sliding scale

not in his favoured midfield role, either but as a false No 9: the sort of role Guardiola only hands to his chosen, crystalline few: Mario Götze at Bayern Munich (less successfully), Lionel Messi at Barcelona (a little more so). Where Foden eventually ends up on that sliding scale is a game of pointless conjecture. But it speaks volumes of Foden’s versatility, technical ability, effortless aggression and tireless running that Guardiola felt that this was the time to find out.