it was a eulogy Pep Guardiola He thought about the excellence he could show in a deeper role and celebrated his goal-scoring achievements. He said how willing he was to hold on and the club hierarchy knew it. was greeting Ilkay Gundogan, understandably after a power lap. As might be expected, Calvin Phillips was not the object of his love.
The German’s afternoon at Goodison Park brought in two goals. The English brought two minutes of football. One can connect to Barcelona with a free transfer in a few months. The other has five more years. Manchester City agreement.
Maybe when it plays as majestic as Gundogan. against Leeds and EvertonIt is unfair to compare anyone with him. In reality though, Guardiola had to do this when Rodri went to play against Sheffield United and Leeds; He chose Gundogan to stabilize the midfield each time. Phillips was supposed to be an expert defensive midfielder. Instead, he is the expert substitute. Rodri is the hardest working member of the City squad with 4104 minutes. Partly because Phillips was only trusted with the 407.
With nearly 55 appearances in City’s season, Phillips has started just two games: he’s tied to a Bristol City team in the Championship and a Southampton side for that league. Guardiola’s team lost at St Mary’s in their worst performance of the season in the Carabao Cup.
The part role cannot be explained simply by a fall shoulder injury. City have scored 92 league goals, but none with Phillips on the field; indeed, they have a negative goal difference during their outing. Leicester scored a goal and came close to scoring three goals after Phillips’ presentation a month ago; The midfielder described his performance as “a bit of a jerk”. Since then, there has been a vote of no confidence from Guardiola and the cameos started so late that nothing could go wrong: three goals ahead in overtime against West Ham, a little earlier on Goodison, and the same scoreline.
Scan Phillips’ season and Guardiola often coaches him so late that he becomes a substitute that has no bearing on his destiny: He was also introduced during injury time against Borussia Dortmund. He won one minute against West Ham in August, three minutes against Arsenal in February, four minutes against Chelsea in January, nine minutes against Southampton, 12 minutes against Sevilla and 13 minutes against Wolves. A total of 17 matches sound deceptive; Even then, 161 of his minutes came in the FA Cup. Remembered in part by Guardiola, he may be having his worst three-winning season ever. Branding him as overweight after the World Cup.
If Kalvin Phillips stays in Man City, he will hope to show a similar development to Jack Grealish in season two.
(Getty Images)
And if many could envy the collection of medals he might soon have, Phillips might well have been an endearing success story – the ‘Yorkshire Pirlo’ transformed by Guardiola’s hero Marcelo Bielsa and an integral part of England heading to the Euro final. 2020. Looks like an afterthought now, with City’s third-choice defensive midfielder – fourth choice if John Stones’ reinvention puts him ahead of Phillips – getting iconic looks and pointless minutes.
For a time, it was possible to find solace in history. He improved in his second season under Guardiola, after many players adapted, albeit late, to his complex demands. Yet even if they weren’t automatic elections, they weren’t marginalized. He made 53 appearances in Bernardo Silva’s first season; 35 of them were in the Premier League, where he played 1520 minutes. Phillips has played 105 so far. Riyad Mahrez’s first campaign brought 1338 top flight minutes, Jack Grealish 1917, Rodri 2488.
Each one started later, but in retrospect it was clear that the manager had a role in their long-term plans. Phillips seems less likely to do; 10 days ago, Guardiola did not confirm that he will be at the Etihad Stadium next season, saying he needed to earn the £42m man’s trust. He hasn’t done so before.
All of this sounds more damning, given Guardiola’s debut days and his status as the midfielder’s godfather. Rejection must be more painful. It could also bring City more trouble. While Gundogan is likely to go to Barcelona for another summer with the possibility of attracting attention from Camp Nou in Silva, Phillips could pose an undesirable problem; It will likely be followed elsewhere in the Premier League, but will add to City’s need for reinforcements.
As players of the caliber of Ronaldinho, Deco and Zlatan Ibrahimovic can testify, Guardiola can be quick to exile even the most elite; He can still be ruthless, as Joao Cancelo knows at all costs. Phillips faces a form of humiliation in a different society, embarrassed by the brevity of his contributions. He could have finished the season with more medals than he started, but oddly enough, that would have been a sign of how his move had gone wrong.
[pub1]