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The original was posted on /r/soccer by /u/Sparky-moon on 2026-03-07 14:19:53+00:00.
Playmaker has become peripheral as Manchester City chase quadruple and is no longer a shoo-in for the World Cup
ith 76 minutes gone at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night, Phil Foden was culpable for what might prove the title race’s defining moment. With Manchester City leading Nottingham Forest 2-1, Foden lost Elliot Anderson, who ran off him and curled home a 20-yard equaliser. Sixty seconds later, Pep Guardiola substituted his England playmaker.
Foden, though, is peripheral. A shadow of the swashbuckling playmaker he can be, his inclusion in the XI on Wednesday was a surprise. Guardiola had benched him for the previous two league games and it was only his second start in the past seven Premier League matches.