With all due respect, unsurprisingly from the Sunday Supplement, the Xavi and Iniesta comparison is comically dumb. Both were first team regulars and had played hundreds of pro games between them by then. That's like City reaching the final in a year and a half and someone pointing to Sterling left on the bench tactically as proof that development takes time, pointing out him as a youngster or sumat. When he'd clearly not be. Like Xavi wasn't. They were both well past that point by then.
Iniesta had already played 100+ competitive games for the first team at that point and Xavi 200+. It's not even a relevant comparison at all.
And of course Messi didn't start a champions league final. He was 17! You'd have to be mad to expect a 17 year old to start the biggest game in domestic football. He had already played over 30/40 pro games by that point though.
No one is expecting Foden to start a Champions League final. We just hope that the man who's probably just been voted the best u17 player in the world can get a sub appearance against a lowly premier leauge team. Not many are expecting that though, which says it all really on how low expectations have fallen.
The precent I was talking about wasn't Pep's one year and 10 games. It was the Premier League over the past few years. City have been terrible at it since the money came in, and so has the premier league generally. We're really bad at it over here - everyone knows the league has a money habit and would rather spend.
Premier League and English culture has fully headed towards the loan method/buy them when they're ready instead.
I *hope* im wrong, but this country has a serious problem with youth development and you'd not be a dick for suggesting that Foden could just end up on loans for years at NAC after a couple of sub appearances in the league cup simply cos there's no space for him after we go and sign someone like Sanchez in January. Just the way it is these days...
