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That seemingly inexorable rise to the top was not going to be without its hiccups but, after an impressive start to last season when he scored seven goals in 11 Premier League and Champions League matches, Foden would gradually find himself on the outside looking in. If, that is, he is selected – which is the clue to Foden’s status under Guardiola. This is a footballer who since his debut at 17 as a 75th-minute replacement against Feyenoord six years ago has won five Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four League Cups, the Champions League and the Uefa Super Cup but is still to convince his manager he can be De Bruyne’s successor as the next dazzling star in a Guardiola constellation that features Messi (Barça, 2008-12), Götze (Bayern, 2013-16), and Silva (City, 2016-20). What De Bruyne, Grealish, Foden or Mount can do, which is to consistently create, is the toughest thing to do on a football pitch. Goalscoring is difficult too, of course, but if you are a number 10 now you have to score goals as well as make them. The pressure is always on them to produce something to change a game.
Has it helped that Guardiola has been using him predominantly off the right when he has not started centrally? It is no secret that Foden much prefers the right to the left given the freedom it affords him to cut inside naturally on his left foot and he has taken advantage of the absence of the injured Kevin De Bruyne and the departure of Ilkay Gundogan to become arguably City’s key creative force. Guardiola used his wide players predominantly as instruments of control last season but that is already being tweaked somewhat this term with Jeremy Doku’s arrival and the changes to Foden’s role.With those players involved then, whoever the opposition, the right balance is there - I feel Rice will be hugely important to Foden's England career, and vice versa. As I describe in my book, it is working, everywhere. You can see the talent that is out there in England shirts, right through the age groups up to the senior side, and it is going to keep on coming. For a period, with upheaval behind the scenes around his representation and outside distractions aplenty, City harboured concerns about a loss of focus but the Foden who has emerged this season is a different beast and there is excitement about what the next 12 to 18 months could bring. With three goals in five league starts against Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp knows only too well what a threat Foden routinely presents to his team. After Foden started and disappointed in the 2021 final when City lost 1-0 to Chelsea here was a golden opportunity for him to prove he could thrive in the continent’s elite club contest. But though competent at the Ataturk Stadium no game-of-his-life display was produced. Those who will argue Inter are a tough team to dominate simply make the case for what is required: the ability to take hold of a contest in the highest-stake game and shape it their side’s way. Guardiola still has Foden but last season was a first post-Silva campaign in which faith wavered, the England international being trusted with markedly less playing time. In 2020-21 Foden played 3,373 minutes in all competitions that came in 36 starts in 50 appearances, with 16 goals (all career-high numbers) and 10 assists. The following season the same statistics read 3,184, 36, 45, 14, 11. Then Foden endured a notable drop to 2,260 minutes and 29 starts with only eight assists, though in 48 appearances there were 15 goals.
Highest quality sport photography. At Sport Photo Gallery, we source our photographs from some of the most celebrated sports photographers in the world. From unforgettable on-pitch moments to official team portraits, we've got it all. As Foden matures, I feel as if we are going to see him score a lot of goals for England as well as make them. I could be wrong, but it is going to be a lot of fun finding out. As such, this was always going to be a big season for Foden. But, as he prepares for another meeting with Liverpool on Saturday lunchtime, he does so as one of Guardiola’s go-to men alongside Rodri and Erling Haaland. He has the possessed, appealingly arrogant look of a player who knows he is different and out to catapult himself into that rarefied sphere that always seemed his calling. It's easy to see why it happened, because the game is different now. The pitches are beautiful, the rules have changed. Why would you lump the ball in the way we had to put up with? It would be sacrilege. Hoddle was one of the managers responsible for beginning the transformation of the Premier League into the competition it is today when he signed one of its first superstars, Ruud Gullit, for Chelsea in 1995. "I came because of Glenn," Gullit told the BBC in 2020. "In the eyes of the Dutch, he was the best English footballer ever."Pep Guardiola has given Phil Foden only a substitute’s role in many of their biggest games. Photograph: Dave Thompson/AP Note: Due to upcoming strike action by Royal Mail, these time frames may be subject to changes or delays outside our control. Do we deliver overseas?
In 235 outings for City Foden’s tally is 65, so a rise in the finishing ratio would aid his case. He will hope to start doing so on Saturday, when Guardiola’s leaders welcome Klopp’s second-placed Liverpool. It underlines how midfield is such an important area. For me, Foden has to be an integral part of whatever England do next because before long he is going to be the best player we have in this country. In two or three years' time, when he is nearing his peak, he will be the top man. In truth, Puyol was not the only illustrious player of past Barcelona association to show an interest in Foden’s progress. Pep Guardiola’s presence at City has always ensured a degree of fascination in Catalonia at events unfolding in east Manchester and in the past Lionel Messi and Javier Mascherano are thought to have idly asked their friend and compatriot Sergio Aguero what “that kid Foden” is like. I was a kind of a number 10 in my final season with Tottenham - the one when Clive Allen scored 49 goals - but people still talked about what I couldn't do as much as what I could. It was only when I went to Monaco in 1987 that suddenly I was at a place where what I did was seen as the most important position, because I could elevate the team.The future is very bright - the challenge for Gareth Southgate is to mould it all together to make a successful team. Getting the balance right for England Phil Foden made his senior England debut in September 2020 and has won 11 full caps, scoring two goals Wall prints and custom sizing. Looking for something larger than life? We offer Phil Foden photos up to 90x60 inches in size, as well as full-sized wall prints. Create a feature wall in your home or workplace! In a statement given to the Guardian, Greater Manchester Police said: “GMP are aware of a video circulating on social media showing a disturbance at the AO arena last night (19 February 2022). We are conducting some further enquiries into the circumstances surrounding the incident.” If he gets the balance right in that area of his game, then I think he will start to flourish again. There no reason why he cannot be out on the left for England, where he likes to play. Haaland, also 23, Paris Saint Germain’s Kylian Mbappe, 24, and of course Foden’s international team-mate, Jude Bellingham, still only 20 but already drawing gasps of astonishment for Real Madrid and England, are the poster boys for a new generation of superior talent now that Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are in the twilight of their careers.
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