The 21-year-old is having a great season at the Etihad – there is no doubt about that – but Pep Guardiola likes to keep him on his feet. Two of his last three games for Manchester City saw him leave the bench – in both of those games he scored either one goal or one assist.
But it was his most striking blow in City’s last game – Kevin de Bruyne’s blow against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals – with his impact almost immediately felt as his assist came just 80 seconds after he was sent off. the action. Phil Foden’s amazing recent appearances deserve a start to City’s crucial game against Liverpool Fontaine left experts frustrated by his “apparent” performances after naming him the winner of City’s 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid this week. After 70 minutes of frustration with Atletico’s back, Fontaine had the time it took to revive his attack, as he quickly picked up a pass from 40 yards out, bravely leading to three Madrid players before entering the Belgian for a nice finish. . City are now taking the initiative in a difficult away match at Wanda Metropolitano and this is thanks to the invention of Foden – a real energy player who can pick locks and open doors. Guardiola will face his biggest game of the season this weekend against Liverpool for the title and he may well decide that Fontaine is someone he needs from the beginning. While the Spaniard will keep his thoughts on Fontaine close to his chest before the big game at the Etihad, the English star’s performance was thrilled after the narrow victory over Atletico Madrid – with former City star Joleon Lescott proposes to become “the best English player of all time”. Fontaine showed great offensive instinct to set up Kevin de Bruyne 80 seconds after entering Former City star Joleon Lescott said Fontaine could be “the best and most decorated English player”. “Excellent,” he told the BT Sport studio. “I do not think there was a period when he played and did not contribute to the goals. If he continues at this pace, he will come down as the best English player of all time with two trophies this season. “His mentality sets him apart. I compare him to Wayne Rooney. You can see players being hurt when they are not winning. We all want to win, but there are players who have to win. He is obsessed.
I know what it means for him to play in this club. “I have said it before, but if it continues at the pace it is evolving, it will undoubtedly degrade the best English player, the most awarded ever, to continue to progress and undoubtedly win two trophies a season.” Rio Ferdinand echoed Lescott’s praise as he likened the “apparent” Fontaine to an artist and claimed that his entry into the game was creating bigger problems for Atletico. Fontaine has shown that he can contribute goals and assists whenever asked “When you have someone like Phil Foden, Jack Grealish – people who are like artists and can come on the field and pose different threats to this team – it’s very difficult to adapt during the game when you’ve programmed specific photos. some people.’ “Phil Fontaine came in … he was charming at times, amazing. You have to understand that this is a young player. “His composure, his ability to pull players close to him – Joleon and I grabbed each other!” Meanwhile, Owen Hargreaves, who has played for both Manchester United teams, was thrilled with his flexibility, adding: “He is a fake nine, right winger, No. 10, as a deeper midfielder, he can play from the left. “It’s quite difficult to play at this level. He can undoubtedly play in world class in four or five different positions. Is special “. Fontaine shone whenever he was given the opportunity this season. With 11 goals and seven assists for City, his contribution to the team’s goal was excellent – although his passing was what stood out the most. MOST SUCCESSFUL PASSES PER 90 PL 2021-22 Successful passes / 90 Phil Foden 37.5 Roberto Firmino 33.9 Leandro Trossard 28.5 Daniel Podence 25.8 Kai Havertz 25.6 The youngster has taken a prominent place in the central attack this season – a touch map from Opta shows – allowing him to play at his best and find his teammates with test passes. Fontaine has the best pass rate of 90 per player in the top division this season (37.5 per cent), the statistics reveal – with only Roberto Firmino of Liverpool second with 33.9 per cent. He has played a total of 769 passes during the open game – with a success rate of 88 percent. The only player who has completed more open play passes is Leandro Trossard. Fontaine will be dangerous if he gets involved against Liverpool – he has a big record against Firmino surpasses him slightly when it comes to the most touches per 90 to 62.2, Foden scores 61.3 with a total of 1141 touches in total. Having already created 31 opportunities for City this season, Liverpool should be wary of him this weekend, if he participates. FODEN LOVES TO PLAY LIVERPOOL Opponent minutes Assist goals Minutes per goal / assist Liverpool 270 3 2 54 Brighton 290 4 1 58 Watford 166 1 1 83 Arsenal 281 2 1 81961 1 85 Byrne In fact, Jurgen Klopp’s men will have to be vigilant if Foden is selected to start the game – given the fact that he is his favorite team to play. His record of minutes per goal / assist against Liverpool is his best against any team in the Premier League (54). He has scored three times for the Reds, with three assists. Fontaine has only scored more against Brighton (4) during his career, but has never scored more than one assist for any team other than City. He has scored in each of his last three appearances against Liverpool – the first three times he has faced them – and if he scores this weekend, he will become the first player to score in his first four games against them. He has scored more goals against Jürgen Klopp’s men than any other team in the Premier League. Fontaine can help get the padlock and give City some magical moments in the midfield against Liverpool What sets Foden apart is his attacking instinct, his position, his tactical awareness and his willingness to lead forward with the ball. The game against Liverpool will be tight, so City will need moments of magic in the midfield to open their persistent defense with players like Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk. Guardiola himself was left to enjoy Fontaine’s attacking qualities after the victory over Atletico – considering that his first instinct is to push forward. “It has a special quality,” he said after the victory. “His reception is always up front, his space on the first step is huge and he had the composure to make an incredible assist for Kevin.” The former Barcelona coach has a lot to think about in the crucial title match this weekend – but he should not even think for a moment if Fontaine should be in his starting lineup.