The 24-year-old has regressed since being crowned the best player in English football, and will now have to prove his worth all over again
"To be recognised this way by your fellow professionals means everything and I would like to thank everyone who voted for me," an emotional Phil Foden said after being crowned the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) men's player's player of the year for 2023-24. "I also want to pay special thanks to Pep [Guardiola], the [Manchester] City coaches and all my team-mates as they help me to try and get better every single day. Last season was another very special one for everyone at the club, but now all our focus is concentrated on trying to achieve more success this term."
Foden was a deserving winner after recording 27 goal contributions during City's run to a record-breaking fourth-successive Premier League title. Guardiola relied on Foden, not Erling Haaland or Kevin De Bruyne, to make the difference in the biggest matches, and never missed a chance to highlight the fleet-footed attacking midfielder's importance.
"He was always a talented player, but now he is more mature and understands more the game, especially defensively. He’s unbelievable," the City boss said after Foden's two-goal masterclass in a 3-1 derby win over Manchester United last March. "Winning games is when you become a world-class player."
However, just over a year on from that dazzling performance, Foden finds himself at the opposite end of the spectrum. The 24-year-old is no longer "getting better every day"; in fact, he actually appears to be going backwards, having lost his talismanic status under Guardiola amid City's worst campaign in almost a decade.
Foden's poor form has not cost him his place in the England squad , but that could soon change. Thomas Tuchel can't afford to carry any passengers in his bid to end the Three Lions' 60 years of hurt at next year's World Cup, and that's exactly what Foden has become at City, who may already be contemplating how he fits into their long-term rebuild…
GettyHero to zero
Foden's exploits last season were made all the more impressive by the fact that 48 of his 53 appearances for City came as a starter. He also racked up 11 goal involvements across the Champions League and FA Cup, and registered a goal and an assist in City's 4-0 Club World Cup final over Brazilian giants Fluminense.
It was a herculean effort from Foden that understandably left him running on empty. He was ever-present for England at last summer's European Championship in Germany, too, so Foden's slow start to the current season was, on some level, to be expected.
Guardiola waited until the start of October to draft Foden back into his Premier League line up after seeing the playmaker battle through illness, and he produced a solid if unspectacular display in a 3-2 win over Fulham. Foden also scored in each of his first three starts in the Champions League, but that was as close as he got to building up any sort of rhythm in the first half of the campaign.
Foden didn't open his Premier League goal account until his 12th outing, on December 21, in City's 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa, which marked their ninth loss in 12 games across all competitions since November 2. The reigning champions were in crisis, and Guardiola was clear in his mind about the main reasons for their incredible fall from grace.
"We are playing this season without the best player of the Ballon d'Or, Rodri, and without the best player in England last season, Foden," It was no surprise to hear Guardiola blame City's struggles on Rodri's ACL injury, but his suggestion that Foden was no longer having any kind of meaningful impact on games unexpected and uncharacteristically brutal.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportBecoming a bench-warmer
Guardiola's strong words did appear to have the desired effect, though, as Foden reminded everyone of his class around the turn of the year. The England international scored six goals in as many Premier League games in January, including a vital effort in a 3-1 win over top-four rivals Chelsea, with Guardiola pleased to see the City academy graduate "happy again".
But Foden couldn't sustain it. He has failed to score in his last 11 appearances for City, with his performances ranging from mediocre to downright poor, and he is suddenly in real danger of becoming a regular bench-warmer. Indeed, Foden had to make do with brief cameos in the 1-0 win at Tottenham on February 26 and Saturday's 2-2 draw with Brighton.
"Listen, all the managers around the world, when they select 11 players, they have to believe that they are going to win," Guardiola replied when quizzed on his decision to name Foden among the substitutes for the Seagulls' visit to the Etihad Stadium. "I never found a manager who selects a team thinking it's going to lose. If we win I am right – if we don't, it could be better."
Guardiola has long been known for his tinkering, but more often than not, he fields his most trusted players in the most important matches. The home game against European hopefuls Brighton fell into that bracket, and Foden was once again overlooked in favour of Omar Marmoush – the £59 million ($77m) winter signing who has quickly emerged as Haaland's new right-hand man.
Getty/GOALNew-look City
Foden started unlocking his full potential after being shifted into the No.10 spot at City, but that evolution is now counting against him. Marmoush has looked far more effective in behind Haaland since his arrival at the Etihad, scoring four goals in his first seven Premier League appearances, and Foden is going to have to seriously up his game to usurp the Egyptian.
It's difficult to see Foden getting a look-in on the flanks, either, given the presence of Savinho and Jeremy Doku, plus the fact that Marmoush is also versatile enough to operate on both wings. If he doesn't snap back into life, Foden could end up an outcast at City like his England team-mate Jack Grealish, who has fallen so far down the pecking order that a summer exit feels inevitable.
Veteran trio Bernardo Silva, De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan are still competing for minutes in midfield, too, while Nico Gonzalez, or 'mini-Rodri' as some fans have already dubbed him, has impressed in a holding role since his £50m ($65m) arrival from Porto on the final day of the winter window.
Guardiola is still working out how to shape his new-look side, but all the signs point to him embracing a more direct, unpredictable style of play in a bid to transform City back into Europe's most fearsome team, and it's not at all clear how Foden will figure into his plans at this stage.
AFPEuros 'frustration'
Foden's struggles can be traced back to the Euros, where he dramatically underperformed as England stumbled all the way through the final, before being taught a footballing lesson against deserved winners Spain. Foden failed to notch a single goal or assist at the tournament, rarely showed any of his usual quality on the ball, and didn't do enough to help the team without it.
However, Sir Gareth Southgate was at least partly at fault for Foden's failure. Instead of deploying Foden in the central role he'd caused so much damage in for City last term, the England boss stationed him on the left in a safety-first 4-2-3-1 system in the first four games of the tournament.
Jude Bellingham took Foden's preferred No.10 slot, and they spent most of the time getting in each other's way as England toiled for any kind of fluidity going forward. Understandably, Foden still harbours some bitterness towards Southgate for how things played out, as he told the in January: "I feel frustrated I didn’t get out what I wanted to get out of it. The position I was put in on the left was very difficult to influence the game. Coming off last season being the best player in the Premier League and playing centre midfield, I do feel the position was quite difficult to get used to. I’m one who can play multiple positions and had to try to deal with it the best I could. I don’t feel like England ever got going or performed to our potential."
Foden was certainly a victim of Southgate's pragmatism, but that doesn't excuse him for shrinking in the face of adversity. A player of Foden's calibre should have been able to rise above the limitations of the tactical blueprint and take games by the scruff of the neck when his country needed him most.