da spicy bet： This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
da pinup bet： Sky Sports pundit Charlie Nicholas believes Manchester City’s clash against Atalanta tonight is the perfect time to start academy graduate Phil Foden.
What did he say?
City have won their first two Champions League games in Group C, whilst the Italian side have lost to both Dinamo Zagreb and Shakhtar Donetsk, letting in six goals along the way.
Three points for the Citizens tonight would put one firm foot in the knockout stages with three games left to play.
Nicholas suggests an easy night’s work for Pep Guardiola and, with that in mind, believes Foden should be involved.
The pundit said, per Sky Sports: “Raheem Sterling is heavily involved, you can take your pick out of Bernardo Silva, David Silva or Riyad Mahrez, while Gabriel Jesus is scoring. He will probably make three or four changes again here but I expect them to win comfortably.
“Jesus has responded when he hasn’t played, but so has Phil Foden.
“Give him some game time and get him involved. This can be the balance that gives him a starting place against Atalanta. It will be a comfortable night for City.”
Foden needs the minutes
Guardiola has shown nothing but praise for Foden over the last year, calling the 19-year-old “the most talented player” he has ever seen over the summer. Despite such an incredible claim, the Spaniard is still extremely hesitant to play him, handing the youth product just 11 minutes of Premier League action so far.
Foden did, however, come on as a substitute in the last Champions League week against Zagreb, in which he registered a goal in just three minutes of game time.
It was announced earlier on in the year that David Silva will be departing the Etihad after 10 years of extraordinary service as a playmaker. As a result, Guardiola will be on the lookout for a man to fill his boots and Foden could be that player.
However, unless he gets the minutes he needs to grow, it’s hard to see the Englishman stepping into the role so early on in his career.
Nights like these are times when he can learn his trade on the big stage, and the former Barcelona manager should start the youngster if he wants him to replace Silva in the future.