Manchester City use the right wing as a place of rest. Sub Phil Foden on, and he can exert himself when he wants for 45 minutes, interchanging with Bernardo Silva when he gets the energy, and then moving back to rest.

This is something they did last season. Pep Guardiola mentioned that Phil Foden would be getting “some minutes” against Chelsea. He’s off the pace; he didn’t participate in preseason because the English players who played in the Euro’s were given rest.

To get up to speed, you don’t want to introduce him into the midfield to chase the ball, moving up and down the channels and switching to the other side of the pitch. That is a lot of running. You place him on the right wing and allow him to dictate when he ups the tempo. He’s better inside, in the middle of the pitch, but it is tiring in there.

Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden work as a tag team. One plays inside, does all the running, and when one gets tired, the other tags in.

This is one of the benefits of the pace at which Manchester City plays. They play slowly. If they played fast, they would need all ten outfield players to be active at all times. Because they play slowly, they can afford to have one player hold the width on the wing, not moving that much.

The next time Foden plays on the right wing, think of it as him taking a rest. It could be for a tactical reason, but maybe he is carrying an injury or is tired. It’s like having an extra sub.

Match: Chelsea 0-2 Manchester City, 18 August 2024