47 | Phil Foden - 2023/24

[bondsman]

KDB could well have been subbed at the same time, as could Haaland.

Wanted more from the ‘Player of the Season’ so far. Phil’s body language was as bad as for England on the last two games. Deserved being hooked.

Didn’t like him blaming others for his mistakes today. Never seen that before. Wouldn’t have taken him off though before KDB today.

 

[bondsman]

I'm not too bothered by his lacklustre performance today, as fatigue from the internationals is a temporary issue and he'll soon be back to full strength. I do think some work needs to be done on his positioning and the team's tactics, though.

If he's playing on the wing, he needs to be contributing to the team's width. Fine to come inside, especially with the ball, especially while a full-back is overlapping, but he can't just abandon the wing. Especially in the first half today, Gvardiol was in possession high up on the left but his team-mates were too often too far away from him, leaving him needing to make riskier decisions while outnumbered by opponents (that he handled this well doesn't make it less of a problem). Phil was on the edge of the box, directly behind Haaland, and no-one was in the left half-space.

I much prefer Phil in the middle than on the wing, but playing him there while our other options are all available too brings its own challenges as I'm not convinced the balance of the side works against most clubs (especially those with a threat on the break) when we have both Phil and KDB central.

I'm not knocking his workrate or tracking back at all, but Phil's mindset, like Kev's, is to always be on the front foot and pushing up the pitch. When our midfield is those 2 + Rodri, there's too big a space in front of Rodri, making it harder both to move the ball forward and intercept a counter-attack.

Phil is KDB's eventual successor, but something has to give if we want them both in midfield. They're both fantastic players but the team isn't quite right in that configuration.

I don’t see Foden replacing Kev. Foden hasn’t got the same vision or passing trange. Very different players. I’m not sure Phil will ever be as good as peak Kev.

 

[PragueBlue]

I don’t see Foden replacing Kev. Foden hasn’t got the same vision or passing trange. Very different players. I’m not sure Phil will ever be as good as peak Kev.

He'll be as good but in a different way.

 

[IrishBlueSince92]

Fodens carried us in a creative and attacking sense for long periods of this season I was just thinking there

 

[wolviedinho]

Been off it now for a few games. His season has went from the sublime to anonymous.

Needs to step up again. Consistency is what separates the best.

 

[PragueBlue]

Been off it now for a few games. His season has went from the sublime to anonymous.

Needs to step up again. Consistency is what separates the best.

Probably since he has been shunted out from the middle.

 

[wolviedinho]

Probably since he has been shunted out from the middle.

Nah he played central a good bit today. Very high standards set which is hard to sustain all season. The whole attack could have been hooked, Phil playing for England probably made up pep’s mind. Kev and Haaland had time to rest.

Roar back against Villa hopefully.

 

[PragueBlue]

Nah he played central a good bit today. Very high standards set which is hard to sustain all season. The whole attack could have been hooked, Phil playing for England probably made up pep’s mind. Kev and Haaland had time to rest.

Roar back against Villa hopefully.

I think he'd be fine in the middle without KDB but we'll see.

 

[Lavinda Past]

Overused by Southgate last week, the lad needs a break. Unfortunately, we can't afford to do that. This is where we need a Cole Palmer type player to step up

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

He’s played too many minutes this season. Hopefully he can have a rest against Villa.

Pep wasn’t taking KDB off after his Anfield moan. Either could have been subbed today, just for Bobb, not Doku.