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During his time at Manchester City, England’s midfielder Kalvin Phillips faced a difficult moment when manager Pep Guardiola openly referred to him as “overweight” upon his return from the World Cup.
In July 2022, 28-year-old Phillips moved from Leeds United to City in a £42m transfer. He agreed to a six-year contract with the Premier League champions, but only started six games in all competitions under Guardiola. Most of his time at the club was spent on the substitutes bench.
In January, Phillips joined West Ham on a loan in order to gain more playing time before the upcoming Euro 2024. He confessed that he had lost his passion since leaving Leeds to join City.
The midfielder is set to play in the West Ham vs. Arsenal match on Sunday afternoon. Phillips gave a series of interviews before the game, in which he discussed his last 18 months.
According to Phillips, the time after the World Cup was the most challenging. He mentioned that it was especially difficult when Pep commented on his weight.
“He made the correct decision, although there were various approaches he could have taken. I didn’t oppose him, but it significantly impacted my self-assurance and emotions while at City. My family was also displeased, particularly my mother.”
Phillips stated that he was not informed by Guardiola about the desire for him to come back to City immediately after the World Cup. He clarified that he was not aware of this request and would have complied if asked. The situation was a miscommunication, with Guardiola being upset over Phillips’ return weight being 1.5kg above the target.
Kalvin Phillips refuted the notion that his time at Manchester City was a “nightmare.”
I simply accepted the criticism. As a responsible professional, I should have addressed it the day after the tournament ended. However, it’s a lesson I’ve learned from and will apply in the future.
Phillips refuted claims that his experience with Guardiola was a “nightmare” and instead stated that he improved as a player under the manager, even though he didn’t get many chances to play. He was a member of the Manchester City team that achieved a remarkable treble of Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup victories last season, but acknowledged that he needed to depart in order to secure playing time ahead of Euro 2024.
Honestly, I may have lost my passion in the last 18 months,” Phillips admits. “Don’t misunderstand me – I still enter games with the desire to tackle aggressively, be physical, and move around.
“After such a long time without demonstrating it in a game, one can forget the feeling. It wasn’t until playing against Bournemouth and United that I finally felt it again. I would equate it to ‘losing my head’ – becoming more vocal and frustrated. However, it’s not actually losing control, as that would lead to reckless actions. Rather, it’s a way to motivate both myself and my teammates.”
The experience at City was not a nightmare, but rather very stressful. However, we were able to achieve the treble. Yet, sitting on the bench made it feel like the victory was not truly mine. Nevertheless, I am content knowing that the medals cannot be taken away from me.
“In the past year and a half…I continued to enjoy the game, but it did alter my mindset. The game itself wasn’t disappointing me, but the lack of something to anticipate made me lose interest. Now that I’m with West Ham and playing, I feel more invigorated. It’s not a complete restart, but rather a fresh start.”
Source: independent.co.uk
