Phil Foden case embarrasses Manchester City

Is there a problem with Phil Foden? This is the question that some English media are asking this Saturday. A few hours before a trip to Bournemouth (6:30 p.m.) on behalf of the 25th day of the Premier League, observers are wondering if this time they will see the attacking midfielder at work (30 games cc, 9 goals and 4 assists decisive). For a few weeks, the English has disappeared a little. Remained on the bench against RB Leipzig in the Champions League, like all the substitutes including Julian Alvarez, he has only started three of his team’s last ten games.

There are reasons for this. Already, he is the main victim of the return to the fore of Jack Grealish, now holder on the left side of the Mancunian attack. Even Pep Guardiola admitted it yesterday at a press conference. “Riyad (Mahrez) is in his best time of the season and Jack (Grealish) has taken a step forward. It’s not a question of intention, he’s a lovely guy. If you say I don’t trust Phil (Foden), forget it. Phil is our diamond”assures the Catalan, questioned on the subject, but targets criticism at the moment.

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The fact remains that since his return from the World Cup, where he started on the bench, before finishing in the starting lineup, Foden has been accumulating worries. Returning from Qatar in bad shape, he logically suffered the law of competition, before missing 4 meetings in a row between the end of January and the beginning of February. Replacing the next two meetings against Aston Villa and Arsenal, the 22-year-old returned to the XI against Nottingham Forest. He rather gave satisfaction but the Cityzens, despite an outrageous domination, drew.

“He is training like an animal, there is no doubt about it, and he will come back, like in Nottingham, where he was brilliant, perfect. He must continue.” Guardiola intends to take advantage of the versatility of his number 47 but the fact remains that since the defeat in the Manchester derby (January 14) where he started, Foden plays much less. “I always tell him, ‘You’re so young. Next season will be another one. Dropping a bit from the previous season, it’s a completely normal process.’ Not sure that these last remarks please the person concerned.