Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips Swapped Leeds United Immortality For Garbage Minutes

It is almost three years since Manchester City manager made a beeline for Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips after a thrilling 1-1 draw at Elland Road.

The Catalan rarely pulls an opposition player aside and, whilst it is not always an indication of an interest in recruiting the star, in the case of the Yorkshireman, it felt significant.

At that point, he was the beating heart of Marcelo Biesla’s Leeds United side which was that season’s revelation.

Against City, Phillips’ fearlessness was clear to see, the young man went toe to toe with the midfield of the team who would that season be crowned champions.

His dominant display came with Manchester City targeting Phillips specifically to disrupt the Leeds United build-up.

After the game, the Leeds United star lifted the lid on how he’d helped power the side to a point.

“To be fair a lot of our play goes through me, but they tried to catch me out so I knew I had to change my game and get on the ball in different ways. We did that in the second half,” he explained.

“I think we gave them a little bit too much respect in the first 20 minutes. We came out in the second half, made a couple of tackles and counter-attacks and had a real go.”

The performance against Manchester City turned out to be the start of what was a remarkable ascent to the highest level of the game for Phillips.

England manager Gareth Southgate was impressed enough to put him at the center of his team which marched to the final of Euro 2020.

It wasn’t just that the Leeds United star seamlessly adapted to international soccer, he was one of the stand-out performers.

Another strong season with his boyhood club followed before Manchester City came knocking.

As I documented at the time of the transfer it was a painful move for Leeds United fans to accept.

Phillips had been with them his whole career and blossomed from Championship battler to international star.

There were also wider concerns the Yorkshireman was joining a team where he had little chance of a place in the starting XI.

He, after all, played in the same position as Rodri, one of Manchester City’s most consistently brilliant stars.

As former Scotland manager Alex McLeish warned at the time, joining a club where he had little chance of being a starter was a risk

“Phillips shouldn’t go somewhere if he’s going to be on the bench, playing every five weeks or something. No,” the pundit told Football Insider before the move.

“I would say if he is not guaranteed as a Man City stalwart or in the nucleus of the team, he should go somewhere else.”

But Phillips did not heed the warning, he joined City.

The result has been worse than the scenario predicted by the Scotsman.

Struggles With New Standards

The challenge for Phillips was not only to dislodge one of Manchester City’s ever-presents but adapt to meteorically higher expectations.

After winning the hearts of neutrals in its first season, Leeds United struggled badly in the second only staying up on the final day.

The anticipation was not for the team to win every week, the hope was it do enough to consolidate itself in the league.

When Biesla appeared to be falling short of this objective he was fired and, although replacement Jesse Marsch oversaw survival, it was a campaign that charitable observers would say drifted into danger.

City on the other hand accumulated 93 points, winning the league by a solitary point and requiring near perfection in its final ten games to claim the crown.

That Phillips was not immediately in the team at Manchester City after the transfer was not a major concern, new signings are known to take a while to adapt to Pep Guardiola’s system.

An injury requiring surgery a few months into his career on the other side of the Pennines added further mitigation to the lack of game time.

But, when he returned from international duty with England, there was a worrying revelation from Guardiola: Phillips had come back overweight.

More concerning than him being slightly heavier than he should was the inference from his manager, after he shed the weight, that he needed teaching about standards.

“It will maybe be a good lesson for him in the future. A footballer has to be perfect over 12 months. Perfect,” the coach said.

“Even in the holidays, he has to be perfect. You have to be ready because this level is so demanding. You have to [be able to] play three games [a week], you have to be fit. If you are not fit, then nothing. But I said last week, he [has] improved his level.”

Not Seizing The Moment

Opportunities to show he was up to standards have remained limited, however, and when he has appeared the results have not been good.

After producing a performance to forget during a rare start in the dismal 0-2 exit in the Carabao Cup to Southampton he was given the majority of the second half against Leicester City.

The result was a performance that the man himself described as “a bit of a stinker.”

Post-game he offered some insight into his state of mind.

“I come to this club to play football and I want to be involved but when you’ve got a player like Rodri in front of you it’s very difficult. I always want to learn and grow,” he said.

“This squad is unbelievable. The whole club is unbelievable. The way we push each other forward and how confident we are.”

As the summer transfer window approaches, talk is already in the air of a transfer to rivals Liverpool or Aston Villa.

It would be disappointing for all involved if he were to leave with such a whimper.

Phillips seems like a determined character and may attempt to force his way back into Pep Guardiola’s plans.

In the past, players like John Stones and Oleksandr Zinchenko have changed the Catalan’s mind and become influential starters for the Citizens.

But the Elland Road faithful could be forgiven for wondering whether all this was worth Phillips losing his status as Leeds United legend.

At the moment all he’s getting are garbage minutes in games which are dead.