Leeds United have stumbled upon an unforeseen crisis. Their most pivotal player is Kalvin Phillips deployed as a deep-lying playmaker throughout this season. However, against Queens Park Rangers, a game that went completely out of Marcelo Bielsa’s grasp, Phillips picked up a red card in the dying minutes as a final nail to their coffin. What loomed ahead was a three-match suspension for Phillips and a lack of a suitable replacement with Adam Forshaw unavailable.
As Phillips went sliding recklessly into that late tackle, dragging with him Leeds United’s fears of letting an automatic promotion slip into jeopardy, a 19-year-old academy number six Alfie McCalmont watched on from the bench. McCalmont has impressed in the U23s with Carlos Corberán in the Professional Development League and is rumoured to be Phillips’ heir to the holding midfield position.
This scout report will attempt to break down McCalmont’s game, his strengths and weaknesses and examine whether he will be a reliable option through Phillips’ absence, even as a substitute. A tactical analysis will further look into how Leeds can look into preparing the teenager for the role in the long term.
Background
McCalmont is a Thorp Arch product, like fellow graduate Phillips. At around 170cm, he stands shorter than the latter but has caught eyes at Leeds United and the Northern Ireland youth and senior team with a similar set of skills. He was a major figure in Corberán’s campaign tactics last year in the PDL winning the youth league by beating Birmingham City in the final. A regular part of the Northern Ireland U19 and U21 teams, he was selected by the senior team in a friendly against Luxembourg in September. His senior debut for the national team makes him the only youth player in Corberán’s side to have played international football.
Aside from carrying Leeds DNA, he is a natural born holding midfielder and features regularly in that position for the Leeds United U23 side. His range of passing, vision, game intelligence and defensive attribute makes him a natural number six. He has also featured in different tactical systems, most commonly the 4-3-3, the 4-2-3-1 double pivot and the 3-4-3 with the U23 side. His performances have turned him into a star figure at Thorp Arch and the PDL, but is he ready for Elland Road?
For this analysis, I have relied on statistical data collected from the international games he has featured in for the national team, and the two cup appearances he made with the Leeds United first team. I have also relied on tactical analysis of his youth league games in the PDL.
Actions on the ball
The potential weapon in his arsenal is his distribution with a good range, and he often looks for opportunities to hit the diagonal ball into wide pockets behind the opposition line of defence. He averages 5.8 long passes per 90 min, with a 63% accuracy. An impressive figure of 3.6 accurate long passes every 90 min shows why his long ball technique is on point. He also has close to a 100% accuracy on crosses despite having a lower total per game because of his deep-lying position.
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