The art and craft of Phil Foden.

The balance between celebrating Manchester City and addressing concerns. Plus Pochettino, VAR's worth and the madness of Melbourne.

Phil Foden’s technical flourishes in striking twice against West Ham United rightly dominated much of the reaction to Manchester City’s victory and triumphant march to another Premier League title. It was also the intelligence of Foden’s movement, the way he eluded James Ward-Prowse (far too easily) for his first and particularly his stealthy steps for his second. Still only 23, and with game understanding so remarkably mature, Foden began his run from deeper, watching closely as City developed the move down the left.

Foden drifted away from Tomas Soucek, then ran off the back of Ward-Prowse. He ghosted into a couple of yards of room in front of Kurt Zouma and Aaron Cresswell, the left-back rushing across too late. Jeremy Doku’s cross was perfect but it was Foden who created the space. He showed his importance to City and also the importance of academies.

Foden’s goals deflated the atmosphere 200 miles to the south at the Emirates. Leaving the ground after Arsenal’s ultimately fruitless 2-1 win over Everton, I was reminded three times by passing home fans to “mention the 115 charges”. Well, the numbers are almost worn out on the keyboard, as are the letters forming the caveat about City denying all charges of financial breaches.

It is still possible to celebrate those in sky blue shirts like Foden and also point out the clouds in the sky. It is a balance, marvelling at the hunger of Foden, the precision and positioning of Rodri, and the sudden goal threat of Josko Gvardiol while also railing against a situation where there is almost VAR “checking possible foul play”. It is embarrassing to the Premier League that a verdict has not been reached, that the sport is effectively being run by lawyers. It’s sad because it has been a magnificent Premier League season, a great title race that went down to the last day, and some of the football played has been the best this country has ever seen. City’s feats deserve fuller appreciation, praise without provisos, and that can happen only when the charges are heard.

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Chelsea would be mad to part company with Mauricio Pochettino. All the uncertainty around the manager’s future is all very Chelsea but it’s all very counter-productive. Why rip it up and start again? Chelsea have improved in the second half of the season, the players are clearly enjoying playing for Pochettino and he’s getting the best out of an imbalanced, injury-ravaged squad. The football’s progressive, they’re in Europe, and who better is out there that’s available?

Roberto De Zerbi? That tends to be Chelsea’s default response: go and hire somebody associated with Brighton & Hove Albion. He’s left the Amex so no compensation this time. But is De Zerbi really an upgrade on Pochettino? Will he also want significant involvement in recruitment? Chelsea’s board are better off sticking with Pochettino, hoping that he works on eradicating their vulnerability to crosses and corners to the far post and hoping that he begins building a relationship with supporters. His fond reminiscing about Tottenham Hotspur understandably rankles people at Chelsea from stands to boardroom. Forget your ex, and focus on your current partner. Pochettino and Chelsea could build something together. Just because they play Madness after the game doesn’t mean Chelsea have to be defined by it.

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Talking of madness, consider the images posted by Spurs and Newcastle United of their players rushing to the airport to fly out to Melbourne for a money-spinning exhibition on Wednesday. They will be well-tended on the flights, man-marked by physios, but long haul is hardly ideal after exhaustive exercise. They will train briefly, play and then return. Anything to declare: plenty of cash but tired legs and minds.

Quite rightly, the Professional Footballers’ Association is concerned about player welfare. Fifa and Uefa expand their own competitions, placing more pressure on elite players. Out of greed, brand enhancement or Profit & Sustainability Rules, clubs take on more games, pointing to escalating player wages. If players and their agents demanded less, there will be less need for these lucrative overseas games. The players are the stars of the show, a sporting spectacle that generates billions in revenue and countless joy and drama for fans, so they absolutely deserve their lion’s share. But remuneration should even more performance-related. Too many ordinary players are earning extraordinary money. The balance between overpaying and overplaying needs addressing.

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The moment the campaign to scrap VAR began there was bound to be swift evidence supplied for its worth. Technology rescued the League Two play-off final in spotting a dive by Crewe’s Chris Long to deceive the ref into awarding a penalty. VAR stepped in, quickly sorting a clear and obvious error. That’s what VAR was introduced for, not the micro-refereeing which Stockley Park needlessly specialises in.

Gary O’Neil, the Wolves head coach pushing the campaign, has some very valid points to make about VAR, certainly in the speed, consistency and communication of decisions. But when his full-back, Nelson Semedo, received only yellow for a dangerous, lunging challenge on Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister, VAR intervened, justice was served, and Semedo’s yellow was overturned for a rightful red. Clear and obvious error rectified. It’s for these howlers that VAR was initially brought in , and why it works in most other leagues and in Uefa and Fifa competitions (partly because the level of officiating is superior). Technology is not the problem; the excessive use of it is.