No Haaland, no problem - can Foden be Man City's alternative goalscorer? — SkimNews
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- Phil Foden scored a hat-trick and added an assist in Manchester City's 5-1 Champions League win over AEK Athens at the Etihad, becoming only the third Englishman to record a hat-trick and an assist in a single Champions League match after Wayne Rooney for Manchester United in 2004 and Raheem Sterling for City in 2019.
- Enzo Maresca made eight changes from the side that beat Ipswich, retaining only Foden, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Ruben Dias, while resting Haaland (sustained a blow to the foot), allowing Foden to play as a false nine after starting on the right — a role he said he "really enjoyed."
- Foden netted his first Premier League goal in 10 months against Ipswich on Saturday, following the low point of a straight red card in the September Manchester derby for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes.
- Foden ended last season without scoring in his final 31 appearances for club and country but committed his future by signing a new four-year City contract in July.
- Joleon Lescott told TNT Sports that Foden had "convinced the manager" he can lead the line at number nine if Haaland is unavailable for any reason during the season.
Why it matters: Foden had not scored a Premier League goal in 10 months heading into this run, and Maresca's decision to rest Haaland with a foot knock gave him a stage to stake a claim on the false-nine role — handing City tactical flexibility through a fixture-heavy stretch if Haaland's injury lingers.
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