Pep’s World Cup help for England

IF Raheem Sterling stays at City next season, there’s every chance six of England’s World Cup starting XI will be playing for the Premier League champions.

Kalvin Phillips will be the latest England international to sign for City when his deal goes through, following Jack Grealish last summer and joining Phil Foden, Sterling, John Stones and Kyle Walker at the Etihad.

Phillips may have a fight on his hands to displace Rodri at the Blues, but his signing does significantly strengthen a position that needed a new face after Fernandinho’s departure.

And by signing another English player, Pep Guardiola is continuing a trend that gave him huge success in the past.

Phillips was an unsung hero in England’s run to the Euro 2020 final last year, shining in a double pivot alongside Declan Rice after just one season in the Premier League.

He continued that form in the last campaign before injury stopped his progress, so City will be keen to see him pick up the momentum he had between 2019 and 2021.

It’s a signing with plenty of positives and few negatives, helped by the fact he will be well known to City’s existing Three Lions.

His place in Gareth Southgate’s side will surely be strengthened by moving to a Champions League club and he will hope to be a starter in Qatar in December.

And that bodes well for England, too, because when Guardiola has taken a national team focus at previous clubs, international success has followed.

In 2010, at the height of Guardiola’s achievements at Barcelona, seven of Spain’s starting line-up in the World Cup final were Guardiola’s players.

Four years later, when he was at Bayern Munich, six of Germany’s key starters were Bayern players as they won the World Cup.

Of England’s 2018 side that surprised everyone and reached the semi-final, three City players were regulars in Gareth Southgate’s 3-5-2 formation, with another, Fabian Delph, credited with playing an important role within the squad.

Four years on and six Blues players could start for England as they look to go one better in Qatar, with four having taken them to the Euro 2020 final.

For Guardiola to so often rely on national team players from the country he is managing in makes sense as these players will know the league, know each other and can take their club momentum into the international fixtures.

And for that country, it’s no coincidence players coached by Guardiola can be relied upon on the biggest stages and tournaments – because they’re performing at the highest level every week.

So it bodes well for City that they’ve managed to attract another key England player.

England won’t be complaining, either, given how Spain and Germany did when Guardiola was managing in their leagues.