Pep Guardiola said: “I understand. Right now, absolutely, we are not thinking for one second about next season. Kalvin has been, for many things, important in the role, he’s not been on the pitch much. In some things he needs to adapt a little bit more but what happens next season, I’m not concerned for one second now. We will see at the end of the season. We’ll sit with the players. Maybe they want more minutes or maybe they are not happy with the situation. But right now I’m not going to discuss anything. Everyone will be important, there are still a lot of games to play. Every day they are more tired and more tired.”
Guardiola did admit that the form of Rodri and John Stones has made it more difficult for Phillips to get minutes, praising Phillips’ attitude in training. However, he did admit that Phillips still has more learning to do in order to fully grasp the tactical instructions he is being given. Telling Phillips that he still has to earn the faith of his manager to start regularly,
Pep Guardiola said: “I’m not complaining about Kalvin because when you don’t play much it’s difficult to take the rhythm. John [Stones] we’re seven years together, Rodri is [four] years together. I don’t have to tell them anything. Just little details – a movement here or there. Kalvin if maybe in the past he’d played more minutes he will get that but Rodri was in exceptional form. That role is so so important, that’s why the lack of minutes makes the circle more difficult. But he always pays attention, in the training sessions he is always open-minded to get it. But being so behind Arsenal, we cannot drop points. We haven’t had that situation of being eight, 10 points in front – in the past it happened. He can do it, but in that moment I always had the feeling Rodri knows exactly what to do in the role. He continues to do what he knows exactly he has to do. It’s a question of tactics, movements. Sometimes in these types of cases it’s not necessary to tell them. It depends on the players, at the end we’re here, I try to be honest with the questions and my feelings. My feelings sometimes change. But at the end it belongs to the players, they have to convince himself and the team and not because I say something it’s going to happen. They have to earn my confidence. All of them, not just Kalvin, all of them how they perform.”
