Phil Foden can offset Kevin De Bruyne's absence for Man City
Premier League champions sometimes need goals from unlikely sources. Granted, they will usually have a striker trying to win a golden boot and a prolific attacking midfielder in the running for player of the year honours, but contributions can also come from less obvious sources, who choose the perfect moment to score their first goal in the English top flight.
There was Christopher Wreh for Arsenal in 1998, who netted for the first time in a Premier League game to secure a win against Wimbledon; 11 years later, Federico Macheda turned Aston Villa's defence to score a famous winner for Manchester United.
The latest member of the club is Manchester City's Phil Foden, who grabbed the only goal of a 1-0 win vs. Tottenham when he stormed in at the far post to convert Sergio Aguero's selfless header across goal. The fifth-minute finish rounded off a well-worked move that began with Kyle Walker and Bernardo Silva combining on the right flank.cheap nfl jerseys china nike
Foden was making just his second league start of the season, having previously been accustomed to featuring only when Pep Guardiola rotated his squad -- in cup competition or for the recent home league game vs. lowly Cardiff -- but his inclusion on Saturday was more about the game's timing than its lack of difficulty.
Kicking off some 64 hours after the incredible, draining Champions League quarterfinal second-leg thriller between the two clubs, which ended with a City victory on the night but Spurs advancing on aggregate, the hosts could clearly rotate more easily at the Etihad Stadium.
Tottenham's starting XI and system was about Mauricio Pochettino getting fresh players on the pitch rather than tactical concerns, which meant his line-up included no fewer than six players who have played at centre-back this season. Moreover, the away side ended the game with left-back Danny Rose in midfield.nike nfl jerseys cheap china
Guardiola's surprise starters were Foden and Oleksandr Zinchenko, who played an unusual "half-back" role that involved shuttling between left-back and left-central-midfield. That, in turn, allowed Foden to push forward alongside Aguero and constantly pop up in scoring positions; his winner was testament to aggressive, ambitious positioning.
Foden is hugely talented, with an authority on the ball that is rare among young English central midfielders, and his confidence at such a young age is reminiscent of that shown by Jack Wilshere when he broke through at Arsenal a decade ago.
