Jamie O’Hara believes Phil Foden is not as exciting a player as he used to be.
On talkSPORT (21/11/2023), he made this observation about Foden, adding that he used to be reminded of Paul Gascoigne while watching him.
Interestingly, it was only recently that the Manchester City attacker was likened to the English legend by Anton Ferdinand.
Jamie O’Hara says Phil Foden has “lost a bit” of excitement in his game
Hailed as “unreal” by Rio Ferdinand, the £225,000-a-week (Sport Rac) man is known for his sublime technique and ability to ghost past players at the drop of a hat.
These qualities are why the Englishman has always been tipped to become a potential legend of the game one day.
But Jamie O’Hara feels that Phil Foden is no longer as fearless as he used to be and a lot of that is down to the demands of modern football.
“I feel like the modern-day footballer is scared to give the ball away. You know like old school wingers would just keep going, keep trying, not scared to give the ball away. I feel like with the modern day, have a go!”, O’Hara told talkSPORT.
“I feel like now with the way Pep [Guardiola] has revolutionised the game with the way they keep the ball and [Mikel] Arteta is doing a similar thing with Arsenal, I feel like the old-school winger of just go and have a go at someone and you might give it away a couple of times but that one moment when you skip by him, you open the game up [has gone].”
Jamie O’Hara went on to pinpoint Phil Foden as an example of this phenomenon, saying, “I feel like Foden has lost a bit of that as well. I used to watch him go through midfield, skip past players and think wow it’s the new [Paul] Gascoigne. I don’t see him do that anymore.”
Phil Foden is much more balanced as a player in 2023
While Phil Foden was far more uninhibited as a player back then, as Jamie O’Hara points out, his game is a lot more balanced nowadays.
Especially this season, the 23-year-old has shown that he can be as dynamic as he used to be while still making smart decisions in the final ball and retaining the ball.
Back when Foden broke through, the expectations of him were different as well, which is why how lovely he looked on the eye was constantly praised.
But as a crucial member of this Manchester City side, Phil Foden is expected to be a vital cog of Pep Guardiola’s system, which means his duties go beyond just beating players.
As a result, the treble-winner’s game has just matured, with him becoming a much more well-rounded player.
