Behind Man City’s success – why Phil Foden has been so vital to his team’s PL title defence

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21 goals and assists 

Phil Foden quickly put to bed any lingering concerns that Manchester City weren’t up for a fight in this season’s Premier League title race, when the reigning English champions welcomed Aston Villa to the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night. Following an opening goal from Rodri that was quickly cancelled out by Jhon Duran’s strike just nine minutes later, the young England international stepped up no less than three goals either side of half time to ensure the win for Pep Guardiola’s team. 

The remarkable hat-trick not only single-handedly dragged Man City into a winning position, but it also once again showcased Foden’s capacity to be the key player in this star-studded team. On a night in which Guardiola opted to rest the likes of Erling Haaland, Josh Stones but most notably Kevin de Bruyne, the 23-year-old made it clear that he could step up and be the match-winner that City need. And it was by no means the first time we’ve seen Foden in such remarkable form this season. 

Indeed, the player’s three goals on Wednesday now take his tally in this season’s Premier League to 21 goals and assists. Not only is that his best return in the English top-flight in a single season, with no less than seven games left to play, but it also puts Foden in joint second place among his peers in Europe’s top five leagues for players with the most goals and assists aged 23 or younger – level with Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka and behind only his team mate Haaland. That impressive return in Guardiola’s squad also now points to a player that has either scored or assisted 31% of Man City’s total league goals this season. Which is not only a remarkable return for any player, but also a significant jump in influence for Foden, whose return last season only accounted for 17% of his team’s total goals in the league. 

There is one very obvious reason for Foden’s growing influence at Man City. The English talent has long been hailed as the heir-apparent to De Bruyne’s throne at the Etihad Stadium and that has more or less come to fruition this season, with the influential Belgian playmaker missing the first 20 league games of the season through injury. As a result, Guardiola has relied heavily on Foden to step in for De Bruyne, which has seen the young player’s game time step up dramatically this season. Not only has Foden been Man City’s most-used outfield player in the league this season, but as the graph below shows, the percentage of game time that he’s played in for Man City this season has almost doubled from 54% last season to 91% this season. What’s more, the player’s average minutes per game have jumped from 58 to 91, which clearly shows that Foden has gone from being one of Guardiola’s first players subbed off in a match to one that is clearly now trusted to see out the full 90 minutes. 

However, game time is one thing but stepping into the shoes of one of the Premier League’s best ever playmakers is something else entirely. And should Man City go on to win their fifth, consecutive league title in May the club will owe a huge debt of gratitude to a young player that has been patiently waiting to become his club’s star player for a number of years now but may finally have got the chance to prove his unquestionable worth.  

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