More than a year late, Pep Guardiola has apologized to Kalvin Phillips, whose obesity he made public. Phillips could do with some warm words right now
This Tuesday, Manchester City face Brentford FC in a catch-up game to keep Premier League leaders Liverpool FC in sight. At Pep Guardiola’s pre-match press conference, however, something else suddenly took center stage: a sentence the coach said shortly before Christmas 2022 about a player who no longer plays for Man City.
At the time, Guardiola had publicly stated that Kalvin Phillips, who was already struggling at his new club after his €49 million move from Leeds a few months earlier, had returned from the 2022 World Cup overweight. It was only in January that the now 28-year-old admitted in a Guardian interview that the words had “taken a toll” on his “confidence and feeling at City”, as well as his family, “especially my mother”.
After a delay of more than a year, Guardiola has now expressed his remorse. “I’m so sorry,” the Catalan explained several times on Monday. “I apologize to him.” Having to apologize “once in eight years” was “not bad”, he said. He actually always talks to the players first before he speaks to media representatives.
“Water retention and all that “
Phillips, who said he never spoke to Guardiola about the issue again, later revealed that he had returned to Manchester 1.5 kilograms overweight, but at the same time spoke of a “misunderstanding”. He had traveled to New York for a few days. “I had breakfast, lunch, dinner and landed. And then it was straight to soccer,” he told the Daily Mail last summer. “I’d eaten for a whole day. There’s water retention and stuff during a flight.” Apparently there had been confusion over when ManCity expected him back.
Phillips has not found a way into Guardiola’s team since then, so he was loaned out to West Ham this winter despite his contract running until 2028. His start there: two serious slip-ups, a 6-0 home defeat against Arsenal and, most recently, a yellow card in the 2-0 loss at Nottingham on Saturday. Whether Guardiola’s apology will help him this late in the game remains doubtful – but he could do with some warm words right now
