Pep Guardiola has supported Phil Foden publicly in every way possible since the beginning.
He has touted the young England international as the next big thing and one of the most talented players he has ever coached.
And goodness, over the years, he has coached some truly wonderful football players.
Foden has used this confidence and backing to elevate himself to the rank of top Premier League players.
Foden is a versatile, all-around, and selfless player who works hard for the team.
He does not take his natural talent for granted.
Even when the team is in a tactical phase that does not require his presence, Foden is one of those players who strives for more and never gives up.
Foden has played nearly every midfield and wing position this season, starting six games and adding one cameo off the bench.
He can operate as an attacking winger on either side, a wide midfielder on either side, an attacking midfielder in the middle, or a center midfielder.
Everyone is waiting for Manchester City to assist Foden in choosing a specific position in order for the 23-year-old to truly develop into an elite, world-class, best-on-the-planet type of talent.
But what is his best long-term position? He needs to concentrate.
Pep Guardiola appears to favor Foden making the switch to holding midfielder if you ask the manager directly.
That’s right, a holding midfielder.
Not an attacking midfielder at all. Not a wide midfielder who plays box-to-box. No, he wants Foden to sit a little bit further back than we are accustomed to seeing him over the past couple of seasons in Manchester.
Given how different it is from what we have come to expect from Foden, it initially seems out of the ordinary.
When you consider what Guardiola has pushed Foden to do, it all makes sense, though.
To get a sense of what a player in this role wants in terms of passes, timing, and the areas of the field that they can attack, he asked Foden to play various positions.
Foden can then see what they see and anticipate the weight of pass they want from further back in a double-pivot type of position, which can result in better opportunities for the forwards.
The key to winning now is having midfielders who can do a little bit of everything, see and read the game, and make early plays to either get things moving or directly create a chance out of nothing in an early phase of play.
Moving Foden there permanently is a bold move, but it is a job that he is more than qualified to excel at.
That takes time, but Guardiola has been patient with the child in a wise way.
One day, it might produce a result that is so potent that perhaps not even Foden himself could have predicted it.
Click the link for more updates on Manchester City news.
