Phil Foden: Man City boss Pep Guardiola explains conversation with winger which has helped him rediscover top form
Guardiola told Foden: 'The bad moments, these too shall pass' to put Man City forward's recent dip into context; forward has bounced back with four goals in three games and was a key player in his team's win over Newcastle on Saturday; City boss also now preparing for key part of season
Sunday 5 March 2023 11:52, UK
Phil Foden is flying. His wonderful dribble which led to Man City’s opener in their 2-0 win over Newcastle was the 22-year-old winger at his best. His deflected finish made it four goals in three games.
It's some turnaround for a player who described the recent period of games after the World Cup as the toughest moment of his career.
Foden had one goal from 10 appearances before his recent streak, starting just five of Man City's first 15 games after the Qatar tournament, with a foot and ankle injury hampering him and his confidence taking a hit.
But he has bounced back in style, matching his goal tally from each of the past two seasons in the Premier League with plenty of time to set a new career-high total in the top flight.
Top for shots, top for passing accuracy and top for dribbles against Newcastle, all aspects of his game are clicking right now.
So what turned it around for him? Pep Guardiola opened up in his post-match press conference about the conversation he had with Foden to put his recent struggles in context. This hiccup, he explained, is all part of the process.
"Phil has this special ability to have the ball [and think] 'where is the goal, I go there and attack', with the ball and without the ball," said Guardiola.
"But when I spoke with Phil during the year, when he had the ball [and it was] pass back, pass back, pass back, you feel [he doesn't] have the confidence to do it. And I explained to Phil, that is normal. 'What happened to you, Phil, is absolutely what should happen'.
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"He arrived at 17-years-old training with us. Ten minutes [of game time], 15 minutes, 20 minutes, here [raising his hands to indicate Foden's level], here [raising his hands higher], national team, World Cup, European Cup, winning titles and every year he was a little better than the year before.
"When you arrive in a moment you go down, the important moment is to accept it. The struggle with his ankle, accept it, that's the most important thing.
"Don't blame the other ones, don't blame the opponent, don't blame the manager or the club or the mates or whatever. Accept that 'I can do better' and come back to the principles and step by step you will be back.
"And of course now he's scoring goals and in the moment we've had, he's been the most important player up front. One of the most important.
"What happened with Phil it's completely, completely normal. I said, 'The bad moments, these too shall pass'. It's always like that. During 90 minutes, the bad moments these too shall pass.
"Always will come the good moments and you will come back to the game and in that moment be ready to do it."
Guardiola preparing for pivotal fortnight in City's season
Reflecting on the victory over Newcastle, Guardiola said: "They had their chances to score goals. It's Newcastle. It's an exceptional team. They were in the final of the Carabao Cup one week ago and have been top four or top five, what do you expect to happen?
"We played a really good first half and after the game went up and down we put Bernardo on to make our possessions longer, we needed to keep more of the ball. It's part of his intuition to do high pressing.
"An incredibly good result for us because it was a tricky game. Now we have three games in different competitions before the international break which will define our season."
Meanwhile, Guardiola also believes the next fortnight could determine whether City's season proves a success or failure.
The champions, who are chasing three trophies this term, now have a free week before returning to action with a Premier League trip to Crystal Palace next Saturday.
They then face two knockout games in the following days, with RB Leipzig and Burnley visiting in the Champions League and FA Cup respectively.
City boss Guardiola is now giving his players a short break after a hard-fought 2-0 win over Newcastle on Saturday, but wants them to hit the ground running when they return.
"We have two days off for everyone," said the Spaniard. "It is necessary we don't see each other for a while, it's been really tough for everyone with travels and no days off.
"But then after that, before the international break, we have three games, each in a different competition, that will define our season.
"We have Crystal Palace, Leipzig and Burnley. They will define what we want to do or are able to do for the rest of the season."
What's next?
Live: SNF
Manchester City travel to Crystal Palace in the Premier League next Saturday at 5.30pm, live on Sky Sports, before hosting RB Leipzig in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on March 14 at 8pm. The first leg in Germany ended in a 1-1 draw. They then face Burnley in the FA Cup quarter-finals on March 18.
