Pep Guardiola caused quite a stir when his Manchester City starting XI was released for their Carabao Cup final victory against Aston Villa at Wembley. The ever-present and immovable Kevin De Bruyne dropped to the bench, replaced by City’s fledgling young star Phil Foden who lined up alongside his supposed predecessor David Silva.
It wasn’t a case of ‘out with the old, and in with the new’ on this occasion but as soon as David Silva left the field in the second-half, it certainly felt as much. The club will move into a new era when the Spaniard ends a decorated decade of success at the end of the season and during City’s 2-1 victory, Phil Foden offered a glimpse into what life would be like without the club legend.
His name has been a constant theme, a soundtrack ringing around the country ever since he broke into the scene in the Under-17 World Cup in 2017 where England ran out winners of the competition. Lining up alongside Rhian Brewster, Jadon Sancho and Callum Hudson-Odoi, Foden was awarded with the FIFA Under-17 World Cup Golden Ball as a result of his scintilating performances all throughout the tournament.
Even though Pep Guardiola has deployed the 19-year-old rather sparingly since then, every time Foden graces the field, there is an indication as to what he could offer the club without David Silva. City’s 2-1 hard-fought triumph over Villa, a true example of the bright future City are heading into when Foden steps into Silva’s shoes. His man-of-the-match award was fully deserved.
The way Foden exerts himself, his passing, movement and a fluidity in his game way beyond his years. A fine example during the match, when he led a Manchester City counter attack in the first-half, riding two challenges with his incredible balance, ball control and speed before playing in Sergio Aguero. The move came to nothing, but Foden showed a resilience and maturity in his game that few youngsters in the world, let alone Europe could dream of.
While Gareth Southgate chose to take in Everton’s game against Manchester United at Goodison Park, he will have certainly received glowing reports of this young star. Who’s to say Southgate won’t include Foden in his plans heading into England’s Euro 2020 preparations this coming month. There’s no reward without a risk. Foden is worth that risk. Guardiola showed just that with his decision to start him in a game of such magnitude – at the costly expense of Kevin De Bruyne – and it was duly justified.
As City started to fashion openings in the first 20 minutes of the game, it was through such wonderful movement and awareness from Phil Foden which broke the deadlock. Throughout the game City compounded on Villa’s lack of communication and weakness in the wide areas and once Foden received Rodri’s cute angled pass at the far post, many anticipated Foden going for goal himself, instead he saw Aguero in a more dangerous position and cut the ball back for the master marksman to put City ahead.
It was a performance of ethereal grace from Phil Foden. The numbers above tell its own story. He was a constant thorn in Matthew Target’s side. Bamboozling him with slick footwork, dragging him out of position with his euphoric movement and energy.
Foden’s talents have never been in doubt, and Guardiola has had the luxury of pruning and handling his development carefully amongst an elite group of world stars. There isn’t one player within the City camp that believes Foden will not usurp their levels in future, and its that belief in him that is propelling him quicker than expected.
Foden has featured in 25 games this season, including the Community Shield at the start of the season, starting 10 of those games, scoring three goals and laying on 7 assists. Incredible numbers for a player who isn’t appearing week-in and week-out. In total, its 61 games for City, starting 24, scoring 10 and assisting 10. These statistics could progressively increase once he takes his place at the expense of David Silva. While he may not topple Silva’s remarkable career acheivements, there is no reason why Foden can build and embark on a fledgling journey of his own.
6 trophies at the age of just 19. There are no limits to what Foden can achieve at City and if Sunday’s performance is anything to go by, Manchester City’s future is in safe hands once David Silva finally departs. It’s a Foden-filled one.
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