Many of Manchester City’s players no longer have anything to prove and are guaranteed a job for life if they so choose.
In addition to others, the list includes Bernardo Silva, Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri, Jack Grealish, Ederson, Ruben Dias, and John Stones. Last season, City accomplished the amazing feat of matching the championship glory of ferocious rival Manchester United by becoming just the second English team to win the triple crown.
There are other members of the City squad who didn’t contribute as significantly, even though those names will go down in history books and legends of their greatness will be passed down from generation to generation. Beyond what we see on the pitch, each squad member is essential for maintaining squad cohesion and teamwork.
Everyone, however, wants to play. each and every game. Some will compete for their futures during preseason and the upcoming season because they did not perform well enough to win a regular berth in the team last year.
The best illustration is, of course, Kalvin Phillips. The midfielder was acquired from Leeds United last summer to cover for Rodri in place of the outgoing Fernandinho, but he scarcely saw any play. His season was hampered by a shoulder injury in the first half, and Pep Guardiola expressed his displeasure at having to use Rodri so much early on.
Due to the break, Phillips was already behind in a club where it usually takes players a year to become accustomed to the manager’s style. Guardiola did not have enough confidence in him to play frequently even after he was back on the bench. When he came off the bench against Leicester City, it was his longest appearance in the Premier League and it nearly cost them the game.
The midfielder concluded the season with 593 minutes of activity despite not starting his first league game until the championship was already assured. Phillips must have believed he would play more but anticipated playing second fiddle to Rodri.
Since his first season was such a failure, there was some talk that he would leave after a year, but Phillips immediately put those suspicions to rest by stating that he wanted to establish himself at the Etihad. “My plan is to remain there. There is no need for me to quit since we recently won the treble; nevertheless, if I don’t play, I will undoubtedly have to give it some thought.
“I cannot give it a year and then declare that I will stop participating and leave. I joined Manchester City in hopes of winning championships, and we did, but I didn’t get to play as much as I would have liked.
“With England, I played a little amount, but I was also sidelined due to injury. Being fit in your back is simply good. I don’t need to worry right now. My body is doing just great. I’ll put in much more effort the following season in the hopes of performing well when I rejoin City.
That’s a noble posture to adopt, and there’s a good possibility he could find his best form now that he’s healthy, as so many newcomers do in their second season. But it’s difficult to imagine him surviving for a third campaign if there isn’t a significant improvement shortly.
Sergio Gomez, another new addition, had a difficult year despite little of his own doing. The Spaniard was brought in as a development player, and the original idea was for him to go out on loan right away to continue growing. However, a rare City oversight forced him to remain after the Blues allowed Aleks Zinchenko to go without having a substitute in place; Marc Cucurella finally joined Chelsea.
Gomez resembled a player who was first thought unfit for the senior team in his few appearances. Out of his depth entirely. It was not shocking given that he was previously an attacker. Despite playing as a winger, he is having a fantastic Under-21 Euros, scoring five goals in four games to help Spain get to the final.
Gomez definitely has talent, but if he wants to stay with the team and not leave on a loan or permanently, he must start realising it at City.
Cole Palmer, who is also having a fantastic campaign, stood out in England’s 3-0 semi-final triumph over Israel by scoring a goal and setting up two more. The playmaker is obviously quite talented, as evidenced by the fact that he has been a consistent member of the team for a number of years.
But given that he didn’t play as frequently as might have been anticipated last season, it’s time for him to start making a bigger impact on games at the age of 21 if he wants to follow in the footsteps of Phil Foden and establish himself as a staple in the lineup.
James McAtee and Tommy Doyle, his teammates at EDS, are his rivals. The two played a key role in Sheffield United’s promotion back to the Premier League while on loan there the previous season. They have already experienced the taste of playing regularly for the first team and will undoubtedly be hungry to do the same at City.
While a regular starting position is highly improbable, there is undoubtedly room on the bench for a dynamic young midfielder, and one of the trio will need to perform well throughout preseason in order to earn that spot or risk spending another season on loan.