Why Kalvin Phillips should be given a second season before his City career is judged.

Image courtesy of bbc.co.uk

As far as first seasons go, Kalvin Phillips’s opening season at Manchester City was far from ideal.

The Englishman played a sparse role - even more sparse than many could've imagined, as others had Guardiola's trust more to fill in at defensive midfield whenever Rodri couldn't play.

Often, the side looked flaky and unstable whilst Phillips was on the pitch, as his alertness, positioning and imposing presence were noticeably inferior to Rodri's. But, at times, he wasn't helped out.

The 27 year old played most of his minutes last season at the same time as other reserve players, namely Sergio Gomez and Cole Palmer. These minutes came predominantly when the Blues were comfortably on top, and leading by 3 or more

goals.

Therefore, City will be more comfortable, and at times complacent, in these circumstances. We have yet to see Phillips have an extended period on the pitch alongside the regular starters, meaning it'll take a long time for him to adapt to the system.

Injuries severely hindered his early season progress; he didn't make his first start for the club until after the World Cup break.

In fact, at one point, it seemed a not too unrealistic prospect that Phillips would play more minutes for his country than his club across the season, something which really tells you all you need to know about his debut season at City.

He is, by no means, the first player to struggle in his first season at Manchester City. However, none have struggled to the extent of the former Leeds midfielder, particularly considering his price tag, and his wages, which are at a similar level to much more influential player Bernardo Silva.

The Portuguese midfielder, in fact, is an example of a player who struggled in his first season under Pep Guardiola. Jack Grealish, Joao Cancelo, Riyad Mahrez, Leroy Sane and Rodri can all be added to that list.

But, all of those players, barring Cancelo with his recent fallout, have been regarded as excellent signings, and have played a key role in City's success since Guardiola took over in 2016.

After working within the system for a year, and having the motivation of proving doubters wrong from their first season displays, we have often seen much more consistent, eye-catching performances in a player's second season.

Take Grealish, for example. After being criticised for too much backwards passing in his first season, he recorded the second highest number of assists in the entire squad last season, behind just Kevin de Bruyne.

Bernardo also faced criticism in his first season, for not contributing enough in terms of goals and assists. Fast forward a year, and he won the Etihad Player of the Season, after being reinvented as a central midfielder (ironically, he finished last season as a right winger.)

Whilst each individual is unique, the fact remains that plenty of times before, we have seen a player reborn in their second season under Guardiola's management.

Phillips should not yet be discounted as a flop, therefore, as he is hardworking and motivated enough to improve. Spending the end of his summer holidays training, for example, is a sign that he is willing to improve.

There were concerns over his weight in the middle of last season, which saw him dropped for one game, but that was only a minor bump in the road of his progress. Grealish was dropped for 2 games in 2021, after turning up to training unfit, but that is mostly unremembered now.

The closest resemblance to Phillips, in terms of recent City signings, is Fabian Delph. Like Phillips, he was signed from a lower down Premier League team, in Aston Villa, and underwhelmed in his first season under Guardiola (and the season before that, under Pellegrini, in fact.)

In his third season, and second under Guardiola. Delph was reborn as a left back, starting 14 consecutive matches in the league that season.

It is not out of the question that something similar happens with Phillips, playing "the John Stones" role, by pushing up into midfield from defence (likely to be either centre back or right back.)

And of course, he'll continue to provide cover for Rodri at defensive midfield, when the Spaniard inevitably needs a break at points throughout the season.

But moving him on after one unsuccessful season isn't the City way. The board paid over £40 million for him, and gave him a six year deal, for a reason, which, unfortunately we are yet to see.

This time next year, however, Phillips's performances could mean we're in a completely different situation, and one will wonder what all the fuss surrounding City's number 4 was ever about.