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Phil Foden: Guardiola’s Careful Management
Manchester City‘s Phil Foden is one of the most promising players in the World, with a market value of €110m. He is undoubtedly one of City‘s best players, ranked second in terms of valuation, and one of the best in the Premier League in terms of goals and assists. However, there is something peculiar about the way he fits into Pep Guardiola’s squad.
Unlike other clubs that would put their star playmaker at the front and centre of their team, Guardiola has been particularly careful with Foden’s development, going to extra lengths to ensure that the England international is not overplayed and doesn’t burn out in the early years of his career. This level of attention to Foden’s game time is evident when we look at his minutes for Manchester City over the past four seasons.
In his first full season, Foden only started nine games and featured in about one quarter of Manchester City‘s games. In his second season under Guardiola, Foden’s game time doubled, but it still only amounted to about half the available minutes in the Premier League that season. After establishing himself as one of the most promising players in the World, Foden naturally saw his game time leap up to 24 starts in the 21/22 campaign, and an overall game time of around 62% of the total available in the Premier League that season. However, he still played less than some players, such as Bernardo Silva and Kevin de Bruyne.
This season has been no different, as Guardiola has been more reliant on Kevin de Bruyne and Jack Grealish, leaving Foden out of the squad on only two occasions. As a result, Foden has only featured in 58% of Manchester City‘s game time in the Premier League this season.
Although Foden may not be starting for Manchester City each and every week, he has developed into an excellent, efficient goal threat for Guardiola. When it comes to total goals and assists in the Premier League this season, Foden is 12th in the table. However, when we break that down to goals and assists per appearance, the 22-year-old averages 0.87 per 90 minutes, a better return than Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Mohamed Salah, and Marcus Rashford in the Premier League this season. Since nailing down a first-team role in Manchester City‘s starting XI in 2019, only four players at the club have scored more Premier League goals and assists.
Guardiola’s management of Foden’s game time has undoubtedly got the best out of the England international, thereby ensuring that Manchester City doesn’t burn out this remarkable young talent. While some may believe that a player’s success depends on playing time, Guardiola’s careful management of Foden refutes this notion. Foden is well on his way to becoming one of the World‘s best players, and with his development sustained in Guardiola’s squad, there is no doubt that we will be seeing more of him in the future.
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