Foden is worst player of year in Pl history? What does that say about the league and football?

Foden is at best the 4th best player in the City set up. At the same time he has 3 goals in over 40 matches for England. Trophies don’t count to determine how good an individual player is but conversely the best players always win things. But Foden is like George Harrison at best in the Beatles, plus City cheats. He can’t carry the jock of players like Shearer, Henry, Ronaldo. i think if you put Saka at City he does better than Foden statistically.

The bigger picture, post covid football is in the dumps. English football is also wildly overrated. For less money La Liga is a much more decorated league in Europe and plays much more technical players. Spain was missing Pedri, missing Gabi, missing Rodri at end of final and no one could tell. Lot of questions about what Pl teams are buying and how they develop talent despite all the money nothing has changed that Pl and England produce technically mid level players

 

[db10_therza]

England has always produced mid level at best technical players, it’s nothing new.

And they’ve always overrated their own, again nothing new.

Overall it wasn’t a vintage year as far as individual contributions in the league went. Season before if it weren’t for Haaland there may have been some interesting conversations as quite a few players had great seasons.

 

[Farzad]

England has always produced mid level at best technical players, it’s nothing new.

And they’ve always overrated their own, again nothing new.

Overall it wasn’t a vintage year as far as individual contributions in the league went. Season before if it weren’t for Haaland there may have been some interesting conversations as quite a few players had great seasons.

But why do they only produce those kinds of players. I think the coaches over value physicality over technique. Mik does it all the time

 

[2Smokeyy]

A whole @Farzad thread dedicated to Temu Cold Palmer:

 

[Farzad]

A whole @Farzad thread dedicated to Temu Cold Palmer:

View attachment 26115

He is such sh.t mate. I mean at least Owen and Phillips were real game changers. He isn’t even top 3 on his team. He is so easily replaceable by England and City. If Foden is hurt it changes nothing for either team, how is he player of year for the league?

 

[db10_therza]

But why do they only produce those kinds of players. I think the coaches over value physicality over technique. Mik foes it all the time

It’s a cultural problem more than an individual one but yeah. English football culture is all about huff and puff football and it won’t change any time soon.

People need to stop glorifying plumbers like Gerrard if they want to start seeing actual ballers.

Tbf I’m not sure where Foden fits in this conversation. From a purely technical perspective he wouldn’t look out of place in any European team. He’s just not a tempo controller is all.

 

[Farzad]

It’s a cultural problem more than an individual one but yeah. English football culture is all about huff and puff football and it won’t change any time soon.

People need to stop glorifying plumbers like Gerrard if they want to start seeing actual ballers.

Tbf I’m not sure where Foden fits in this conversation. From a purely technical perspective he wouldn’t look out of place in any European team. He’s just not a tempo controller is all.

If Foden doesn’t play for City do they miss him at all? If he doesn’t play for England they probably get better.

But yeah the cultural macho mindset definitely clouds what kind of footballers they produce.

 

[GoonerJeeves]

These things are largely popularity contests. Meaningless.

 

[Farzad]

These things are largely popularity contests. Meaningless.

You have seen him. What is remarkable? What is remarkable about his performances once you take him out of Pep’s system

 

[db10_therza]

You have seen him. What is remarkable? What is remarkable about his performances once you take him out of Pep’s system

He is English and has actual technique.

That is what is remarkable.

The fact that he’s not that good (good, just not that good) all things considered comes secondary.

 

[Dokaka]

If Foden doesn’t play for City do they miss him at all? If he doesn’t play for England they probably get better.

But yeah the cultural macho mindset definitely clouds what kind of footballers they produce.

We don't always have to be so ****ing extreme with opinions, there's space between **** and best in the world. Foden is a class player who is basically tailor made to operate in a team built around positional play.

Is he overrated? Sure, at least among City fans and many English pundits, but it doesn't make him ****.

 

[Farzad]

We don't always have to be so ****ing extreme with opinions, there's space between **** and best in the world. Foden is a class player who is basically tailor made to operate in a team built around positional play.

Is he overrated? Sure, at least among City fans and many English pundits, but it doesn't make him ****.

Ok overrated and sh.t compared to the typical winner of this award

 

[db10_therza]

We don't always have to be so ****ing extreme with opinions, there's space between **** and best in the world. Foden is a class player who is basically tailor made to operate in a team built around positional play.

Is he overrated? Sure, at least among City fans and many English pundits, but it doesn't make him ****.

Feel like his problem he needs a certain amount of space in certain areas in order to cook. He doesn’t have the strength to hold off players like Saka, he doesn’t have the raw speed / acceleration that forces players back.

Pep’s tactics engineer those spaces for him. This isn’t to say he isn’t good, again he clearly is. Once in that space on the right corner of the box if he has a couple yards to work with he is absolutely lethal. But he gets held back in a general sense largely by his lack of physical gifts.

He’s also a gutless, ugly little runt that Tolkien would have based a whole species of middle earth villains around were he still alive today. But that’s neither here nor there.

 

[RunTheTrap]

Oooh. As the gorls say on TikTok. I'm seated and the tea has been spilt. Am I doing it right?

 

[Dokaka]

Ok overrated and sh.t compared to the typical winner of this award

His season was easily on par with Ljungberg and Vardy. It's one of the weaker and there were better players in the same season - same as with the other two - but it's not outrageous. Narrative always plays into this stuff, same with any award. If it was merit alone then Messi would've won the Ballon d'Or every year for a decade+.

I'll probably get a tsunami of Ljungberg defenders coming at me now but you're not going to convince me he was better than Henry that season, just like Foden wasn't better than Rodri.

Feel like his problem he needs a certain amount of space in certain areas in order to cook. He doesn’t have the strength to hold off players like Saka, he doesn’t have the raw speed / acceleration that forces players back.

Pep’s tactics engineer those spaces for him. This isn’t to say he isn’t good, again he clearly is. Once in that space on the right corner of the box if he has a couple yards to work with he is absolutely lethal. But he gets held back in a general sense largely by his lack of physical gifts.

He’s also a gutless, ugly little runt that Tolkien would have based a whole species of middle earth villains around were he still alive today. But that’s neither here nor there.

I mean sure you can list all his flaws and such but he still produced despite those. If we start penalizing players for systems helping them then we're going down a pretty weird road IMO.

I would take Saka and Palmer over Foden if I was building a team but they won the league and he was their story. To me it's not really any different than any Ballon d'Or winner not named Messi etc.

 

[db10_therza]

I mean sure you can list all his flaws and such but he still produced despite those. If we start penalizing players for systems helping them then we're going down a pretty weird road IMO.

Not listing them to put him down, I’m just calling it as I see it. If I had to pick a player to be in that zone in those conditions it would be him. His effectiveness there is what makes Pep design his patterns to create that space for him, it’s a compliment really.

If anything I’m just explaining why I think he’s never shone for England.

 

[Solskjaer's Spiral Curls]

His season was easily on par with Ljungberg and Vardy. It's one of the weaker and there were better players in the same season - same as with the other two - but it's not outrageous.

Nothing wrong with prime Vardy winning it for that matter. 11 consecutive Premier League goals that season and was lethal against the Top 6. He was the embodiment of that Leicester side, aggressive and clinical.

Don't care for the Mahrez or Kante fellatio. Vardy was just as good if not better.

 

[Farzad]

Nothing wrong with prime Vardy winning it for that matter. 11 consecutive Premier League goals that season and was lethal against the Top 6. He was the embodiment of that Leicester side, aggressive and clinical.

Don't care for the Mahrez or Kante fellatio. Vardy was just as good if not better.

Without Vardy they don’t win league. If Phil Foden doesn’t show up for City nothing much happens

 

[db10_therza]

Nothing wrong with prime Vardy winning it for that matter. 11 consecutive Premier League goals that season and was lethal against the Top 6. He was the embodiment of that Leicester side, aggressive and clinical.

Don't care for the Mahrez or Kante fellatio. Vardy was just as good if not better.

Nah lol Mahrez and Kante were operating at a level above Vardy let’s be real if either of them were English they’d walk it to the crown. Maybe not Kante just because of the sex appeal of forwards. But Mahrez was

 

[Dokaka]

Nothing wrong with prime Vardy winning it for that matter. 11 consecutive premier league goals that season and was lethal against the Top 6.

Agree, didn't say there was either, he was the story of that season. But there were definitely better performing players in the league, even in his own team. Kante was well clear but isn't an attacker and I'd have taken Mahrez over him as well.

Vardy benefited as much from Leicesters system as Foden does from City's IMO. Limited poacher playing in an fairly archaic 4-4-2 setup with everyone around him working specifically to get him the ball in transition etc.