Phil Foden responds to Pep Guardiola’s harsh comments after passing Thomas Tuchel test | OneFootball

Manchester City forward Phil Foden has admitted he was far from his best despite scoring in his side’s 3-0 win against Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon.

Foden gave Selhurst Park’s visitors a much-needed cushion in the second-half as he took the ball into his stride from partner-in-crime Rayan Cherki to drill a brilliant effort past Dean Henderson from outside the box after 69 minutes.

The England international has scored six times in his last four Premier League games and with Three Lions head coach Thomas Tuchel in attendance at Selhurst Park on Sunday, Foden passed the National Team test with flying colours as he helped City maintain the pressure on league leaders Arsenal.

Since he marked his delayed start to the 2025-26 season with a header to break the deadlock in a 3-0 win over Manchester United in September, Foden has gone from strength to strength as he rediscovers his best form for a Manchester City side in transition and in desperate need of leaders to spearhead a new-look dressing room to silverware.

The forward underwent a difficult season on and off the pitch last term as Pep Guardiola endured his most challenging year at the Etihad Stadium, with Foden admitting in a series of interviews that the physical and mental challenges of professional football got the better of him over the course of the 2024-25 campaign.

However, the Stockport-born star is back to his brilliant best and is one of the first names on Manchester City’s teamsheet, having bailed his boyhood side out of jail with a series of match-winning performances domestically and in Europe in recent months.

After scoring the second in City’s 3-0 win over Palace on Sunday, Foden said: “I’ve been in good form, I’ve been scoring a lot recently. Hopefully long it may continue, and hopefully I can keep scoring and helping the team as best as I can,” in conversation with BBC Match of the Day.

Despite Foden’s strike to give City some room over a dangerous Eagles side, Guardiola was far from convinced with the England international and cited that the attacker was sloppy in possession and lacked judgement on when to attack and keep the ball at times in south London.

Responding to his manager’s seemingly harsh criticism, Foden said: “I agree! In the first-half I gave a lot of balls away, the second as well. I was trying to do too much, and (against) a team like Crystal Palace I think you need to relax a bit more, and play extra passes.

“It’s a good thing he said that, because I agree. I knew I could’ve done a lot better, but that’s the standard I set myself, so does he. He knows there’s more to come from me and hopefully I can get there.”

Guardiola expects the world from his players and it is testament to the relationship the Catalan shares with Foden – whom he integrated into Manchester City’s senior ranks from the academy in 2017 – that the forward is as receptive as he is to his manager’s criticism.

Foden is undroppable for Manchester City in the form he is in right now and Guardiola will want to keep the attacker on his toes as the Blues embark on a jam-packed festive calendar that will see them compete on all fronts.