12 January 2023 , 08:57
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Kalvin Phillips was on the end of brutal criticism from Jamie Redknapp after being told he was “miles off it” during Manchester City ’s shock Carabao Cup exit at the hands of Southampton.
Pep Guardiola’s men fell at the quarter-final stage on Wednesday evening after first-half goals from Sekou Mara and Moussa Djenepo sealed the hosts’ progression. The performance from the reigning Premier League champions was utterly disappointing but Phillips’ display in particular stood out.
The former Leeds United star has endured an extremely tricky time of things since moving to the Etihad Stadium and was handed a rare start by Guardiola at St Mary’s. After 63 minutes of action, former midfielder Redknapp was left uninspired.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “I think there are a number of factors right now with Kalvin Phillips. There’s a lot of rustiness because before the World Cup he wasn’t fit, he’d been injured, he was picked by Gareth Southgate, and when you’re in the squad and not playing it’s very hard to keep up that match fitness.
“You can see he’s come back, he’s took a little bit of criticism from his manager, it’s been tough for him. One of the things I really admired about Kalvin Phillips at Leeds was he was tenacious, he’d get after people, there was a bit of spite, a bit of aggression about him.
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“Now he’s gone to Man City I think he thinks, ‘okay, I’m just going to play easy here, keep it simple, be a bit passive in my movements’. That for me is not what Kalvin Phillips is about.
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“When he was at Leeds he was the talisman, he was the one who won every tackle. He was brushed aside, there was no real strength about his play [against Southampton] and that epitomised his performance. I feel he’s almost got to go back to basics, to the midfield player that he was at Leeds, be a little bit nastier and get after people.
“That’s what Pep Guardiola will want. At the moment he’s miles off it.”
Phillips’ underwhelming display against Southampton is the latest chapter in what has been an uncomfortable saga for the 27-year-old. Having dealt with a succession of injury issues during his first season as a City player, he still managed to earn a place in England’s World Cup squad.
Upon his return from Qatar, Pep Guardiola was left disappointed with the midfielder’s fitness having claimed that he was “overweight” and would not be considered for selection until he had got himself in better condition. He then sent a further warning to Phillips that he could expect “nothing” unless he was “perfect”.
The former Leeds man appears not to have headed that warning however with his display against Southampton.