Football seems to be in a constant state of flux. The demands on positions continue to change, tactics are adapted and formations evolve.
Football is a different animal than it was 10 years ago and it’ll be a different beast again in 10 years’ time. Right now, the name of the game is pressing and possession and very few sides have mastered those two elements as well as Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds.
In three seasons, Bielsa has turned Leeds into a machine and at the heart of it stands the most important piece of the puzzle: Kalvin Phillips. The English midfielder has evolved into the ideal defensive midfielder. He has intelligence, positional awareness, energy and skill allowing him to stop counter attacks and get Leeds going forward instantly.
Despite his brilliant form last season and the fact he is most definitely one of the top defensive midfielders in the Premier League, he’s received a lot of stick whilst in an England shirt even though he claimed the Man of the Match in England’s opening game of the Euros.
The likes of Gary Neville and Jose Mourinho took swipes at the midfielder but after a stunning performance against Germany in the Round of 16, many have rightly praised Phillips.
On Tuesday, Arsenal legend Tony Adams showered him in praise and former England boss Fabio Capello has now joined in. Capello coached the likes of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard whilst he was England boss but has now called Phillips, “the best modern midfielder I have seen on the pitch.”
In a tweet from Footy Accumulators, Capello praised Phillips’ development under Bielsa saying: “At Leeds with Bielsa, Phillips has really grown a lot and today he is the best modern midfielder I have seen on the pitch.”
Plenty are now expecting Phillips to take England to the final, something Capello and his midfield duo of Lampard and Gerrard never did.
