Stephen Kelly claimed that Phil Foden is virtually flawless after Manchester City earned a narrow 1-0 win against AFC Bournemouth.
After the contest, Pep Guardiola hailed the Englishman as a “top player” and emphasised how he “controlled and accelerated” proceedings from midfield against the Cherries.
Manuel Akanji also described the 23-year-old as a “big player” after his masterful showing against Andoni Iraola’s side.
Stephen Kelly says it is “very hard to find a flaw” about Phil Foden after Manchester City defeat Bournemouth
During the contest, Alan Smith also emphasised the need for the five-time Premier League winner to be in Gareth Southgate’s England XI at Euro 2024.
As the Englishman shone once again in a City shirt, it is hard not to agree with Gary Lineker’s recent claim that he continues to get better and better.
After Manchester City won their second league game in a row after their 1-1 draw against Chelsea by beating Bournemouth, Stephen Kelly claimed that Phil Foden is virtually perfect.
“He’s just a wonderful footballer player, he really is. His reading of the game, his understanding of it, his positioning, his touch, balance, there’s very hard to find a flaw in the way he plays”, he said on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Football Daily show.
Stephen Kelly also emphasised how Phil Foden is becoming the go-to man for Manchester City after his match-winning performance against Bournemouth.
“I think he’s reaching a level of consistency now for City, he is a player that they depend upon and with the likes of [Ilkay] Gundogan gone, [Riyad] Mahrez that were big-game players for them in big moments, [Phil] Foden’s stepping up to that mark now.”
Phil Foden does not have many flaws
In our view, Stephen Kelly raises a fair point about Manchester City technician Phil Foden after his side fought tooth and nail to beat Bournemouth.
When deployed in midfield, there is not much Foden cannot do, as was exemplified on Saturday.
Perhaps one would argue that Phil Foden’s chance-creation is not on Kevin De Bruyne’s level but a fair counterargument to such a claim would be that the same can be said about most players in history.
The Stockport-born attacker has only played in central areas this season and as a result, to expect him to instantly morph into an all-time great would be unreasonable but so far, clear flaws in his game as a midfielder simply do not stand out.
