Almost exactly a year ago, the combative midfielder joined the Blues from Leeds United, the club he had spent much of his life with, with high expectations placed on his shoulders.
The likeable Yorkshireman made an immediate impact with everybody at City on his arrival, with his friendly, welcoming nature winning him friends straight away.
He made his debut on the opening day of the campaign in a 2-0 win at West Ham United, coming on as a sub for Rodrigo as he found his feet in sky blue.
Phillips’ style is to put his body on the line, with a fearless style that made him an idol at Elland Road, but early in his City career, one such challenge resulted in a shoulder injury that, despite attempting to soldier on, ultimately required surgery.
He would be sidelined for two months and his hopes of playing at Qatar World Cup looked in doubt, but he did enough to convince England boss Gareth Southgate that he was fit enough to travel with the national team, and he would make a couple of sub appearances during the tournament.
On his return, he came off the bench twice in the space of a few days as City beat Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge, and then 4-0 in the FA Cup at the Etihad.
Finally, he was handed his first team debut for the Carabao Cup quarter-final away to struggling Southampton, but he was unfortunate to be involved in a performance where few City stars came out with much credit in a hugely disappointing 2-0 loss at St Mary’s.
Phillips’ next 11 appearances were all off the bench – and the fact that City won them all meant that in the first 18 appearances he had made for the Blues, 17 had ended in victory.
He made his full Premier League debut in a 1-0 win over Chelsea at the Etihad and also featured in the remaining matches against Brighton and Brentford to end with 21 appearances in total.
But while that might not have been the sort of contribution he’d have liked in terms of starts and minutes on the pitch, he still managed to end with some impressive stats.
His average of 2.2 interceptions per 90 minutes (all competitions) was the highest of any City player.
And his 89.4 passes per 90 minutes in the Premier League is the highest percentage of any player in the division.
He was also involved in 57.8 open play sequences per 90 minutes in the Premier League last season – again the highest of any City player and fourth only to Trent Alexander-Arnold, Enzo Fernández and James Milner.
Though he didn’t feature in the FA Cup final or Champions League final, Kalvin Phillips earned his right to be called a Treble winner and his smile at the city centre parade was one of many boyhood dreams realised.
He ended the 2022/23 season by scoring his first England goal in the 7-0 Euro 2024 group stage clash with North Macedonia – a fine way to end a memorable year.
There is plenty more to come from this dedicated and talented midfielder who will look to show his best form in the upcoming campaign – and his 2022/23 stats prove what an asset he can be for Pep Guardiola’s side.
