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rodri - looks like he's done at the top level - his performance was embarrassing yesterday and he fully deserved to be sent off
haaland - lacking service but his all round game is not good enough to do anything other than score - the first goal we conceded yesterday was down to his woeful first touch
foden - looked good for about half a dozen games earlier this season but has now gone to shit. will he get any better or did he peak a couple of seasons ago?

In the post match comments when Haaland said "“I take full responsibility, together with Rodri, Tijjani - us experienced players." Might be reading too much into it, but the fact that he didn't mention Foden - who has played at senior level for the club for nearly a decade and is the same age as Haaland seems telling. With the exception of 2 years ago, Foden can't find consistency for more than a few games in a row and still has a selfish streak about him.

On Haaland - I both feel for him and think he should be doing so much more. The tactics that Pep has reverted to are the exact opposite of what Haaland needs. He'd get 100 goals a year playing under Klopp or Enrique. And all too often teammates just don't play him the through balls that he turns into goals (looking at Foden especially). The only player who really seems to be looking for Haaland making runs is Cherki.

But at the same time his first touch is lacking, his hold up play for someone his size can be shocking, and he almost never decides that he's going to get the ball and make a goal happen as you would expect from one of the best attacking players in the world. His lack of general hold up play hurts us a lot when he is the only player forward and we clear it up to relieve pressure from the back. 9 times out of 10 it bounces off of him or he gets beat to the ball by the defender and we stay under pressure.

Rodri is hard. He was rushed back prematurely for the stupid club world cup, then had a series of follow up injuries where he was out for close to the same time as he was for his ACL. In the last 2 games he looked like 1st season Rodri, slow and unable to keep up with play. He's never been as mobile or athletic as someone like Fernandinho and really relies on other midfielders pressuring the ball so he doesn't get over run. No idea if he'll be the same player, but he definitely needs someone more athletic than an aging Bernardo playing along side him. But if he hopefully can get up to speed, he controls the tempo of games and distributes the ball better than pretty much anyone in the world. Plus he can actually shoot unlike most of our current midfield.

I’d sell all three for the right price

Without blinking

3 pricks, at the moment.

Mase covers it well

Rodri has slowed but he's still building his match fitness. What i liked to see is his willingness put put in a hard tackle. He looks to have confidence in his knee and that is good to see. A solid player and can still do s good job
Foden did great before Christmas, looked to have found his mojo but has lost it again. The problem is in his head. He needs to sort it quockly or he will not get back what we all loved. A real shame. I think it all started when he got a load of shit playing for England and Southgate playing him out of position
Haaland , had a downer on him recently. Last night he did well when marmoush played alongside. He needs the early ball for him to break onto . Missed a sitter but scored a belter.

If Foden was at another club having had the 18 months he has had since winning player of the year, would we be after signing him?

He is the one player I’m most disappointed and worried about. A homegrown lad who had a remarkable season and very good seasons before that has literally gone to shit. And it isn’t just a small slump, 18 months give a few decent performances aside is a long time

There are shades of Dele Alli about him

nottsblue wrote:There are shades of Dele Alli about him

My thoughts exactly. On his day, when he turns up, he is unsplayable. I still think of that goal in Madrid, but I think his personal life got the better of him. His entourage, family, maybe he feels overwhelmed being so young and having so many kids. Fuck knows.

The question is, are we going to be sentimental about it? Or at the end of the day we are ultimately a business. What are we going to do if next year he will be the same, in and out of form?

nottsblue wrote:If Foden was at another club having had the 18 months he has had since winning player of the year, would we be after signing him?

He is the one player I’m most disappointed and worried about. A homegrown lad who had a remarkable season and very good seasons before that has literally gone to shit. And it isn’t just a small slump, 18 months give a few decent performances aside is a long time

There are shades of Dele Alli about him

I agree to an extent, but I'm not sure he's gone off the rails, as much as he's been the biggest casualty of our sudden ageing of legends like kev, gundo, bernie etc.

His brilliance is relational rather than standalone, and thrives on timing, combination play, which needs other high-IQ footballers such as De Bruyne, Gundogan, and Bernardo Silva. When surrounded by players operating on the same wavelength, Foden is world class, because his game is built on anticipation, third-man movement, and exploiting gaps rather than dominating in isolation.

I also think it's why he struggles with England and that this is a genuine signal of the problem. International football lacks the rehearsed automatisms and world class technical connectors of club football, so his movement goes unseen and his influence becomes muted as others don't anticipate that he's going to move, or waiting to ping the killer ball.

The early signs of chemistry with Cherki I think nails the point, he looks alive when the game becomes instinctive, and played between players who interpret the same pictures at the same speed. The Guardiola grind, perhaps alienates Foden more than any other player.

If he makes that transition from being amplified in a system, to being a standalone threat, he moves to the next level - but the signs suggest he's not there although I'm sure I speak for us all when I say I desperately want him to make it work.

I see parralels with Scholes' england career, Ozil for Germany, Riqelme for Argentina and even Merlin for Spain - scholes for example didn’t fail because he lacked quality. He failed because England used him as a plug and play in a position he couldn't influence, surrounded by midfield/attackers who weren't on the same wavelength, rather than building the system around him.

Rodri a year out, give him time. HaalandFC Not the case is it. Foden fuck knows what to make of him. Sure as shit not stepped into the Gundo, Kevin roles as a player we look towards to change the game when needed.

Recently, to me, it seems Foden is playing too far forward. Without the ball, too often he's right across the line with Haaland. And when he receives the ball his back to towards the goal. There are too many defenders and not enough space for him to operate. Just a few yards back would make a world of difference.

I'm interested in seeing him getting time in our latest setup playing off the two high. But if Doku is healthy and with how he and Cherki are playing, it will be hard to get into the team in that position.

C & C wrote:Recently, to me, it seems Foden is playing too far forward. Without the ball, too often he's right across the line with Haaland. And when he receives the ball his back to towards the goal. There are too many defenders and not enough space for him to operate. Just a few yards back would make a world of difference.

I'm interested in seeing him getting time in our latest setup playing off the two high. But if Doku is healthy and with how he and Cherki are playing, it will be hard to get into the team in that position.

Trouble is, when he was stuck on left or right, everybody told Pep he has to play in the middle. Now he's playing in the middle, he's dross. Gives the ball away most of the time.

I said in my many discussions with Mase, he's never been the sort of midfielder you can guarantee a brilliant, consistent performance, he does 'flashes'.

Of course Mase used to disagree, but now he's come round as usual and calling him out with the best of us

john@staustell wrote:

C & C wrote:Recently, to me, it seems Foden is playing too far forward. Without the ball, too often he's right across the line with Haaland. And when he receives the ball his back to towards the goal. There are too many defenders and not enough space for him to operate. Just a few yards back would make a world of difference.

I'm interested in seeing him getting time in our latest setup playing off the two high. But if Doku is healthy and with how he and Cherki are playing, it will be hard to get into the team in that position.

Trouble is, when he was stuck on left or right, everybody told Pep he has to play in the middle. Now he's playing in the middle, he's dross. Gives the ball away most of the time.

I said in my many discussions with Mase, he's never been the sort of midfielder you can guarantee a brilliant, consistent performance, he does 'flashes'.

Of course Mase used to disagree, but now he's come round as usual and calling him out with the best of us

"he's never been the sort of midfielder you can guarantee a brilliant, consistent performance, he does 'flashes'."

That's simply not true John. He dragged us to the title in 23/24 with 19 goals in the league. He won us plenty of matches that season on his own. He was PFA and Premier League Player of the Season.

But he's crap at the moment yeah?

I was thinking more of midfielders like Colin Bell, Asa Hartford, Liam Brady etc. Always on it, every time.

If we're just thinking of him as a goalscorer/striker then I guess he did.

Rate he's going it could be Macclesfield soon

john@staustell wrote:But he's crap at the moment yeah?

I was thinking more of midfielders like Colin Bell, Asa Hartford, Liam Brady etc. Always on it, every time.

If we're just thinking of him as a goalscorer/striker then I guess he did.

Rate he's going it could be Macclesfield soon

At the start of the season when he got for he looked more like Foden of 23/24 with 5 goals in 6 games, winner against Leeds. He's playing crap at the moment - so is 99% of the team

Mase wrote:

john@staustell wrote:But he's crap at the moment yeah?

I was thinking more of midfielders like Colin Bell, Asa Hartford, Liam Brady etc. Always on it, every time.

If we're just thinking of him as a goalscorer/striker then I guess he did.

Rate he's going it could be Macclesfield soon

At the start of the season when he got for he looked more like Foden of 23/24 with 5 goals in 6 games, winner against Leeds. He's playing crap at the moment - so is 99% of the team

Problem seems to be, as I wrote above - he's the icing on the cake, not the man to change a game if the players around him aren't on the same wavelength. If others around him dip in form, he amplifies it - if others around him are on song, he amplifies that too.

Incredible player in a great team, passgenger otherwise who struggles to get involved and influence

Im_Spartacus wrote:

Mase wrote:

john@staustell wrote:But he's crap at the moment yeah?

I was thinking more of midfielders like Colin Bell, Asa Hartford, Liam Brady etc. Always on it, every time.

If we're just thinking of him as a goalscorer/striker then I guess he did.

Rate he's going it could be Macclesfield soon

At the start of the season when he got for he looked more like Foden of 23/24 with 5 goals in 6 games, winner against Leeds. He's playing crap at the moment - so is 99% of the team

Problem seems to be, as I wrote above - he's the icing on the cake, not the man to change a game if the players around him aren't on the same wavelength. If others around him dip in form, he amplifies it - if others around him are on song, he amplifies that too.

Incredible player in a great team, passgenger otherwise who struggles to get involved and influence

23/24 season he dragged us to the title by himself. He's got it in him to change a game - it's up to Pep to get that out of him.

Wouldn't surprise me if, like most of the team, he's being asked to hold back..

foden was dogshit for about the first 1/2 of his now infamous 2023/2024 season. Even during the second half of that season, his goals often masked an overall average or below average contribution. he has never been consistent. Has had a few injuries and lost a yard of pace, but that doesn’t excuse his cowardly performances these last 2 seasons. barely deserves a spot on the bench at the moment.

AliB Kinkladze had no dramas playing with journeymen. Foden is playing with Stellar players. I find it hard to watch him, my mate will defend Phil but he takes the view he won everything. Is he and Stones, done.

Hazy2 wrote:AliB Kinkladze had no dramas playing with journeymen. Foden is playing with Stellar players. I find it hard to watch him, my mate will defend Phil but he takes the view he won everything. Is he and Stones, done.

End of the day, Foden isn't a Kolarov or Otamendi who are/were class every week