There is no doubt that Phil Foden is one of Manchester City's best players. Not only is he the club's second most valuable player, but in terms of goals and assists, he is undoubtedly one of the best players in the Premier League. However, there is something special about how he fits into Pep Guardiola's side. Unlike other clubs who would put their star midfielders first in their squad, Guardiola was particularly careful with Foden's development and went the extra mile to ensure the international He did not suffer from overplaying and burnout in the early years of his career. . We can see this attention to Foden's game time when looking at his minutes of play for City over the past four seasons. His Time Tender - Guardiola's Careful Use of Foden
Of course, in the whole first season, Foden only started 9 matches and featured in about a quarter of Man City's matches. But it was in his second season under Guardiola that Foden probably became the starting man of Man City. Instead, Pep made little use of the playmaker and although his appearances and overall game time have doubled, it still accounts for only about half of the minutes he gets in. Premier League that season.
After establishing himself as one of the most promising players in the world, Foden has naturally seen his game time increase to 24 starts in the 21/22 campaign and total game time to around 62%. total number of matches available in this Premier League. season. . However, that is still small compared to Bernardo Silva and Kevin de Bruyne. And only slightly more than the likes of Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus, who will be considered redundant at the end of the season.
And this season is no different. Although Pep explained that the lack of game time was due to Foden's return from the World Cup with an ankle injury, he was only left out of the squad entirely twice. And Man City coach has more faith in Kevin de Bruyne and Jack Grealish. As a result, Foden has only featured in 58% of Man City's game time in the Premier League this season. Explosive and efficient in front of goal - how Foden developed at Man City
But there is some logic to this. And while Foden may not start City on a weekly basis, he has become an excellent, effective goal threat for Guardiola to use if and when he wants to. For example, when it comes to total goals and assists in the Premier League this season, Foden is 12th in the table. But when broken down into goals and assists per game, the 22-year-old averaged 0.87 every 90 minutes.
Phil Foden's Premier League Stats
To put that into context, it's a better comeback than Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Mohamed Salah and Marcus Rashford in the Premier League this season. And partly explains Foden's effect on Man City when he was fresh and not overplayed. Furthermore, since starting City in the starting XI in 2019, only four of the club's players have scored more goals and assists in the Premier League. Guardiola may not play Foden every week, but the youngster's game-time management has certainly brought out the best in the England international and ensured City don't sack a worthy young talent.
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