Phil Foden's Journey Back to Form at Manchester City
Phil Foden has heard the doubts. He has felt the slide.
Two years on from being crowned 2023-24 Player of the Year, the Manchester City midfielder has seen his form dip, his influence wane and, most painfully, his place in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the 2026 World Cup disappear.
Now, under Enzo Maresca, he is trying to drag his City career back to the level that once made him untouchable.
A different Foden
Maresca has only been in the job a short time, but inside the club they are already talking about a different Phil Foden.
“I think Phil had a good game against Arsenal in the last game. He has been sharp and good since day one,” the City head coach said, reflecting on Foden’s start in the Community Shield defeat to Arsenal at the Principality Stadium, where he played an hour in a 3-0 loss.
The result was bleak. Foden’s outlook is not.
“He looks very, very good and people inside the building are saying that, compared to the last one or two years, Phil is a completely different player in terms of mood, in terms of what he is showing in the sessions,” Maresca added. “This is what we want. Phil is from the academy, from the house, so it is nice for everyone to see him getting better and better.”
Those comments matter. Foden’s dip since that Player of the Year campaign did not just cost him his England spot; it raised questions about whether he could again be the heartbeat of a City side evolving beyond the Pep Guardiola era.
Maresca, though, has seen a change since pre-season. A sharper edge in training. A refreshed attitude. A player who looks like he is fighting for his status again, not relying on his reputation.
Cherki, competition and a new axis
When Foden’s number went up on 60 minutes in Cardiff and Rayan Cherki came on, the reaction outside the dressing room was immediate. Was this the battle line for one position? Foden or Cherki?
Maresca pushed back on that idea.
“They can play together – in different positions – but for sure they are quite similar,” he said. “At the end, if you want to build an important team, you need competition inside the team. So it's good that Phil and Rayan have that competition, but they can also play together in some games.”
The message was clear. No guaranteed spots. No comfort zones. Foden may be “from the house”, but he has to earn his place just like a £100m signing.
Cherki’s arrival and the looming presence of other creative talents give Maresca options. For Foden, it gives him a mirror. If he wants to be the leader of this new City, not just part of the supporting cast, this is the moment to prove it.
Life after Pep
All of this plays out against a backdrop that would unsettle any club: the first season without Pep Guardiola since 2015-16.
Maresca is not shying away from that shadow.
“I'm very excited to start this new chapter, this new journey,” he said. “The target is to carry on from the last 10-15 years.”
That is an audacious bar to set. Titles, records, a style of play that defined an era. Maresca inherits not a rebuilding job, but an expectation to continue a dynasty.
His first steps in the league come on Sunday, when City open their 2026-27 Premier League campaign at the Etihad Stadium against Bournemouth. The match could mark a competitive home debut for £116 million summer signing Elliot Anderson, another piece in a refreshed City puzzle.
Jeremy Doku will not feature, ruled out with a calf problem, but Maresca still has enough firepower to maintain a proud statistic: each of City’s last four permanent managers has won their first league game in charge.
The Italian will want that run to continue. Foden will want something more.
A starting place, a statement performance, and the sense that his story at City is not drifting away, but beginning a new chapter under a coach who believes he can be “completely different” again – this time, in the best possible way.
