You have to take anything Pep Guardiola says about positions and formations with a grain of salt the size of Everest.
In his interview with the reporter prior to Manchester City’s match against RB Leipzig on BT Sport, the manager stood there beaming and explained that his team always lines up with a back four and that Nathan Ake would be playing left-back. The situation was blatantly false 30 seconds after kickoff.
Kyle Walker pushed up on the right, Jack Grealish guarded the left, and Bernardo Silva was deployed all over the field as City’s back three. Ake played in the center. Guardiola has made similar statements in the past, only for the reality to turn out very otherwise.
Hence, it’s difficult to believe him when he thinks Phil Foden will one day play as a midfielder again. The homegrown talent, who was David Silva’s likely successor, rose through the ranks and was largely employed as a midfielder while making his mark on the team.
Yet since Foden earned the right to start the bulk of games two and a half years ago, he has been utilized virtually entirely in the attack. primarily on the left, but also infrequently on the right wing and as a false-9. It’s done a great job. Foden was outstanding and a significant contributor to the Blues’ last two championship victories up to his current slump in performance. He recorded 30 goals and 21 assists in the two full seasons prior to the current campaign, which is fantastic numbers but fall short of fully capturing what he provides to the squad.
The question of when Foden will return to midfield and if he can successfully play in that position for Guardiola has never been far away, regardless of his performance in attack. The Blues manager frequently responds in the same way: “He has all the talent to do it, but I need control in midfield, he’s a little too risky right now.”
When questioned once more last Tuesday, the same response was given: “He can play there, but I have the feeling he’s still young. Some maturity is required to read what happens in the middle.
“Because when you play [on the wing], you move to the right and do these kinds of things, and in the middle, many things happen, and you have to read what happens to react appropriately. He is still a young man. He is capable of doing it using his skills. The actions he took in Nottingham, such as shooting and throwing the ball in for Erling, were ideal for Messi at that time because they put him in an offensive position.
“But, it’s not only that; sometimes you also need to be able to read whether the ball is left or right, when to take positions, and when to drop. Phil is particularly good at doing this, in the pockets and in the right like Kevin plays. These kinds of things are sometimes simpler to do when playing outside, but he will eventually learn to do them. Importantly, as I’ve stated several times, he can play four or five positions.”
Foden’s objective is therefore evident. The three main areas that he needs to improve if he wants to play midfield again are his game reading, positioning, and decision-making. The only problem is that many of those skills are acquired through real play in that position and on-the-job training.
It’s a little unfair to expect him to understand all the nuances of a position and when to make the appropriate moves if he’s never actually playing there and mastering the assignment. Maybe it’s about time he received another chance.
There might be a vacancy in midfield if Kevin De Bruyne is once again absent. On Saturday, City must resume its winning ways, but regardless of who is in midfield, the team will undoubtedly have enough to defeat struggling Bournemouth.
It would be the ideal situation for Foden to be given a chance in midfield and see exactly how close he is to return to the position permanently given De Bruyne’s predicament and his current inability to play at the top of his own game.