Phil Foden's Revival Under Maresca

Phil Foden has heard the doubts. He has felt the slide.

Two years on from being crowned 2023-24 Player of the Year, the Manchester City midfielder is fighting to drag his career back to the levels that once made him the club’s golden boy. The dip in form was brutal enough to cost the 26-year-old his place in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the 2026 World Cup.

Now there is a new manager, a new voice, and, according to Enzo Maresca, a very different Foden.

A reset under Maresca

Maresca has seen something change since pre-season. Not a tweak. A shift.

“I think Phil had a good game against Arsenal in the last game. He has been sharp and good since day one,” the City head coach said, reflecting on Foden’s display in the Community Shield.

Foden started that match at the Principality Stadium and lasted an hour in a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal. The result was grim; his performance was not. Inside the club, staff have noticed.

“He looks very, very good and people inside the building are saying that, compared to the last one or two years, Phil is a completely different player in terms of mood, in terms of what he is showing in the sessions,” Maresca explained. “This is what we want. Phil is from the academy, from the house, so it is nice for everyone to see him getting better and better.”

The words matter. So does the emphasis on “mood” and “sessions”. Maresca is not just talking about tricks in the final third. He is talking about daily standards, about a player who has decided he is not done at the top of this City side.

Cherki rivalry – or partnership?

When Foden’s number went up on 60 minutes against Arsenal and Rayan Cherki came on, the narrative wrote itself. One creative talent off, another on. One starting berth, two playmakers.

Speculation quickly grew that the pair were locked in a straight fight for the same role.

Maresca pushed back.

“They can play together – in different positions – but for sure they are quite similar,” he said. “At the end, if you want to build an important team, you need competition inside the team. So it’s good that Phil and Rayan have that competition, but they can also play together in some games.”

The message was clear. Yes, standards will be ruthless. But this is not a simple either-or. Foden is not just clinging to a place; he is part of a structure that demands internal pressure for every shirt.

Life after Pep

All of this unfolds against a backdrop that still feels strange: a Manchester City season without Pep Guardiola in the dugout.

For the first time since 2015-16, City start a campaign with someone else leading them out in the Premier League. Maresca does not hide from the scale of what he is stepping into.

“I’m very excited to start this new chapter, this new journey. The target is to carry on from the last 10-15 years,” he said.

Carry on. Not rip up. Not reinvent. The bar is set by a decade of dominance, and Maresca knows it.

On Sunday, Bournemouth arrive at the Etihad Stadium to open the 2026-27 Premier League season. The game could see £116 million summer signing Elliot Anderson make his competitive home debut, another marker of City’s willingness to spend big to stay ahead. Jeremy Doku will not be involved, ruled out with a calf problem.

Maresca also has history on his side. Each of City’s last four permanent managers has won their first league match in charge. The club guards that streak with pride.

Now comes the real test. Can Maresca extend that run, launch the post-Guardiola era with a statement – and, just as crucially, can a revitalised Phil Foden turn a promising pre-season into the full-scale revival his career demands?