‘We can rely on him’ – Pep Guardiola gives verdict on Kalvin Phillips’ first 90 minutes for Man City

Pep Guardiola hailed Kalvin Phillips’ performance in his first 90 minutes for Manchester City, declaring he can now rely on his £45m signing.

A rare start for Kalvin Phillips after struggling with injuries for the majority of the season. He started only his second Manchester City game and completed 90 minutes for the first time this season.

Less than two minutes into the game, after he was named in the City team, Phillips rattled the crossbar as his shot from 25 yards set the tone for a dominant City side.

After some disappointing outings in previous appearances, Phillips was more like the player City signed from Leeds and earned praise from his manager at Ashton Gate.

Pre-match, Pep Guardiola simply told Phillips to ‘be himself’, and the following performance against Bristol City, the Man City boss declared he can now rely on his £45m signing.

“It’s not easy when you don’t play much. To play good in these kind of games is not easy but he played more than well,” Guardiola said.

“Of course he needs rhythm but it was important to give Rodri time. We need him and we can rely on him and we will need him. That is the most important thing.”

These Guardiola’s comments were shared on Twitter by City Xtra and it attracted plenty of attention from the club’s supporters.

@Phabhlo_Amart99: “Good and awesome performance. Looking forward to seeing more of such performance.”

@SZ_ctid: “Wasn’t massively impressed in the first but looked better in the second tbh, trust the process.”

@MCFC_Buckers: “Good to see him back. He played well, still a little rusty, but that’s gonna happen sometimes.”

@PepDegree: “Did improve as game went on. I’d like to see what he can do with a few games under his belt but so far he’s been very average.”

@DazzlingDias4: “Few misplaced passes but second half he wasn’t too bad obviously he’s no rodri(who is) but I have faith in kalvin he’s a quality player he’ll be ready in time.”

@a779457: “He’s rusty but that’s to be expected. Can see a good player in there though and an asset if he can stay fit and push for a place. Offers something different to Rodri, a bit more direct with his passing etc..”

@kinjiteV1: “Want to see him play with KDB and Gundo in a big game. He looks more direct than Rodri.”