The midfielder looked refreshed in his side's Club World Cup opener but his coach must find a clear role for him in his new-look team
Manchester City paraded two of their shiny new signings in their Club World Cup opener against Wydad Casablanca, but it was the familiar face of Phil Foden who upstaged the underwhelming Rayan Cherki and even the impressive Tijjani Reijnders by providing the best storyline of the game, even if he had become the forgotten man last season.
Foden was sporting a new look that went back to basics and he delivered a performance that was markedly different from his displays just a few weeks earlier. City's favourite son scored the fastest goal of the tournament to give his team the lead then set up Jeremy Doku's volley with an inviting delivery from a corner. He probably should have scored again in the first half although goalkeeper El Mehdi Benabid did produce an impressive save to keep out his effort from inside the box.
On the whole this was a hugely encouraging performance from Foden, largely because last season he looked like a shadow of the player who had fired City to a fourth consecutive Premier League title and swept all the individual prizes in England. The 25-year-old was far from the only City player who had a wobble last term, but his decline received the most scrutiny of all.
Getty Images SportFeeling 'fresh'
A season that was already one to forget about took a turn for the worse when Foden picked up an ankle injury at Manchester United and had to listen to demeaning chants about his mother as he trotted off the pitch with a sullen look on his face. He was absent for three weeks due to the injury but he has since admitted he returned too soon. The midfielder was given a smattering of minutes in City's remaining games, starting just once and being a late substitute in the FA Cup semi-final and final.
And after not playing at all in the last home game of the season against Bournemouth, he took the unusual step of speaking to the media and telling reporters he was going to ask to not be selected for England's June fixtures. He also revealed: "I’ve had a lot of things going on off the pitch mentally. Sometimes there’s things in life that are bigger than football. This season I’ve struggled a little bit. If everything was OK I’d definitely be better on the field. Hopefully come next year I can get my head mentally right, get back where I left the season before, because I know what I’m capable of doing and the quality I have."
It might be dangerous to read too much into a Club World Cup fixture against opposition from a different continent, but in Philadelphia, making his first start in five and a half weeks, Foden looked refreshed, like he was reaping the benefits of resting and disconnecting after the worst season of his otherwise splendid career. That was certainly how he viewed it. "I got a little bit of time off, rested. New season, fresh me," he told reporters in Philadelphia.
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If Foden’s best season was helped by having a reduced role the year before, it was perhaps unsurprising that there would be a drop off. Foden had not been involved in the thick of City's campaign to win the treble in 2023 after picking up an injury and suffering from appendicitis during the run-in.
Kevin De Bruyne's injury early into the Champions League final meant he played most of the era-defining game in Istanbul and still felt a part of that historical achievement, but he did not play nearly as many minutes as the bulk of his team-mates. He therefore did not suffer from the burnout that affected some of his team-mates, most notably Jack Grealish and John Stones. He also benefited from there being no international or club tournaments the following summer.
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Foden went on to have the season of his life but he paid a heavy price for it. In 2023-24 Foden featured in 53 games for City plus all seven of England's matches at Euro 2024. It amounted to 5,000 minutes of football, the vast majority of which were played at the highest level with massive stakes. No wonder he was worn out. He explained: “Not a lot of footballers these days get much time off, so it’s very important. I struggled to switch off completely. I just rested with the family, did my own thing. I needed it."
Getty Images Sport'Want him to feel good'
And after getting the time off he craved and taking a step back towards his old form, Foden sent out a warning to City's opponents at the Club World Cup and their Premier League rivals ahead of next season: "The hunger inside me is back and I want to prove people wrong."
Guardiola was pleased to see signs of Foden's return, insisting: "He will be important. Of course, he will be." The coach had become concerned with Foden's state of mind and performances last season. And after he had revealed his mental struggles towards the end of the campaign, Guardiola said: "He’s a baby, baby, baby boy, from the academy, became one of the stars with us and all I want, we want is to help him.
"That is the most important thing. He needs rest and it’s going to happen now after Sunday, and step by step he’s going to come back. It’s what we want, I just want to, want to, want to help him. That is just what we want for him. I don’t care about his performance on the pitch, I want him to feel good, feel good and after the rest will come in an easy way."
Rest is not the only way that Guardiola can help Foden return to his old self. He needs a clear role in a team that is in a state of flux, with two new faces in midfield and attack in Cherki and Reijnders. Guardiola deployed an ultra-attacking line-up against Wydad which mostly resembled a 2-3-5 formation.
AFPMake him the No.10
Foden was in a crowded attack, jostling for space with Reijnders, Cherki and Marmoush. It meant that he was often sitting deep in holding midfield alongside Reijnders when City were out of possession. The player was diplomatic about his positioning but also hinted he did not want to play there regularly.
He explained: "It’s different from what I’m used to. Obviously, when they had the ball, I was playing as a holding midfielder with a two. So, it’s something I’ve not been used to but I enjoyed it. I want to be in the middle as much as I can. Maybe not that deep, but a bit higher. But as long as I’m in the middle, I feel myself and comfortable."
Foden should not have to play so deep once Rodri is fit enough to start games regularly. And with the Spaniard looking like he will be forming a partnership with Reijnders, Foden should be playing in his preferred advanced position. There seems to be an obvious place for him: as the heir to De Bruyne as the No.10.
It should not be forgotten that De Bruyne was injured for half of the 2023-24 season and Foden picked up the slack and took on the role of City’s creator-in-chief admirably. As well as scoring a glut of goals he dictated the play. One of his best performances came against Newcastle, a game in which he did not score but effectively ran the show. He would still drift wide, but mainly so he could cut inside onto his left foot and ping the ball towards the far corner.
