Days after their FIFA Club World Cup triumph against Fluminense, Manchester City returned to the big boy league and suffered setbacks early on against Everton until Phil Foden dazzled and brought a second wind to the Premier League champions. Recently, City had found it hard to conquer Premier League opposition, with them only winning a tightly contested match against Luton in their last four outings, and the trend looked to continue when Jack Harrison’s goal set the Citizens behind under the half-hour mark. Fortunately, a Guardiola scolding and a dominant Phil Foden showing were enough to propel City to winning ways again.
Phil Foden Instrumented the Comeback From the Kevin De Bruyne Position
In recent interviews, Phil Foden has been vocal about his preferred position as a central attacking midfielder. However, with Pep dubbing him the best talent since Messi, the Spanish manager has utilised him most as a winger or even a centre-forward. Today, the English prodigy got his wishes and showed exactly why he’s the best as a Number 10, just behind the striker.
After heading into the half-time changing rooms 1-0 down, Pep Guardiola must have given his troops a stern talking-through as City came out of the break swinging. City dictated their usual passing tactic in front of the opposition box, in which Phil Foden had enough of Everton’s rigid defence as he unleashed a lethal left-footed striker from 25 yards out and nestled it into the bottom corner. City could have gotten the lead a minute later as Foden picked out Julián Álvarez at the near post, but the Argentinian could only find the side netting. With City pressing from all angles, Everton could only throw more and more bodies protecting the goal.
However, the tactic was their undoing, as Onana seemed to handle it when he slid in and blocked Ake’s shot. After a slight check from VAR, City had the opportunity to take the lead, which Álvarez took with a less than convincing penalty. As Everton pushed more men forward, City fell into their favourite routine of counter-attacking, and Bernardo Silva secured all three points with a perfect left-footed strike into an unguarded net after a Jordan Pickford howler. It was a convincing return to the Premier League for the Citizens, as they are now in the top four, five points behind temporary leaders Liverpool, with a game in hand.
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Just what we needed!! Get innn 👊🏻 Away support was class 👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/LLeB7Gq1q7
— Phil Foden (@PhilFoden) December 27, 2023
Phil Foden Voiced Out Intentions to Continue Playing in Midfield
After his MOTM performance, Phil Foden reiterated he would like to continue playing in midfield and praised Everton’s performance. “I thought we played really well in the first half. It seemed to be the same story as the previous games. The manager told us to keep believing as we hadn’t this golden badge on the shirt for nothing. I think we blew them away. I must praise Everton. They are a top side. I think we needed the first goal to give us momentum. I’ve had a good run of games. I like playing in the middle and long may that continue.”
Despite the differences in standings in the table, Pep Guardiola stated this match was a massive game for them. “Really, really important. It was a massive game for us, coming from Saudi Arabia. We were really pleased with how we reacted, and it proved again how special this group of players is and the mentality that we have in our bones. We want to be there. I know we are not top of the league, but many things will happen. I have never seen a Premier League where every game, the teams down low and mid-table can beat everyone. There will be a lot of surprises, and the thing is to be there.”
As for the injury updates of his players, Pep stated: “Hopefully, the damage to Stones isn’t big, and he can come back soon. Haaland is training alone and getting better. It’s a question of when the pain will disappear. He’s not a skinny guy like Phil Foden. He’s huge and tall, so it is more difficult sometimes. Kevin is close, but he had fatigue yesterday, and we have to be careful. If you don’t handle the timings, you can get injured again. I’d love for him to play the next game or Huddersfield, but what is crucial is keeping him fit for a long time, not for one game or another.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjSeCRo-lto
Is the Traditional Manchester City Spree to the Top Happening Again?
In the last three seasons, when they won the league, Manchester City had dips in form where they struggled against lesser opposition and were not leading the table. However, they always managed to find a second wind and put up a run of ten or more consecutive wins to steamroll their rivals who crumble under the pressure.
The question is, can they do it again this season? Considering Manchester City have the best striker in the league and the best playmaker in the world to return to their line-up, it is a safe bet to presume Manchester City will end the season as top 2. Therefore, it will come down to players stepping up at the right moment. For example, İlkay Gündoğan stepped up massively for City in the last two seasons, but with the German’s departure, who will step up for City again? It just might be Phil Foden.
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Our Attacking Duo this season 💥💙💯 Rare gem 💎
NO MANCHESTER CITY FAN WILL SCROLL WITHOUT LIKING THIS TWEET ❤❤❤❤ pic.twitter.com/I4qhBQxECc
— PepTeams (@pepteams) December 27, 2023
