Interesting point, why you say this?
Phil Foden - What Is His Potential?
- Thread starter Davs
- Start date
Interesting point, why you say this?
last 25 yards type forward vs attacking playmaker
To be honest - this is why I don't rate ex Guardiola players as highly as others do but everyone's allowed their own opinion on football & how highly they are rated to them.
Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, Rodri, De Bryune, Busquets, Daniel Alves, Walker, Stones, Pique etc.
All incredibly lucky to have been coached under Guardiola and his tactics making them better than they are an improving their game consistently due to his coaching increasing their IQ & overall ability as a footballer.
I don't get mind blown by another Guardiola Wonder Player - half of his coaching is making players better than they actually are even if they are not managed directly in a match such as in an international match.
Sterling was once regarded as the best English player in the world just because he played under Guardiola.
Guardiola's tactical influence will continue at Man City for a few years after he leaves as it did at Barcelona where Luis Enrique took over a Guardiola influenced team and continued that trajectory. Then it will slowly start waining off.
All these people laughing at Foden being shit and overhyped is just because he is an English player made to look better in a fantastic system, a system that not only influenced his team but arguably the whole world of opposition football -
But to me it's the same with every player & not just Foden.
Overhyped players due to the ability of Guardiola. Every single one.
People talk about De Bryune like he was the best attacking midfielder in the last decade but to me; even if its by 1% or 10 or 20%; I know without Guardiola he would be much more less of a legend than he is viewed now.
Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, Rodri, De Bryune, Busquets, Daniel Alves, Walker, Stones, Pique etc.
All incredibly lucky to have been coached under Guardiola and his tactics making them better than they are an improving their game consistently due to his coaching increasing their IQ & overall ability as a footballer.
I don't get mind blown by another Guardiola Wonder Player - half of his coaching is making players better than they actually are even if they are not managed directly in a match such as in an international match.
Sterling was once regarded as the best English player in the world just because he played under Guardiola.
Guardiola's tactical influence will continue at Man City for a few years after he leaves as it did at Barcelona where Luis Enrique took over a Guardiola influenced team and continued that trajectory. Then it will slowly start waining off.
All these people laughing at Foden being shit and overhyped is just because he is an English player made to look better in a fantastic system, a system that not only influenced his team but arguably the whole world of opposition football -
But to me it's the same with every player & not just Foden.
Overhyped players due to the ability of Guardiola. Every single one.
People talk about De Bryune like he was the best attacking midfielder in the last decade but to me; even if its by 1% or 10 or 20%; I know without Guardiola he would be much more less of a legend than he is viewed now.
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Uh? Sterling was never regarded as the best English player in the world? He was highly rated for England - because he carried them on his shoulders to a Euro final - playing nothing like he did at City, I might add (in fact that might be what caused him to ultimately leave City)
https://www.redcafe.net/threads/is-sterling-the-best-english-player-at-the-moment.442725/
Not sure who was better than him, maybe Kane? But still trophyless
Compared to the centre or the right, I wouldn't say it's optimal for him. But he has 20 goals and 11 assists from the left wing for City - or a goal or assist every 125 minutes.
Now part of the challenge with international football is being able to overcome the lack of glue that players have at club level so he has to take responsibility for that. Equally however part of the management challenge in international football is getting the best out of your players. And Southgate's hopeless handling of the left flank over the last couple of years does help to explain the difference in output. He has frequently used right-footed left-backs who have little to no experience of playing on the left, have no idea how to overlap, or underlap, or how to open up play on their bad side. . I thought it was quite telling that Carsley spotted this issue straight away and against Finland the left flank was the most cohesive part of the team. And that was with the handicap of a right-footed left-back in Trent, but recognising who would be the right type of flank partner in Grealish to build on Trent's technical strengths and complement his movement and positioning.
So in one part of the team there is a broken left flank and alongside that the attack has felt broken for much of that time as well. Everyone clustered into the 10 space, nobody stretched the lines (until they make the killer subs that, for example, got them over line against the Dutch), with central midfielders who are often too sluggish in punching the ball forwards.
Basically he'd need a good system on the left to operate well, while in the middle or on the right it's more straightforward as he can more easily pull out individual pieces of decisive quality.
I would say comparing Palmer/Saka is a bit wild. Palmer/Foden I think are much more similar, one I think is simply much more confident/arrogant/expressive etc. and has not allowed himself to become a (and I hate this word but I think it applies) system player.
He left City cause he knew his time there would be on the bench going forward. Pep had for whatever reason decided he didn't fancy him anymore as he sometimes randomly does to player. Pep leaving him out of 3 of the last 4 CL game starting XI's and also put him on the bench for the 2 final games in the title push made him realize he was no longer first choice. From the start of April one he played really none of the big game except the draw with Liverpool cause that was 3 days before the Atletico 2nd leg.
There's truth in what you say, especially regarding the full-back dynamics, but a left-footer deployed on the left like Foden will still have way less use of an over- or underlapper full-back than a right-footer would, because those players can actually cut in onto their preferred foot and shoot after creating some space for themselves if they opt not to give the ball to the overlapping full-back, for example. For Foden, this is obviously something he can only do on the other side of the pitch.
Also, whilst it's very true in my opinion, that he's much more comfortable in the middle or on the right, he's still not a "Give me the ball and I'll make something happen" type of player, if the team is struggling to impose themselves on the opponent in the final third. He's a "I'll finish the job created for me by the well-oiled system" type of player...which is fine, but like @giorno mentioned above, it has led to a misconception, and the total misprofiling of what Foden actually is as a player. In my opinion, he's much more of a second-striker or false 9 than anything else. I also don't see a future for him centrally at City as their main creative hub and as their KDB predecessor. He's just not that type of player and I'm pretty sure City will get someone in from the market, if they'll want a direct replacement for the Belgian.
I always thought Sterling was allowed to leave because of Haaland's arrival. The Norwegian simply requires different types of wingers than what Sterling is.
Doku and Sávio has been added since then, to help against low-blocks and to feed Haaland.
Grealish has been turned into a ball-retention winger and not someone who has to focus on taking risks and scoring goals.
Silva is also one of the best ball-retention players in the world.
Sterling was someone who had different strengths IMO and a winger who also liked to be on the end of chances, make runs behind the defence, etc. I think he was the least suited winger in your squad to be turned into a player that's mostly just focused on creating chances for the striker and to keep the ball more often than previously. You also had Mahrez and still have Foden that offer something different.
I think Pep would've still fancied Sterling if he wasn't given the best poacher and goalscorer in the world, but the team dynamics changed with Haaland's arrival and the main focus for your wingers became providing Haaland with as many chances as possible. He would've taken goals away from Haaland in the same way I think Foden takes goals away from him.
This is what I thought too.
City stopped using inverted forwards like Sterling & Mahrez and slowly starting building a creative group of players outside to get the best out of Haaland.
Bernado Silva out wide, Grealish, De Bruyne & Foden all would try create for Haaland primarily.
The whole Sane, Sterling, Jesus, mahrez type of attack slowly got turned over to getting the best our of a traditional number 9 with creative players from all channels.
Sterling himself said that his playtime being limited was the biggest reason and he couldn't afford to waste any of his career on the bench. Pep had left his style behind before Erling arrived. He was a sub in 5 of the 6 most important games in the run in. Something in Pep changed towards him and tactically after the 1st Atletico game.
Pep had decided on more control on the wings in the big games before Erling, he valued the level of pressing from Bernardo, Phil and Grealish plus the control they brought more than Sterlings nose for goals. Basically Pep became more cautious and Sterling was the sacrifice.
Anderson was better
Or at least he didn't crumble under a penalty shootout pressure.
Yeah, now I get what you've meant.