Phil Foden has endured a second consecutive underwhelming campaign, but could it very much end on a high? Well, given a rare start by Pep Guardiola against Crystal Palace on Wednesday night, he more than impressed as the Sky Blues ran out 3-0 winners, particularly doing so in the first half.
Phil Foden's statistics vs Crystal Palace
Statistics | Phil Foden | Match rank |
|---|---|---|
Assists | 2 | 1st |
Shots | 1 | 2nd |
Key passes | 5 | 1st |
Big chances created | 2 | 1st |
Accurate crosses | 3 | 1st |
Passing accuracy % | 92% | 2nd |
Touches | 77 | 4th |
Match rating | 9 | 1st |
Note: All statistics courtesy of SofaScore.
Foden set up both of Man City's first half goals, scored by Antoine Semenyo and Omar Marmoush, creating two big chances and registering five key passes throughout the match. This was the first time in his career that he has recorded multiple assists in the first 45 of any Premier League game.
According to Statmuse, no player in the 2020s has recorded numbers as impressive as this in an English top-flight match. Looking at the season as a whole, Foden now has ten goals and seven assists to his name. This is far from an ignominious tally, but is quite the drop from two seasons ago, when he racked up 27 goals and 13 assists, named both FWA and PFA Players' Player of the Year.
His decline in form has seen him become little more than a peripheral figure under Guardiola. He still has not scored since netting at Selhurst all the way back in mid-December. Meantime, Wednesday ended a sequence of six Premier League fixtures without a start, this only the third time he'd been included in a league lineup since the Manchester derby defeat at Old Trafford on 17 January.
The club do clearly believe in him more broadly though, with Foden reportedly having agreed a new four-year contract. However, the same cannot be said of England manager Thomas Tuchel. Foden started both March friendlies against Uruguay and Japan at Wembley, but was hooked before the hour mark both times, having made little impact. Remarkably, this takes his tally to 49 England caps, but has scored just four times at international level to date.
List of Phil Foden's England goals
- 18 November 2020: England 4-0 Iceland. UEFA Nations League - scored twice.
- 29 November 2022: England 3-0 Wales. World Cup group stage - Ahmad bin Ali Stadium.
- 12 September 2023. Scotland 1-3 England. Friendly - Hampden Park.
Having started only two competitive fixtures since the Euro 2024 Final in Berlin, these against Greece and Albania, Foden's place on the plane to America is in doubt. Tuchel has an array of players from which to choose for the number ten role, namely Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers, Eberechi Eze, Morgan Gibbs-White and others.
However, with Tuchel set to name his squad next Friday, Foden will be hoping this performance, followed by chances to shine in the FA Cup final and at Bournemouth next Tuesday, will help him make the cut. If he is ultra-motivated, this can only be good news for Man City fans and Guardiola.
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