Manchester City are set to face Brighton in the Premier League, but the lineup has left fans scratching their heads in bewilderment. Despite the Cityzens having already sealed their title, Kalvin Phillips is conspicuously absent from the starting XI.
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His only taste of playing upfront came during the slender 1-0 triumph over Chelsea, his first start for the Cityzens since his summer switch from Leeds. Phillips’ resume boasts a total of 10 Premier League appearances this season, though the bulk of these – a staggering nine – saw him come off the bench.
The fans, however, are not entirely satisfied with his presence on the bench again. Given that Manchester City have already clinched the Premier League title, they expect to see more of Phillips in action, as the competitive pressure is off.
Yet, Guardiola has opted to bench him, leading to a wave of disgruntled reactions from the fans. A barrage of tweets surfaced online discussing the situation, some of them as follows:
Dominant Manchester City set to face Brighton, but their eyes will be on the treble
Fresh off their scintillating hat-trick of Premier League victories, reigning champions Manchester City are gearing up to take on Brighton & Hove Albion. Backtracking to seven months ago, City beat the Seagulls 3-1 at home, with superstar Erling Haaland netting two and Kevin De Bruyne adding the icing on the cake.
City’s latest Premier League title was a gift, presented on a silver platter by Arsenal, following the Gunners’ 1-0 fiasco against Nottingham Forest. The pressure valves had thus been loosened for Pep Guardiola’s valiant warriors, heading into a battle of the blues with Chelsea on Sunday.
City was eager to put on a show for their faithful, delivering one last victory on their home turf, the Etihad Stadium.
This triumphant note in their final home game set the stage for captain Ilkay Gundogan to hoist the club’s seventh Premier League trophy high into the skies. City, the epitome of resilience, have stitched together an awe-inspiring 24-game unbeaten streak across all competitions, with 12 consecutive Premier League victories.
A season that saw them trailing Arsenal for the lion’s share of the time, now sees them perched seven points clear at the peak of the Premier League mountain. Having already bagged one trophy, Manchester City are hot on the trail for an unprecedented treble.
Awaiting them are the glittering finals of the FA Cup and the Champions League. In the interim, City have their itinerary chalked out, featuring two away games against Brighton and Brentford. The aim is to maintain their forward surge before they grace the hallowed Wembley turf.
A showdown against arch-rivals Manchester United awaits in the FA Cup final on June 3, followed by a clash with Inter Milan in the Champions League finale in Istanbul.