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We also changed the academy system about 10 years ago, and you are seeing the fruits of that now - people such as Foden and Mount were just starting their journey then, and they have been brought up with the kind of football they are playing now, for club and country. 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. 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. 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. Foden still has time but, maybe, not as much as his 23 years suggest. If Bellingham had chosen City, Foden’s hopes of becoming “the man” under Guardiola would have seriously receded, as shown by the 13 goals scored by the 20-year-old Bellingham in 14 Madrid appearances.
Pep Guardiola has given Phil Foden only a substitute’s role in many of their biggest games. Photograph: Dave Thompson/AP 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."
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. After Phil Foden had wreaked havoc against Liverpool at Anfield a few seasons ago, teeing up two goals before claiming a stunning one of his own to round off a 4-1 win, Carles Puyol felt moved to laud the young Manchester City tyro on social media. “What a great player,” the former Barcelona captain said, and he should know.
Phil Foden sees a shot saved in this year’s Champions League final, when he came on for Kevin De Bruyne. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian 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. Create bespoke photographs. With easy-to-use customisation features, we let you take control and create bespoke photographs for any occasion. From gift giving to home decoration, our custom options are endless. 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. It is understood that directly before the episode shown in the footage, Foden – who was attending a boxing event headlined by Amir Khan and Kell Brook on Saturday night – had been harassed by a group of people whom he had tried to ignore.
After making his debut as a 17‑year‑old in November 2017, Foden has become a key member of Pep Guardiola’s team, winning three Premier League titles, four League Cups, and an FA Cup. Last season he was voted the Professional Footballers’ Association Young Player of the Year. De Bruyne, of course, is not finished but the hamstring injury sustained in the opening minutes of the season at Burnley in August that required surgery and rules him out until the new year is a reminder to Guardiola of how the Belgian, at 32, is entering the autumn of his career. 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. 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.
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