Is Pep right about Foden being this season‘s best player?

Alex Keble looks at the statistics to see if Phil Foden can be considered the best player in the Premier League.

“What can I say? He is the best player in the Premier League right now for the amount of things he does. Unbelievable.”

Pep Guardiola’s gushing analysis of Phil Foden in the afterglow of his team’s 3-1 victory over Manchester United last Sunday captured the Manchester City manager’s mood.

He probably didn’t expect it to draw quite so much attention, but over the last few days, the question has been asked again and again: is Foden the best player in the league?

Foden’s versatility is a major asset

Guardiola’s reasoning has got a little lost in all this. “For the amount of things he does” is the telling explanation and there is certainly a strong case to be made that Foden is the most versatile and all-round playmaker in the Premier League.

These are qualities that Guardiola in particular loves; the capacity to play at high intensity in tight spaces, and anywhere on the pitch, is the essence of Guardiola’s football.

This season alone, Foden has played in five positions: left-wing, right-wing, as a No 8, a No 10 and a false nine.

Across 25 starts, Foden has begun on the right 16 times, the left four times and through the middle five times, switching position mid-match on six occasions.

Nobody else in Guardiola’s squad is moved around so much – and nobody else has the same range of skills.

His first touch and close dribbling are that of a winger, his creativity and finishing that of a No 10: Foden has carried the ball into the final third 69 times, more than any other player in the Premier League, but he has also created the third-most chances from open play, with 50.

Foden attacking stats 23/24

Recency bias often plays a big part in determining the best player in the Premier League at any given moment, and while Foden has become a truly world-class footballer, we should acknowledge that here.

Foden has 11 goals and five assists in his last 14 matches in all competitions and, in the Premier League, six goals in his last six outings.

Of course, that might not be a purple patch, but rather a sign of Foden’s maturity. Certainly he keeps getting better year on year, as the stats show, although the increments of his improvement are smaller than you might think.

Foden comparison last three seasons

Looking at that table, the biggest difference is simply Foden being played more frequently in 2023/24.

Guardiola has finally come to rely upon Foden and trust him more centrally, where he can affect the match from between the lines.

In 2022/23, Foden started just one match as a No 8 or a No 10, on the final day of the season, and the season before he didn’t play a single Premier League minute in that role.

More importantly, even when starting on the left or right, Foden now has more licence to roam infield into the half-spaces (the column between full-back and centre-back), reflecting Guardiola’s growing trust.

Note the difference this season to last in the graphics below. Foden is far more active in the central column of the pitch these days.

Foden in 2022/23

Foden in 2023/24

This is his best position, even if nominally he is starting matches wider. Foden’s close control, his intelligence and his capacity to weave cleanly through a crowd makes him a unique asset to Guardiola and one of the best players in the league.

Foden’s output denies him top spot

But the best? Foden has created fewer chances from open play than Martin Odegaard (55) and Bruno Fernandes (52), while 12 players have created more "big chances" than his nine, and a further 10 players have created the same number.

Creativity stats 23/24

As a player generally operating around the penalty area – 58 per cent of his Premier League touches this season have been in the final third – it is fair to judge Foden on creative output.

And Foden’s 6.2 xAG puts him just 10th in the Premier League this season, while his xG of 8.2 leaves him down in 16th.

Looking at his numbers across the season, we must conclude that Foden, though right up there, isn’t quite the best player in the Premier League right now.

Rivals for best player

So, who is? Rodri, Saka, Rice, Salah or Watkins?

Sticking with Man City, the most obvious contender is current top goalscorer Erling Haaland, who has scored 18 Premier League from only 21 starts.

Haaland’s remarkable speed, power and movement indisputably put him in the conversation, but City’s goalscoring machine can leave some people cold.

His polar opposite is Rodri, a player who rarely makes headlines but whose control of central midfield is unmatched in world football.

Rodri tops the charts for touches (2786), passes completed (2343) and progressive passes (261). He pulls the strings by evading the opposition press, sweeping up loose balls and controlling things like Sergio Busquets used to at Barcelona.

Rodri stats 23/24

Declan Rice has a similar impact on Arsenal, having instantly taken on a leadership role for Mikel Arteta, although this isn’t reflected in the statistics.

Rice’s impact is subtler than that, yet there is no doubt he is the biggest reason for Arsenal boasting the best defensive record in the competition, conceded only 23 goals.

Keeping to players (roughly) in Foden’s position, Bukayo Saka is arguably having a better season than the City playmaker.

Saka is top of the Premier League charts for Expected Assists (xA), with 8.8, and has had more touches in the attacking penalty area (192) than anyone else.

Considering Arsenal’s position in the title race, Saka’s case is strong for the simple reason that everything goes through him. Saka has received 400 progressive passes this season which, incredibly, is more than 33 per cent more than anyone else in the Premier League (Gabriel Martinelli is second, on 303).

Sitting fourth for goals and assists, with 21, also helps Saka’s case (Foden is sixth), although if we are going on this metric alone then Mohamed Salah or Ollie Watkins come out on top.

Most Premier League goals/assists 23/24

Watkins’ magnificent season puts him right up there. He has improved substantially under the tutelage of Unai Emery, becoming not only a ruthless goalscorer, but a superb link player and de facto Harry Kane back-up for England.

But he isn’t quite Salah.

Salah has created the most "big chances" in the division (18), and you could say he gets bonus points for running Watkins so close despite only starting 20 of Liverpool’s 27 Premier League matches.

In fact, Salah’s 1.21 goals and assists per 90 is his best total since the 2017/18 season, when he scored 34 goals, and his combined non-penalty xG and xAG of 0.95 per 90 is a career high.

For that reason alone – for the statistical proof that Salah is better than he’s ever been – the Liverpool star may pip Foden as the best player in the competition.