SM
Friday, November 8
Upcoming predictions and previews
MC
Premier League | Gameweek 33
Apr 3, 2019 at 7.45pm UK
 
CC

2-0

De Bruyne (6'), Sane (44')
FT(HT: 2-0)

Pep Guardiola heaps praise on "exceptional" Phil Foden

:Headline: Pep Guardiola heaps praise on 'exceptional' Phil Foden: ID:355260: from db_amp
The 18-year-old shone on his full Premier League debut.

Pep Guardiola backed Phil Foden to be a Manchester City star for the next decade after the teenager made his first Premier League start in Wednesday's 2-0 win over Cardiff.

Though Foden could not join Kevin De Bruyne and Leroy Sane on the score-sheet he forced a couple of saves out of Neil Etheridge in the second half and saw one close-range shot strike the post.

Guardiola has seemed reluctant to lean on the 18-year-old too much in City's pursuit of an unprecedented quadruple, but the night's showing suggested he is ready to feature more.

(Martin Rickett/PA)

"Phil, we know it, he's young but he can do everything," Guardiola said. "He can create chances, he's incredible with his vision. We can count on them and that's good.

"Every day he is in the locker room, he is part of the group and we trust him.

"I'm happy with the way he plays. He's at a good level. He could have scored two goals, he's exceptional."

While other highly-rated teenagers have looked abroad for first-team opportunities, Foden signed a new City deal until 2024 in December and Guardiola said he would get his rewards in the long run.

“For the next decade he will be important”
-

"It's not easy for him with (David) Silva, Bernardo (Silva), (Ilkay) Gundogan, De Bruyne, but he wants to be here, he's delighted to be here," he said.

"I assure you next year he will play more minutes. That's the process. He's 18 or 19. For the next decade he will be important."

Victory sent City back to the top of the table and they were ahead inside six minutes through De Bruyne, though the Belgian admitted after the match his shot from a tight angle on the touchline was intended as a cross.

Sane doubled the lead just before the break with a low shot following a corner, and Cardiff rarely looked like getting back into it until a couple of late chances, the best of them seeing Ederson race off his line to deny Oumar Niasse.

It was another composed performance from City, despite Guardiola making seven changes from the side that beat Fulham on Saturday.

"These players have helped us, they are not guys who did not play for two months and are not happy," Guardiola said of those that came in.

"We have a good squad and without it we cannot fight for the four competitions.

"It's impossible. We are here in April because we have confidence in the players."

While City march on, Cardiff's troubles deepen and their next two matches – away to relegation rivals Burnley and Brighton on April 13 and 16 respectively – could be make or break for Neil Warnock's men as they remain 18th in the table.

Warnock had threatened to field his under-23 side in this match after lashing out at the officials following their 2-1 home defeat to Chelsea at the weekend, but said he was proud of his side's response.

Cardiff City manager Neil Warnock (left) believes his side can get the results they need (Martin Rickett/PA)

"To concede a goal as early as that, you fear the worst," he said. "They started the game like the Real Madrid of 10 years ago, they were so quick and comfortable on the ball.

"The disappointment of the Chelsea game could have knocked teams, but they came to see me on Monday after I said about the under-23s and said, 'Gaffer, I want to play in this game' and that's what you want to see."

Cardiff sit five points adrift of safety, albeit with a game in hand on those around them, and Warnock admitted the scale of the challenge with Liverpool and Manchester United still on the fixture list.

"I think we have to win three out of six and get a draw somewhere," he said. "But I think we can get results from all of the last six games."

amp_article__355260 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2019-04-03 22:09:01:
html db last update - 2019-04-03 22:09:01 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Pep Guardiola

Click here for more stories about Manchester City

Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .