Pep Guardiola gives 'not good' Phil Foden a dressing down, accusing Man City star of being 'so anxious' and 'in a rush' - despite scoring in Crystal Palace win

Pep Guardiola reserved stern critique for Phil Foden 's performance against Crystal Palace , despite the England international netting one of the three goals which saw Manchester City claim another important win on the road .

Oliver Glasner 's side were powerless in the face of a confident Man City showing, with Erling Haaland opening the scoring just ahead of the half-time break.

Foden's effort came on the other side of the pause in the 69th minute, before Haaland doubled his efforts from the spot after the visitors won a penalty taken in the 89th minute.

But despite an impressive performance helping the Manchester side keep in lock step with Premier League leaders, Guardiola was adamant that there are flaws that Foden in particularly still needs to address.

'I know people may think differently but I think Phil today was not good, he didn't play at his best,' Guardiola said. 'He lost a lot of balls, he was in a rush with decisions and was so anxious.

'He has to keep the ball and be associated with the other ones and in the right moments make explosions that only he has in terms of goals and assists. Before he arrives there, he has to be more calm.

'But he wants to do it well and sometimes he makes situations not clear but Phil in terms of work ethic defensively, how he presses, how he comes back, he is incredible. Even with my opinion today, one of the best at the end was Phil. He ran maybe the most in the team and scored a goal because close to the box he was unbelievable.

Pep Guardiola reserved some criticism for Phil Foden despite the star featuring in Man City's win against Crystal Palace

The England international scored the visitor's second goal to help them keep pace with Arsenal

'He has a lot of margin to understand the game. He will not improve this incredible quality because it is top but understanding the game, the way you have certain moments, the way you have to accelerate or decelerate, just the timing of the tempo he will give it. Everyone has a margin to improve. Everyone.'

Foden has been experiencing an uptick in form after a dip the midfielder suffered in the wake of his heavily decorated 2023-24 season.

After that campaign, Foden was awarded the FWA Player of the Year award, the PFA Players' Player of the Year, and Premier League Player of the Season trophies.

But last season Foden's brilliance dimmed somewhat, with his downturn in form coming alongside a rocky campaign for Manchester City overall.

Foden, once considered an undroppable for his country, also fell out of favour with the England set-up, with Thomas Tuchel opting not to call him up for the past three camps before he returned to the fold this November.

But this season has shown signs of renewable for the 25-year-old, with the star netting 10 goals and providing a further four assists in his 21 appearances in sky blue across all competitions.

Foden has also provided a bullish perspective on Man City's title chances , with the player stepping up in the wake of his side's last-gasp 3-2 win against Leeds last month to demand an uptick in their team performance.

'It wasn't good enough from start to finish, we know that,' the 25-year-old said. 'From that moment we spoke to the manager, we changed the way we pressed and played.

'It was crucial to get together and find the solution. It felt like we were all on different wavelengths. Some were pressing, some were staying. Even on the ball, we were not in good positions to receive it.

'We have to work on things and get better because when the opponents get better in the later stages of the season, we can't afford to come out like that because we're going to lose the league.'

Sunday's win at Selhurst Park has allowed Man City to keep pace with the Gunners, who they sit just two points behind ahead of the festive period.