogan, Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling, is incredible.

To have his statistics, as a player who has been gradually eased into being a legitimate starter, is incredible.

He's not inconsistent, he had a few months of poor form and an injury last season. You don't get those numbers if you're inconsistent. You don't keep getting opportunities if you're not taking them and soon he's going to be one of our longest serving players.

All we're seeing this season is the continuation of a legitimate great career. Some of you just seem too guarded to appreciate it.

It's not about being guarded

As gifted as he is, i just don't think before this season he had been consistent enough to be considered world class or a generational talent. Age was irrelevant in the conversation, otherwise you end up labelling every young player that's clearly gifted as world class before they've ever built up a level of consistency that it requires to be world class, unless your threshold of what it takes to be world class is low.

As I said, he's supremely gifted, always has been, but to be talked about in the bracket as world class, you have to be doing it at a high level almost every week for long periods of time.

I've never doubted his ability, bit he has to keep up what he's doing now on a consistent basis to be considered one of the world's best. I don't believe he's done that until recently.

I personally just don't label players as world class or generational talents prematurely because they're gifted with a ball. I base it on how they influence games on a regular basis over a long duration of times.