Phil Foden hands out praise for Man City trio including starlet who ‘makes them play better’

Manchester City playmaker Phil Foden has handed out huge praise for a trio of teammates following the club’s 1-3 UEFA Champions League win over RB Leipzig.

Pep Guardiola’s side made it two wins out of two in European competition this season, as they embark on their first defence of a UEFA Champions League crown in the club’s illustrious history.

Victory in east Germany followed up on a 3-1 win over Crvena zvezda on matchday one at the Etihad Stadium, with another 1-3 scoreline having been secured against RB Leipzig despite a second-half onslaught from the hosts.

Phil Foden had initially put Manchester City ahead in the first-half, however Lois Openda’s early second-half strike spark concerns over a repeat of last season’s meeting at the Red Bull Arena when the Bundesliga side were unfortunate to only come away with a 1-1 draw.

However, second-half substitutes Julian Alvarez and Jeremy Doku would be score and assist for eachother’s respective goals to fire Manchester City in a commanding three-point lead at the top of their group.

Speaking on the subject of Rico Lewis, who starred in the centre of midfield for Pep Guardiola’s side at the Red Bull Arena, Phil Foden admitted after the game, “He’s the one who changes the tempo for us when we need it. He’s sharp in the midfield and he breaks the lines.

“He’s a great talent to have, and he made us play better today for sure.”

He continued, “Lewis was brilliant today in midfield. He broke a lot of lines. Rico has the courage to play at such a young age. I’m really happy for him. It’s nice to have an Academy player on the pitch with me today so yeah I’m happy for him.”

Julian Alvarez and Jeremy Doku were brought on by Manchester City’s manager later in the second-half as the European champions went in search of a decisive moment in the contest, and the pair repaid their coach’s trust.

Foden said after the game that Alvarez was ‘magical’ when he came on to the pitch against RB Leipzig, while Jeremy Doku is always certain to be a threat in one-vs-one positions across the forward line.

“It’s so nice when you have these kind of subs; Jeremy (Doku) with the one-v-ones that he brings, and Julian (Alvarez) with the energy and shots from outside the box and his overall game,” said Phil Foden.

“When they both came on, they changed the game straight away and won us the game. Delighted.”

“Julian has been top this season. His goal was magical. He’s scoring a lot of goals.  He’s someone we look to for big goals this season. I’m happy for him because he came on and changed the game. He’s a really important player for us.”

Manchester City immediately turn attentions to the Premier League this weekend, when they take on last season’s Premier League title rivals Arsenal in a major showdown at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The performance of Rico Lewis in Germany has sparked serious debate over whether the England under-21 international could make it two starts in successive mammoth contests by featuring in Pep Guardiola’s starting line-up against Mikel Arteta’s men.

Rodri will remain absent as he fulfils the third and final game of a three-match suspension after picking up a red card for violent conduct in a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest a fortnight ago.