SUMMARY
- Kevin Phillips have moved to West Ham United after not being useful for Manchester City.
- During his stint at Manchester City, Pep Guardiola had called him fat during the World Cup 2022.
West Ham United and England national team midfielder Kalvin Phillips is a gifted player. He recently found himself in the spotlight after Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola made remarks regarding his weight during the 2022 World Cup.
The interview in which Phillips claimed that Pep Guardiola had called him overweight surfaced before Phillips moved to West Ham United. Phillips was thought to be a non-essential member of Manchester City’s squad and hence was moved out.
Pep Guardiola apologises to Kalvin Phillips: I’m sorry I called you overweight
byu/dragon8811 insoccer
However, recently Pep seemed to be apologetic regarding his past statements about his former player, Kalvin Phillips. In a recent press conference, Pep said, “Yeah, I’m sorry. Once in eight years is not bad. But I’m so sorry. I apologize to him. I do apologize. I’m so sorry.”
Being a brilliant player for Leeds United, many thought that joining Manchester City would only help him. However, there is intense rivalry among the team members and ongoing pressure to succeed. Kalvin Phillips was unable to hold down his starting XI spot. He had to play all the time to finish his professional career on a high note at the age of 28 so in January 2024, Phillips moved to West Ham United to achieve such consistency.
Kalvin Phillips reacts to Pep Guardoila’s overweight comments regarding him
After remaining silent on the subject for a year, Kalvin kept the remarks close to his heart. Recently, Kalvin Phillips came out and discussed the interview. Before examining Kalvin Phillips’s remarks, let us examine what Pep Guardiola had to say about him.
When England returned from the 2022 World Cup discussing Phillips, Guardiola stated, “He arrived overweight. I don’t know [why]. He didn’t arrive in the condition to do training sessions and to play.” It might be detrimental for any athlete to hear remarks like these from their boss.
🚨 Kalvin Phillips: “When Pep came out and said I was overweight, he was right to do so… but there are different ways to go about it”.
“I did not disagree but obviously it took a big knock on my confidence”.
“My family were not happy about it, either. Especially my mum”.… pic.twitter.com/Ln4Xb6tubF
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 11, 2024
The way Kalvin Phillips responded to the circumstance was, “When Pep came out and said I was overweight, he was right to do so.” Reiterating his manager’s observation, Phillips acknowledged the circumstances. He went on to accept the circumstances, saying, “I did not disagree but obviously it took a big knock on my confidence”.
The midfield player made it clear that he is at ease with the way his body and level of fitness are. claiming to be aware of how to keep up his physical appearance for work. Phillips’ composed reply demonstrated his awareness of the criticism as well as his resilience. These are his responsibilities as a well-known soccer player to help him advance and succeed.
Why wasn’t Kalvin Phillips the perfect signing for Pep Guardiola?
After joining Manchester City FC, defensive midfielder Kalvin Phillips, who started all of his games at Leeds United FC in the Premier League, had none left. At City, he went from having been a consistent starter to a reserve player. The fact that Man City FC boss Pep Guardiola lacked a lot of trust in him is one of the main causes.
Kalvin Phillips career stats at Man City:
🔹 21 appearances
🔹 0 Goals, 1 Assist
🔹4 Yellow Cards
🔹 10,742 smilesWe appreciate your service, KP😁🤝 pic.twitter.com/FVPdMIm3BR
— Danny (@MCFCDubs) August 21, 2023
Pep also had players like Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, and Rodri at his disposal. There was too much competition, and in Pep’s opinion, Kalvin was never at the top of the group of players. Additionally, it was clear that Pep did not view Kalvin as a starter or even as the ideal player for his squad after adding Mateo Kovacic and Matheues Nunes for the 2023–24 campaign.