Pep Guardiola calls out Kalvin Phillips again after Man City star labeled overweight

Pep Guardiola calls out Kalvin Phillips again after Man City star labelled overweight

Pep Guardiola has told Kalvin Phillips he needs to be in ‘perfect condition’ all year round after calling out the midfielder for being overweight following his return from the World Cup. The 27-year-old came on as a late substitute against Chelsea in mid-week for his first match action since his return from Qatar and could now be set to start against the same opposition on Sunday in the FA Cup. 

Guardiola was scathing about Phillips’ fitness when he returned to Manchester after representing England at the World Cup. The Spaniard left the midfielder out of his squad completely for the first game following the tournament against Liverpool in the League Cup. He explained his decision after the match, telling reporters: “He’s not injured. He arrived overweight. I don’t know [why].” 

Phillips returned to the squad for the following game against former club Leeds and came on for a late five minutes cameo during the 1-0 win over Chelsea in mid-week. Guardiola has now sent another warning to the player over his condition as he weighs up whether or not to give him his first start in the FA Cup 

“He wants to change his mind about the way he is going to play and it will maybe be a good lesson for him for the future,” he explained when asked about Philips fitness. “A footballer has to be perfect over 12 months, perfect. Even on holidays, he has to be perfect. You can enjoy, you can do whatever you want, but you have to be ready because at this level it is so demanding

Pep Guardiola has previously labelled Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips as overweight.