Manchester City have a player in their squad who looks ‘unrecognisable’ from last season, according to pundit Tony Cascarino.
Pep Guardiola saw his side lose for a fifth straight game on Saturday against Tottenham Hotspur.
James Maddison scored twice, with Pedro Porro and Brennan Johnson also getting on the scoresheet in the second-half.
Manchester City were all at sea once again, with Pep Guardiola admitted City are ‘fragile defensively right now.
City are missing Rodri of course, but there are plenty of other issues Guardiola must fix at the moment, including getting his attacking players to score more goals.
The Norwegian is the main source of goals for City but others are not chipping in – and pundit Tony Cascarino has taken a swipe at Phil Foden.
Tony Cascarino shocked by how poor Phil Foden has been for Man City this season
Phil Foden was on cloud nine just months ago, having finished the 2023/24 campaign as the Premier League and Football Writers’ Player of the Season.
But after struggling to make an impact with England at Euro 2024, Foden has not had a good start with City in 2024/25.
He has yet to score in the Premier League so far, with all three of his goals coming in the Champions League.
Given the fact Kevin De Bruyne has been out injured, fans have been expecting big things from Foden again, but he just hasn’t delivered – and Cascarino did not hold back when speaking about him on talkSPORT on Sunday morning.
He said: “Phil Foden, 24 years old, what if Phil’s excuse? The Football Writers’ Player of the Year last season. The player who went with England to the Euros, expectations on him to deliver. He’s lost his England place.
“Now, I’m watching Phil play nowhere near what we know (he can). And he’s got no excuse, he’s 24. Unless he’s got an injury we don’t know about, or he’s carrying something.
“He’s unrecognisable at the moment from the player he was at the end of last season. And you could add others to that list.”
Foden must step up for Man City
Few will have seen this drop-off from Foden coming and hopefully, he’s able to sort himself out as soon as possible.
With the fitness issues of De Bruyne this season, there is a responsibility on him to deliver in terms of goals and assists and he’s been way off the level we know he can show.
| Phil Foden for Man City so far this season (all competitions) |
| Appearances – 15 |
| Minutes played – 1002 |
| Goals – 3 |
| Assists – 2 |
His early season form was understandable due to him returning late, and he also had a bout of illness.
But he’s been in the thick of it for weeks now and just hasn’t been making the impact expected. Even in his favoured position as a number 10.
Without a doubt, Guardiola needs more from Foden and he himself will know that he’s currently far from where he needs to be.
