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Ex-Leeds star recalls unexpected transition to defensive midfielder under Marcelo Bielsa

IMAGO / Sports Press Photo

Former Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips recently appeared on a podcast and recalled when Marcelo Bielsa told him he’d be changing position.

Phillips spent over a decade at Leeds, joining the Whites’ youth academy in 2010 and breaking into the first team in 2014. The 28-year-old made 234 appearances across all competitions while scoring 14 goals and registering 13 assists.

However, there was a point when Phillips didn’t plan on playing as a defensive midfielder. When manager Bielsa arrived, there were many changes, as the Argentine manager had the goal of getting the Yorkshire side back into the Premier League.

Kalvin Phillips explains how he switched to the defensive midfield role

Phillips recently appeared on the “My Mate’s A Footballer” podcast and recalled how Bielsa told him that he no longer would be playing in an attacking role and needed to transition to a more defensive role.

“I’m probably not a holding midfielder,” Phillips recalled. “And then, obviously, he came in and named us by numbers in the first meeting. He came up, and he was like, No. 1, pointed at the goalkeeper, he pointed to me, No. 4, and I was looking around like, ‘What?’

“It took me a while to get used to it. I think just Bielsa in general was a main reason of why we did so well and why I progressed as a player.”

Nonetheless, Bielsa’s decision that Phillips would be better suited for the defensive midfield role proved accurate. He would flourish in that position, and in 2022, Manchester City signed Phillips for a reported initial £42 million to sign the midfielder with another £3 million due in add-ons.

Phillips was signed to compete for a midfield spot with Rodri and to fill the gap left by Fernandinho, who left the squad after nine years at the Etihad. Despite the high-profile move, Phillips’ exit from Elland Road didn’t go as planned.

During the 2023-24 season, Phillips went on loan to West Ham United, but it was a brief stint. Then, this summer, he went out on loan to Ipswich Town as the player looks to get his career back on track.

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