Phil Foden’s form for Manchester City indicates one thing.
Phil Foden has improved even more for Pep Guardiola’s team, and his hat-trick against Brentford served as the most recent proof that his potential has no bounds.
When Erling Haaland made his first Manchester City start in two months, the area outside the Brentford penalty box proved to be unlucky for him. Haaland made his long-awaited comeback, but his goal was denied by Brentford’s strong back three and deep-lying midfield. Thomas Frank’s squad is still the only Premier League team the Norwegian has not scored against. Guardiola produced a headshake. “With six Brentford players surrounding him, I don’t think any striker in the world could play comfortably,” he remarked. “The best of them won’t last.”
However, the constrained space on the Brentford area’s periphery was more suited for a distinct forward profile. Even Guardiola’s best teams have often suffered from the sight of densely populated and well-organized opposing defenders due to their teams’ domination and control over the game. However, Guardiola thinks City have created one of the most effective weapons in his career against the feared low block in Phil Foden.
Guardiola remarked, “I have seen a lot of really good players move well in small spaces, but it’s hard to find that impact, that feeling you get when he has the ball there, like, ‘Oh he can score.'” This combination is like a knife; it moves between the pockets and then comes out of them. Very few people [like him] have I seen. It was quite flattering coming from a manager who had seen the devastation that Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, and Xavi would do to defenders at Barcelona, or who had seen the delicacy and accuracy of David Silva and Bernardo Silva’s offensive performance at City.
The most recent proof that Foden can eventually reach those heights came on Monday when he scored a hat-trick against Brentford. By the age of 23, he has already made 250 games and already has 16 senior championships, including five Premier League crowns and a Champions League. However, Guardiola feels that this is his best moment as a player right now. Guardiola remarked, “I said weeks ago that Phil is having his most influence on the team.” “He has a great understanding of the game and knows how to play both simply and aggressively. He always enjoys scoring goals and poses a threat when he gets around the 18-yard line. his team’s running style. He is a really talented player.
When Kevin De Bruyne and Haaland were both missing in December and January, Foden’s influence was more noticeable. much though the team’s core players were beginning together for the first time since opening day on Monday night, it felt much more significant that it persisted. With his second Premier League hat-trick of the year, Foden’s season total now stands at eight goals and fifteen assists. With it, he is already ahead of his totals from the previous two seasons, when he was also a member of a championship-winning squad, and only two shy of his career high of 17, established last season.
Foden has also demonstrated a stronger sense of timing. There have been rumours circulating recently that Foden has scored a lot of goals while City is winning handily. After trailing in their previous four Premier League away games, Foden has now scored the equalizer twice: once against Everton with a beautiful strike past Jordan Pickford and again on Monday night with a fast finish past Mark Flekken. Lately, Foden’s production levels have increased in value.
According to his management, Foden is starting to assume greater responsibility. Guardiola undoubtedly needed other players to step up in the absence of Haaland and De Bruyne, especially because City was struggling in the Premier League before their departure for the Club World Cup in December. In reaction, Foden has raised his game together with the outstanding Julian Alvarez. The outcomes speak for themselves—De Bruyne’s five-month sabbatical unintentionally gave City a peek at a succession plan.
It’s an indication of Foden’s maturity and of what the young player may develop into for City. “We have the room to take over from Kevin and Bernardo Silva at the end,” Guardiola remarked. He gains experience in this way, and he will eventually guide the others. He’s being guided now. He hasn’t cared about experience or felt under pressure since the beginning. The academy player will have a successful career if he concentrates on that, but it is up to him. At this level, he is consistent and has all the titles.
The street football player Foden was raised in City’s academy. His innate flare and inventiveness have not diminished, even though the tactical aspect of his game has been refined over the course of his eight years under Guardiola and playing with the most expensively built team in world football. His manager came to the conclusion that “he can achieve whatever he wants,” and in light of Foden’s most recent statement show, it seemed as though Guardiola had no boundaries.