"I know how good he is" — that's Enzo Maresca on Phil Foden, and the Chelsea manager didn't just say it publicly. He said it directly to Foden's face, more than once, before the season even got going.
Multiple one-on-one meetings at the start of his City tenure. A phone call when Foden was dropped from England's World Cup squad. It's an unusual level of personal investment from a manager in a player who, by most accounts, had a forgettable second half of last season. But Maresca clearly saw something worth rescuing.
Four goals in two games suggests the approach is working
Foden started five of City's first six league matches and has responded to his red card at Old Trafford by scoring four times across his last two appearances. That's not a coincidence — that's a player who knows his manager believes in him and is producing accordingly.
The concern, though, is the pattern. Foden was sharp in the opening months of last season too, then faded badly. He's 26 now, not a teenager finding his feet. The peaks and valleys of his form have become a feature, not a bug, and Maresca can't hold his hand indefinitely. At some point Foden has to sustain it himself.
Still, having a manager who actively tracks your confidence is not nothing. Maresca put it plainly: "I think it's my duty to try to help Phil to be again one of the best players in England." That clarity of responsibility — framing a superstar's development as a coaching obligation rather than the player's own problem — is what separates smart man-management from generic motivation.
What it means for City's season
A fully functioning Foden changes City's attacking options considerably. He gives Guardiola's successor unpredictability in tight spaces and the ability to play through the lines in ways that pure wide forwards can't. When he's on, defensive structures get pulled apart. When he's not, City look more mechanical and easier to read.
The question the odds-makers are already asking: is this version of Foden durable enough to factor into City's title chances, or is it another hot streak before the inevitable dip? Four goals in two games is encouraging. It is not yet a trend.
"The important thing is that they are happy and they enjoy football," Maresca said. Whether happiness alone is enough to keep a player of Foden's calibre consistently at the level City need is the real test — and it's one that won't be answered until February.
