Kalvin Phillips exclusive: I lost fire in my belly at Man City

In a heartfelt interview with Sky Sports, Ipswich's Kalvin Phillips says he lost the 'fire in the belly' for football in the two years at Man City before his loan move.

Phillips was tipped for big things after being molded into an all-round defensive hub by Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds and helping his boyhood club to promotion in 2020 before being named England's player of the year 12 months later.

His form for club and country got Manchester City calling in the summer of 2022, but from then on his upward curve quickly changed direction.

Phillips played just 290 minutes in his first season at the Etihad and was labeled too heavy by Pep Guardiola upon his return from the World Cup in Qatar in December.

The battle for minutes was only exacerbated by a disastrous loan spell at West Ham in the second half of last season, where the 28-year-old cut into an entertaining figure for his error-laden performances before missing out on the England squad for Euro 2024 altogether.

Speaking to Sky Sports in the colors of Ipswich, where he joined on loan in August, Phillips revealed how much the spotlight and fame surrounding his career at the Etihad influenced him – and why the search for a quieter life played a role in his joining to the club. Tractor Boys this summer.

“I knew a lot about the club, and it was a decision I wanted to make to disappear from the media so much and concentrate on playing football and also concentrate on my family,” he said.

“At City you can train with the best players every day, but if you don't play football every day it's difficult to stay fit and maintain confidence.

“When there are times when you feel like you could be playing and the manager decides to go in a different direction, it hurts a little bit. The more I didn't play, the less confidence I got and the less fit I became. .” .

“I just wanted to get that feeling back. It felt like sometimes I lost some fire in my belly to compete, but since I've been here, and even in pre-season, when I played a lot of minutes, I got that fire back, and took the decision to come here to play football and start enjoying what I do again.

“It feels the same here as it did during the Leeds season when we got promoted. We are different in what we do, we are very intense and for me it's about enjoying the season, and for the boys too.”

Phillips' fall from grace could not have been more public given his relative exile during City's brutal winning streak, where he made just three starts in the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in 2023.

His lack of playing minutes, despite Pep Guardiola's desire for occasional rotation during that season, created his own intrigue, which culminated in sharp criticism.

“For everyone, it affects you,” Phillips said of the media attention. “If you read it, it will have an impact. I have quite thick skin anyway, someone can say something to me and I laugh it off.

“But when you're not playing and people are making negative comments, it's hard to show people what you're capable of. That's something I struggled with.

“It's great to say I'm part of a three-time winning team. I've won the competition twice. But if you're not as involved as you would like to be, it doesn't feel the same. It was a great time and a great moment, but I feel like if I had played more and had more opportunities, it would have felt more special.”

Phillips revealed that the move to Suffolk has lifted “a burden” off his shoulders after already improving on his league minutes from last season at the end of November.

That has been helped by the impact of Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna, who has worked one-on-one with the 28-year-old on the pressure he puts on himself both on and off the pitch.

“The manager has helped me in certain situations, allowing me to enjoy every day and every match,” he revealed. “At times I get quite frustrated with myself, especially during training. I'm quite hot-headed and Kieran has told me from day one: don't worry about that. It's part of football, it's a game of mistakes. “

“As long as you can handle certain mistakes better than others, that's fine. He's pushed me to be less hard on myself. My mind can last ten minutes in a session and I would lose more than gain.

“I've been thinking about talking to people, psychologists, and I'm someone who didn't really want to do that. But Kieran talked to me about it, and I'm about to talk to someone and see if they can doing.” shed some light on why I do it.”

Naturally, Ipswich's main aim – and that of Phillips – is to avoid an immediate return to the Championship this season, and a three-match unbeaten streak, plus their first win of the season, suggests they may have plenty in the tank to do just that. That.

But on a personal level, the 31-man England midfielder has a different goal in mind, given his taste for the international stage and an integral part of his country's run to the Euro 2020 final just three years ago.

“For me personally, returning to England would be one of my main objectives,” he says. “Of course I want to play as many matches as possible, but it would be a great feeling after missing the European Championship.

“I was devastated, but I could understand it. It's a good goal to get back there.”