Phil Foden's Transformation Under Maresca: A New Era Begins

Phil Foden has heard the doubts. Two flat seasons after being crowned 2023-24 Player of the Year, and the story around him shifted from “future of City” to “what happened to him?” Losing his England place for the 2026 World Cup under Thomas Tuchel underlined how far his stock had fallen.

Now he has a new manager, a new role, and, according to those watching him every day, a very different edge.

A new Foden under Maresca

Enzo Maresca has walked into a club still echoing with Pep Guardiola’s legacy, but one of his first major projects is already clear: reboot Phil Foden.

The Italian handed the 26-year-old a start in the Community Shield against Arsenal at the Principality Stadium, trusting him from the off in City’s first big test of the post-Guardiola era. Foden lasted an hour in a 3-0 defeat, hardly a dream result, yet Maresca came away talking up the performance and, more importantly, the player’s transformation.

“I think Phil had a good game against Arsenal in the last game. He has been sharp and good since day one,” Maresca said, underlining a pre-season that has impressed staff behind the scenes.

Inside the training ground, the mood around Foden has changed. The manager hears it daily.

“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.”

Sharper. Hungrier. More vocal. The academy poster boy who once seemed destined to carry City and England for a decade is fighting to reclaim that path.

Cherki rivalry – or partnership?

When Foden’s number went up on 60 minutes in Cardiff and Rayan Cherki came on, the narrative wrote itself. One gifted playmaker off, another on. One shirt, two contenders.

Speculation quickly grew that Maresca would use them as direct rivals for a single starting berth. The coach pushed back on that idea, but not on the need for both to feel the heat.

“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.”

That’s the balance Maresca wants: internal pressure without splitting the dressing room. Foden, the homegrown standard-bearer. Cherki, the new creative spark. If both hit their ceiling, City’s attack gains a different kind of unpredictability.

Life after Pep begins

All of this unfolds against a backdrop that would intimidate most managers. For the first time since 2015-16, Manchester City are starting a season without Pep Guardiola in the dugout.

Maresca, a former assistant under Guardiola and fresh from building his own reputation as a head coach, is stepping into a dynasty, not a vacancy.

“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. No grand reinvention, no tearing it up. Just a continuation of standards that have defined English football for a decade.

The first marker comes on Sunday, when Bournemouth visit the Etihad Stadium to open City’s 2026-27 Premier League campaign. The champions’ new era starts at home, under scrutiny, with expectation unchanged.

New faces, familiar demands

Supporters will get their first competitive home look at £116 million summer signing Elliot Anderson, who could make his debut at the Etihad. The price tag alone makes him a central figure in the club’s next chapter.

City will be without Jeremy Doku, the winger sidelined by a calf problem, trimming Maresca’s options out wide but nudging even more focus onto the players who can operate between the lines – Foden among them.

There is also a streak to protect. Each of City’s last four permanent managers has won his opening league fixture in charge. Maresca knows the numbers. He knows the expectations. And he knows that how his team starts will shape how quickly doubts about the post-Guardiola transition fade.

For Foden, this is more than an opening day. It’s the start of a personal reset. New manager, new competition, same stadium. If the version of Phil Foden Maresca describes really has returned, the Etihad is about to see it – and England might soon have a selection problem again.