Haaland? De Bruyne? Guardiola reveals the hero of Man City’s season

Jacque Talbot

• 6 May 2023 16:17 BST
• 3 min read

Pep Guardiola has revealed that Rico Lewis has been the heartbeat of the Manchester City title charge.

The youngster has come into the fold post-World Cup, having made 12 starts in all competitions in his debut season.

The defender is rumoured to be getting a fresh deal, after impressing at right-back and in the centre of the park.

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The exit of Joao Cancelo to Bayern Munich saw Lewis come in and make the position his own.

One of his standout games was in City’s 1-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge after he was put on as a substitute after half-time.

“It's thanks to Rico - he helped us to understand what we had to do to play better and better,” Guardiola said in a press conference on the 18-year-old.

“The last 10 games he didn't play much but without Rico this season, the step we made as a team would have been more difficult. That I'm pretty convinced about that.

“The movement he does makes many things fluid. After that Kyle [Walker] realises, John [Stones] playing in that position has been exceptional.

“But the other players have things Rico doesn't have - experience. This is why the team grows in many cases.”

Phillips' future

Guardiola also spoke about Kalvin Phillips, who has not started a Premier League game since leaving Leeds last summer.

The Spanish boss said of the player: “We are not thinking for one second about next season. 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. The reason why he didn't have the minutes that we expect is a question of tactics, movements.”