Phil Foden shared a brilliant throwback photo on his social media channels after shining in Manchester City’s crucial win over Liverpool. Foden was brilliant in the 4-1 win. Finally, he topped his match-winning display with a goal of his own, cutting inside Andy Robertson and hammering a finish above the stranded Alisson and into the roof of the net.
Pep Guardiola said: “First half we struggled a lot because we couldn’t find him because he wasn’t in the positions he should be. When he plays in the middle sometimes he has the difficulty to understand the positions he needs to be and the places he has to move. Right now, he is moving perfectly in the side as a winger, but his contribution for the second and fourth goals were outstanding, phenomenal and the quality is there. We cannot forget that he is just 21 and I am pretty sure he will improve. And I know he is a guy who is so calm. He wants to learn. He loves to play football but he still has to understand the game a bit better but he has time to improve. His mentality is so good. He is always focused and there is always a feeling he can do something when he is close to the box – we are lucky. Man City fans have a guy who has come from our Academy and loves Man City and grew up supporting this club and was a ballboy for us and now he is a top, top player for us. He is a joy.”
Foden was at his absolute best and was widely praised for his individual performance. Foden made fun of the situation, and celebrated his rise to prominence in the City team, by sharing a ‘How it started’ and ‘How it’s going’ meme. The first photo was him looking rather glum as a ball boy at a City home match in 2014. The second was a reverse angle of his goal against Liverpool. Quite the stark contrast. On Foden’s performance, Guardiola was glowing on his quality, though he revealed just how demanding he can be by highlighting some areas where Foden could improve.