Jamie Carragher believes one Manchester City player could actually have played for Pep Guardiola’s legendary Barcelona team
Manchester City take on Jamie Carragher’s beloved Liverpool on Sunday in a season-defining match.
The top-of-the-table bout could well determine who goes on to lift the Premier League title.
City will go top and take the ascendency with a win but Liverpool could extend their advantage to four points if they emerge victorious.
Arsenal, meanwhile, would benefit massively if the match ends all square and could go top on goal difference.
With so much to play for, Pep Guardiola will need all his players at their best and that includes Phil Foden.
The 23-year-old is in sensational form and Carragher has moved to give him high praise.
Jamie Carragher praises Phil Foden
Carragher wrote in The Telegraph: “I have long championed Foden.
“In terms of pure talent, he is England’s best player, and a break from tradition in terms of what he brings to his club and country.
“Foden is more like a Spanish or Portuguese footballer; a slight, quick-footed dribbler with a tactical intelligence developed by Guardiola.
“The biggest compliment that could be offered is that he would not look out of place in Guardiola’s legendary Barcelona team.”
Would Phil Foden have got into that Barcelona team
Carragher is right, that is certainly a big compliment to pay. Especially when he’s said it about Foden before even Kevin De Bruyne.
But would Foden have been able to get into that legendary side? The first of Guardiola’s glittering career that won the treble in his debut season?
Well, it wouldn’t have been in midfield, that’s for sure.
There are so many justified calls for Foden to play in a central position more often now at City – and he’s been amazing there – but there is no chance he’d be getting in over Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets.
Even getting in the forward line would be hard. The Barcelona side that won the 2009 Champions League final started with Thierry Henry, Samuel Eto’o and Lionel Messi up front.
Two years later, Messi was instead joined by David Villa and Pedro.
That’s some stiff competition but with how much Guardiola loves Foden you could see him getting a slot on one of the flanks.
