"Even on holidays, he has to be perfect" - Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola calls out Kalvin Phillips again after labelling him 'overweight'
Pep Guardiola has once again hit out at Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips. The Spaniard wants his players to be fit throughout the year and not come back to training overweight.
After returning overweight from the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Phillips was not a part of Manchester City's Carabao Cup clash last month. The manager was open about the situation and why the midfielder missed out.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said midfielder Kalvin Phillips has "improved his level" but must be in perfect condition all year, having learnt a valuable lesson after being dropped for returning overweight from the World Cup. reut.rs/3Xcc9TE
Speaking to the media ahead of the FA Cup clash with Chelsea, Guardiola sent a strong message to Phillips and other players, saying they need to be fit throughout the year. He said:
"He wants to change his mind about the way he is going to play, and it will maybe be a good lesson for him for the future. A footballer has to be perfect over 12 months, perfect. Even on holidays, he has to be perfect. You can enjoy, you can do whatever you want, but you have to be ready because at this level it is so demanding."
The manager added:
"You have to play three games, you have to be fit. If you are not fit, then nothing. But in the last week and days, he improved his level. I don't know if he will start against Chelsea, but for sure, in the Carabao Cup, he is going to play. Against Chelsea, we will see but I had a feeling last week, he was back, you know, I had a good feeling."
Pundit not happy with Pep Guardiola calling out Manchester City's Kalvin Phillips
Noel Whelan was quick to call out Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola for his comments about Kalvin Phillips. The pundit said that it's not right of the manager to say such things about his players in public and hang them to dry.
Kalvin Phillips must be ‘perfect’ all year after being dropped, says Guardiola theguardian.com/football/2023/…
He told Football Insider:
"There are expectations, and it's a big surprise to see Kalvin come back overweight. I'm pretty sure Pep wouldn't have been expecting that. Something's not right with Kalvin this season, and he should be playing regularly again now.
He was back from injury before the World Cup, but he's still not out on the pitch. It's very unlike Pep to single out one of his players in public. That's not usually his way – he's normally a protector of his players, rather than hanging them out to dry."
Phillips was signed in the summer of 2022 from Leeds United as a replacement for Fernandinho.