spurspinter1
Pat van den Hauwe
Foden is a decent player in a world class side, nothing more, no where near world class that everyone makes him out to be, we had this discussion about a year ago, Foden, Grealish, Mount, Saka, Smith-Emile Row, (list goes on of upcoming English players) etc. where I said if 2 actually turned out to be world class, it would be a shock, and my counter point was Dele was at higher point than any of them, and where is he now.
City has more WC players than anyone, Ederson, Walker, KDB, Silva, Rodri, Haaland but sorry I don't put Foden anywhere there. Look at how many plays break down with him, bad decision making, like Sterling, Sane and a few other, I just think he is a stupid player in football sense. City's strength is their well drilled model/system, core group of WC players and a deep bench of good level PL players
Liverpool has Allison, VVD, Salah, but system, work ethic make the biggest difference
Arsenal I think Saliba & Rice are standout, Odegard and Saka on the day (long discussion) but again, how well they are drilled plus system makes the difference (surely you don't believe Jesus is a elite striker?)
We have one world class player (used to have two with Kane), it's Son, we have a lot of promising players who might be there in a year or two (or if Maddison proves he can replicate his Leicester form with us)
Rubbish is probably taking it too far (no player in a top 10 PL side is truly rubbish), what I would say is I don't see Mount, Foden, Grealish in a top 6 side at 28 .. players that flatter to deceive and non consistent enough and none should be near an England side (to your Southgate comment), Rice, Bellingham, Bowen, Watkins, Saka, Maddison, Kane are levels ahead.
At least you've gone from rubbish to decent, but even that is still outrageous.
I'm not discussing Mount, Grealish nor what world class is because it's pretty clear that everyone has their own take on what that actually means. I could list the things I'd rather do than partake in that debate but it would be as productive as the debate itself to do so.
If you don't think Foden has footballing intelligence I don't know what to say, the awareness that he has alongside the ability to turn in tight spaces is something to behold. You're stating that him being able to take a ball down in the box and finish it with ice cold composure is a bad thing, which is an interesting take. The header yesterday was phenomenal technique as well thinking about it. Sure any player would benefit from playing with the kind of talent that City has but he's not just making up the numbers. He's not still at City by a stroke of luck.
How Pep has eased him in to top level football sets him up to not be some flash in the pan like Dele, despite swathes of the press wanting the process to be rushed saying he needed to go elsewhere...
Just from an enjoyment of football as a spectacle, he is something to behold. Jake Livermore is what you might call a decent player, I don't think it's an audacious suggestion that Foden could end up contending for ballon d'ors.
Not sure he will ever shine with Southgate but I'd expect him to flourish under an elite manager if we do get one for Ingerland. I don't see you suddenly changing your mind so I guess we'll check back on this one in half a decade.
Does have a crap celebration though, unless I misunderstood it looked like he was shooting an imaginary rifle in to his own fans, which is a bit odd.