The unexpected omission of Phil Foden from Manchester City’s squad for Saturday’s Premier League match against Ipswich Town raised eyebrows.
Ipswich Town, featuring former City players Arijanet Muric and Liam Delap, were making their first-ever visit to the Etihad for the 3pm kickoff.
Foden, who had recently replaced Nico O’Reilly in the starting lineup, was missing from the 40-player matchday squads due to illness. He had not featured against Chelsea the previous week after coming off the bench in the second half.
The Community Shield lineup included Issa Kabore and the returning Ilkay Gundogan among the substitutes. For the Ipswich game, Pep Guardiola retained the same starting lineup used at Stamford Bridge six days earlier. The defense featured a back four of Rico Lewis, Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias, and Josko Gvardiol in front of Ederson, with Nathan Ake, John Stones, and Kyle Walker on the bench.
With Rodri injured, Mateo Kovacic continued at the base of the midfield, while Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne maintained their roles in the midfield.
