Phil Foden has described the early changes brought in under Enzo Maresca, stressing that the new set-up remains close to what Manchester City knew before, even if there are clear adjustments in place.<\/p>\n
Speaking before City\u2019s second preseason friendly, Foden said: \u201cIt\u2019s very similar to how we played under Pep, but there are still things that are a bit different,\u201d Foden said prior to City\u2019s second preseason friendly. \u201cI don\u2019t want give too much away of how we play. Maybe the defending\u2019s a bit different the way we set up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have different ideas about how to play out from the back. A different variety of things on the ball. Different things, but we are very comfortable because we want to build from the back and try to create, so I think it suits everyone really well.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve found it good, to be honest. All I have known is Pep Guardiola so to go to a new manager is a fresh start. I am enjoying it. I am enjoying the new coaching staff and I like the ideas and way we are playing. I am excited for the new season and hopefully we can have a really good year.\u201d<\/p>\n
City head into 2026-27 with the clear aim of reclaiming the Premier League title in Maresca\u2019s first season in charge. The club have won the league six times in the past seven seasons, but have finished without the trophy in each of the last two.<\/p>\n
For Foden, the challenge is twofold. He wants to return to the level that made him the Premier League\u2019s best player when City last won the title in 2023-24, while also becoming a more senior voice in the dressing room.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I have to be really [a leader],\u201d Foden revealed. \u201cObviously I have been in the club for so long, I am one of the last remaining players to have been here for a long time. So I think have to be this season, one of the leaders, one of the captains or in and around it for sure. I am looking forward to that new responsibility and trying to take leadership [on].<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat [Maresca] wants from me at the moment is to be an example to the young lads on tour,\u201d Foden added. \u201cTo try to train well, keep my head down and work hard and set a good example to the young lads. That\u2019s what I have been trying to do, really.\u201d<\/p>\n
The squad has already lost some senior figures this summer. Bernardo Silva and John Stones departed, while Rodri could also move on as interest from Barcelona and particularly Real Madrid grows.<\/p>\n
Foden, who captained City in their preseason opener against Inter Milan, is now 26 and far beyond the stage of being treated as a young prospect. After the inconsistency of the last two years, he knows 2026-27 must be a productive season rather than another missed opportunity.<\/p>\n
His output has dropped from the level he hit during City\u2019s dominant run, including the club\u2019s first Champions League title in 2022-23. More recently, his role has been reduced, and although he made a strong start to 2025-26, he started only three of 14 Premier League matches from February until City were overtaken by Arsenal in the title race.<\/p>\n
Across the last two seasons, he has scored 23 goals in all competitions and recorded 14 assists, numbers that underline how far he has to go to match his peak form again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Foden says Maresca’s City is similar to Guardiola’s, but with key changes in defence and buildup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18254,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[230,238],"tags":[1836,1081,1637],"class_list":["post-18255","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-analytics-stats","category-manchester-city","tag-2026-27-premier-league","tag-adaptation","tag-assists"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18255","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18255"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18255\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18254"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18255"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18255"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18255"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}