Kalvin Phillips has been a vital component in Marcelo Bielsa’s exciting Leeds United side this season. The defensive midfielder has played key roles in both defence and attack for the Whites.
First making his way into the Leeds side in the 2014/15 season, Phillips was part of a promising group of academy graduates which included the likes of Lewis Cook and Sam Byram.
Phillips, however, remained at Leeds in the Championship for the following seasons, making a steady flow of first-team appearances. This past season is his third in a row in which he has made over 30 appearances.
Over Summer, Phillips revealed that he had been training as a deep-lying midfielder and as a centre-back under Bielsa. This is in tow with the Argentines’ preference for moving midfielders into deeper positions. This is to aid with ball retention and building out from the back.
In his role as the deepest lying midfielder over the past season with Bielsa, Phillips has gained plenty of recognition for his excellent performances. This analysis will take a further look at his role.
Position and Role
Leeds have lined up in a nominal 4-1-4-1 under Bielsa, which lends itself to a great deal of fluidity. Phillips has been the deepest midfielder, linking up defence and midfield. This means that he shoulders a lot of responsibility for helping United play out from the back. Below we can see a basic diagram of his interaction with the centre-backs.
He is a key pivot as Leeds progress up the pitch. Out of the ball, he also does the classic ‘destroyer’ job of helping shield the defence. This heat map below shows just how much he patrols the area between defence in midfield, both in and out of possession.
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