To address Pep Guardiola’s ‘overweight’ criticism, Kalvin Phillips can take the lead from a Man City teammate.

Kalvin Phillips is ‘overweight,’ according to Pep Guardiola, and cannot train after returning from the World Cup.

It was assumed Pep Guardiola was using a lighthearted expression when he said he would check on Friday to see if his players were “fit or fat” after returning from the World Cup.

A little more than 24 hours later, it became clear that perhaps Guardiola was making a reference to Kalvin Phillips when he said that the England midfielder couldn’t train or play after returning from the World Cup due to his “overweight.”

Taken at face value, the remarks are a damning indictment of Phillips, who has only played four times for City and has been sidelined for months due to shoulder surgery. Guardiola could do worse than scan the City locker room for the appropriate response if he wants to win Guardiola over again.

Kalvin Phillips is unable to play for Man City after returning from the World Cup “overweight.”

“He has no wounds. He arrived chubby. I’m not sure [why]. He wasn’t ready to play or participate in training when he arrived “Guardiola said.

He will play when he is ready because we are in dire need of him.

It’s odd that Phillips hasn’t met Guardiola’s fitness requirements given that he trained every day for England in Qatar and came off the bench twice. However, it’s not the first time this season that Guardiola has alluded to a player’s weight in a public setting to justify their exclusion from the lineup.

As the Algerian failed to score in his first ten games of the season, Guardiola claimed in October that Riyad Mahrez wasn’t playing as much as some of his teammates because of his “physical condition.”

Mahrez has now buckled down to score five goals in his last eight appearances, including three in his last three, after slipping down the pecking order and making the most of his playing time in cup games. He has overcome his earlier slump and can once again be taken into consideration for the biggest games, as evidenced by the magnificent first touch and finish against Liverpool.

To use Mahrez as an example of a player whose fitness has been questioned before he regained it, Phillips could do worse than follow his example.

As a result, while Phillips’ criticism appears to be a low point in his stuttering City career, Mahrez’s season suggests that it may be just what he needs to get him going in the direction Guardiola so obviously desires.