WAS PHILLIPS TOO NICE FOR HIS OWN GOOD AT CITY...
(or just not good enough?)
BRIEFLY, the stage belonged to Kalvin Phillips. Grey Goose on tap, he chucked vodka down Jack Grealish’s throat. Microphone in hand, he told an adoring crowd at Manchester City’s Treble parade that John Stones ‘f ****** hates United’.
Star of the show for a few seconds. Having won it all, Phillips embarked on a European holiday with childhood sweetheart Ashleigh, who recently gave birth to their first child. Ibiza for five days, Athens for a couple. Mykonos and then a week in Santorini. He relished the little tavernas.
Enjoying one reality while momentarily forgetting the other. A Treble winner? Yes, but a Treble contributor? Not so much. Phillips simply hadn’t featured for City as they made history. He gleefully clutched each medal but the gold reflection must have seemed slightly dulled. Seven months later, he is out of the door, on loan to West Ham.
‘Even though I’ve not played, I’ve had some of the best experiences of my life,’ the 28-yearold told Mail Sport as he returned to pre-season five days earlier than his team-mates last summer.
He was always philosophical about the first season under Pep Guardiola and went into it with his eyes wide open. Phillips knew minutes in midfield would be limited and was not shocked by the lack of them. He was more surprised at how an Amazon documentary focusing on him would take over his life, ruing that they couldn’t take the dog for a walk without a camera crew in tow.
He felt that once Christmas 2022 had passed, the campaign becoming manic and training sessions reduced to as little as half an hour to prevent fatigue, chances of him fighting a way in were slim. But there was a conviction that year two would be different, as it has been for others who went before him under Guardiola. Leaving was not an option.
After recharging, he looked robust and with a crisper pass during pre-season in Asia. Those close to him were positive that opportunities would arise.
They haven’t. Just 89 minutes of
Premier League football later, he has finally bitten the bullet. ‘Kalvin doesn’t have regrets about the move,’ one source stressed. But there is an admission he hasn’t seemed himself recently as it became clear his future would lie elsewhere. Around City, they say he just hasn’t been good enough.
Phillips would find it hard to argue with that but despite six starts in 18 months, he believes he departs from City a better player than the one who walked through the door after leaving boyhood club Leeds for £42million. He was startled by the technical ability in training and endured mock howling from his team-mates when beaten in a drill during his first session.
Soon after, he dislocated his shoulder for the second time in a year. And then a third time two weeks later, as well as a strained calf. Guardiola told him to have surgery. That initial window to leave an impression was lost.
Before sanctioning the move, City did due diligence with the FA’s support staff, who gave glowing reviews about the 2021 England Player of the Year. Former manager Marcelo Bielsa, whom Guardiola trusts, praised his ability to take on information and adapt. It seemed a no-brainer. Homegrown, good price.
Phillips has privately admitted that he struggled to understand Guardiola’s tactical instructions
in his opening weeks. He broke down in tears, phoning Bielsa, after one sub-par substitute appearance against Leicester. He blamed himself for the injuries — wondering if he was drinking enough water or eating right.
During an England camp, Phillips confided in Aaron Ramsdale how much of a change it all was. Ramsdale said similar about Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, with the pair now viewing the game differently. Their careers have gone in similar directions since then.
It is easy to say the decision to join City was wrong. Phillips, who simply couldn’t turn it down, would disagree. Even after the recent 3-2 win at Newcastle, he was celebrating as much as anyone. Jumping on colleagues’ backs, pumping fists. ‘The players will miss him,’ a source said.
A neighbour of Erling Haaland and Grealish, he’s at the hub of the group, playfully interrupting TV interviews after matches or being enlisted for pranks on the club’s YouTube channel. His initiation, a rendition of George Ezra’s Budapest, brought the house down. He always smiles.
It is testament to his personality — ‘low maintenance, high performance’ say those around the FA — that he still feels involved, parking his ego at the door. And perhaps that has been part of the problem. ‘Going in and arguing is not Kalvin,’ said a source. ‘He gets his head down and grafts.’
He refused to criticise the City boss for announcing that he had returned from the World Cup ‘overweight’, an episode which Phillips believed was a misunderstanding, due to a lack of circulation on the seven-hour flight. Phillips was told to stay away from training for a few days. It might have been handled better.
But could he have been higher maintenance at City? While Guardiola has wasted no time in jettisoning those who cause trouble — Joao Cancelo an example — there are others, like Riyad Mahrez, whose discussions with the manager have prompted a run of games. It is not Phillips’s style. ‘He has exceptional character,’ Guardiola said. ‘I’m so sorry I have not picked him. I visualise my team and select a team and I struggle to see him.’
Phillips made sure to say goodbye to every member of staff from all departments on their flight back from their winter break in Abu Dhabi yesterday.
Now all eyes will be on him at West Ham where David Moyes — who tried to sign him in 2020 — will want him to get them moving from deeper positions. His fitness levels will be interesting. Will high-class training compensate for a lack of matches?
There are some who don’t think he moves the ball quickly enough for an elite side, not sharp enough on the half-turn, and we’re about to see what he has learned. It could be to England’s benefit ahead of the Euros.
Gareth Southgate values credit in the bank, so it’s likely that Phillips would have been off to Germany regardless. Yet England is the driving force behind this move. He remained on the periphery in Qatar and doesn’t want a repeat. The last 18 months cannot be a waste.