Manchester City will head to Goodison Park this weekend to face Everton and all eyes will be on what Pep Guardiola is going to do with Kalvin Phillips.
The ex-Leeds midfielder has played only 103 minutes of Premier League football this season and it’s pretty clear that Guardiola has no faith in him. However, he has a very small chance of getting a start because Man City will face Real Madrid next week and Guardiola is going to rest some of his important players for that second leg.
Kalvin Phillips is way down the pecking order and Pep Guardiola has very bluntly said that the midfielder will have to win his faith in order to have a future at the club.
“Players have to earn my confidence – all of them, not just Kalvin,” Guardiola said(h/t the BBC).
“It depends on the players. At the end we’re here, I try to be honest with the questions and my feelings.
“My feelings sometimes change. But in the end, it belongs to the players, they have to convince themselves and the team and not because I say something.
“Teams change a lot and players for previous seasons who were incredibly important but this season less important. It’s how they perform, many things can happen.”
John Stones has been playing as the second central midfielder for the second half of the season but he is surely going to be rested this weekend.
Many would think this will be a perfect setup for Kalvin Phillips to come in but we have a feeling that Pep will use Rico Lewis alongside Rodri.
Lewis has played in defensive midfield five times this season and the Man City will put his trust in the 18-year-old rather than name Kalvin Phillips in the starting line up.
Everton have been really poor this season so it won’t be a risk using Kalvin Phillips but with Arsenal breathing down their necks, Guardiola will much rather rely on young Rico Lewis than gamble with Phillips.
It is very evident that Phillips has no future at Manchester City and at the end of this season, he will have to make the tough decision of whether to stay put or join a new club in the summer.
