In the first hour of the Manchester derby, fans could see Phil Foden playing on the field with great confidence. Accompanying him is a slow MU player who can only get close but cannot put pressure on him. That player reminds me of a father dragging his weary steps on a Sunday night, as if scrolling through his phone in the park.
How did Foden overwhelm MU?
That player turned out to be Victor Lindelof. MU’s midfielder tried his best to chase and stop Man City’s excellent attacker. But in the end, the Red Devils still lost with a score of 1-3. Even with MU’s deep-lying midfield filling the gaps, Linderlof simply doesn’t have the stamina to stop this season’s best version of Foden. The English midfielder’s legs moved too fast. Along with that are brilliant handling phases.
Perhaps Erik ten Hag could have acted sooner, done more to avoid a one-sided duel. But Lindelof remained there until the 56th minute, present in the correct position but unable to prevent Foden from taking the ball from Rodri, advancing a little further inside and then making an unstoppable shot that gave Man the goal. City. It was a delicate finish and honed skill, executed in a tight space. At that time, Man City was one goal ahead and had some difficulty against MU’s 9-man defense.
However, Foden helped Man City win from a different angle. Ten Hag then immediately moved Diogo Dalot to the left wing to try and block Foden’s influence. Guardiola also responded with some tactical changes and from there, the Englishman scored his second goal in the 80th minute. In the end, Erling Haaland scored to finish the match after Amrabat’s mistake in stoppage time. hour.
The Manchester derby that day was truly Foden’s day. He ended his performance with 9 shots, 2 goals, 116 touches and a passing accuracy of 95%. Foden was in complete charge of Man City on Sunday night. He has 11 goals and 5 assists in the past 14 matches.
Phil Foden is Pep Guardiola’s invaluable asset
Foden is the present and future of Man City
Foden is a really interesting character for Man City at the moment. His goals took the Etihad side one step closer to a fourth consecutive title, something even Sir Alex Ferguson never achieved, and made it unlikely their neighbors would ever win. to participate in the Champions League next season. It can be said that Foden changed the landscape of the title race and perhaps the future of MU in just one match.
This is an illustration that Foden is a player of real stature and an indispensable talisman for Man City. The other talents of this team can go their own way, but Foden has often taken on the responsibility of powering Man City forward this season. His recent performance is his highlight in the individual title races from now until the end of the season.
There has long been a view that Man City – and England – should build their squad around Foden. This argument is becoming more accurate than ever. This 23-year-old’s outstanding ability to fill any position on the field brings great value. He can play in De Bruyne’s number 10 position, can also become an excellent right winger, left winger, false number 9 or attack-minded number 8. Pep Guardiola once said about Foden in 2022: “He can play in 5 positions.”
Besides, Foden also showed his consistency. Since he was a young player, he has been identified as the “new Iniesta”. Up to now, Foden still shines regularly and increasingly affirms his place in Man City’s squad. 16-14-15 are the goals that Foden scored in the last 3 seasons. This season, that number is 18 and could continue to rise. This was an explosive season that marked Foden’s maturity.
Now, Foden has made more than 250 appearances for the blue half of Manchester and is known as an invaluable asset to Pep Guardiola. He is the present and future of Man City. Foden is continuing the Spanish strategist’s legacy of a small but super technical, skillful and skilled midfielder.
Thirteen years ago, Guardiola won the Champions League at Wembley with a Barca side that seemed like such a role model. He is gradually recycling that squad with the focus being Foden.