Manchester City will face Luton Town in the 16th round of the 2023-24 Premier League at Kenilworth Road Stadium in Luton, England. Manchester City ranks fourth in the league with nine wins, three draws and three losses, while Luton Town ranks 18th in the league with two wins, three draws and 10 losses.
Guardiola, who attended a pre-match press conference ahead of the match, was asked about Kalvin Phillips. Phillips was unselected despite Rodri’s absence against Aston Villa last time out. Rodri was suspended for one game due to accumulation of warnings at the time. Guardiola made up the midfield of Manuel Akanji and John Stones. Phillips was listed as a substitute but failed to play in the end.
Naturally, the possibility is being raised that he will leave in January. When asked about this ahead of his showdown with Luton Town, Guardiola said, “I don’t know what will happen. I feel sorry for him. I have talked to him a lot.” “He doesn’t deserve the treatment that happened to him. I’m so sorry. The only thing I can say about him is that he is a perfect example for his good personality and character. I have to give him something but I couldn’t do that,” he added.
Phillips was born in Leeds, where he grew up with the Leeds youth team in 2010. After debuting in the first division in 2014, he began to be appointed in earnest from the 2016-17 season. Phillips played more than 40 games each season and contributed to his team’s promotion to the English Premier League (EPL) for the first time in 16 years in the 2019-20 season.
Phillips is so influential in the midfield that he is nicknamed ‘Yorkshire Pirro’. As he is located in a defensive midfielder position, he has strengths such as activity, tackle, defense, and interception, and has excellent passing skills. Manchester City pushed for recruitment with this performance. Manchester City needed to reinforce the midfield as Fernandinho left the team. 스포츠토토
However, he failed to display remarkable performance after the transfer. Phillips played in only 12 league games last season. He played 290 minutes per game on average, playing 24 minutes per game. This season, he is also being shunned by Guardiola. He played in eight games for 215 minutes, but did not make a big impression.
Guardiola was completely excluded from his proposal. “I visualize the team. And I’m trying to use Phillips. I’m not satisfied with myself, and I feel so sorry for him,” Guardiola said. “I hope things can change. If he stays in January, I’ll be happy because he’s a good person and trains well.”