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Former Leeds standout ranks Marcelo Bielsa ahead of Pep Guardiola

Former Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips recently ranked three managers that have impacted his career.

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.

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.

Nonetheless, the 28-year-old’s move 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.

Kalvin Phillips ranks Marcelo Bielsa ahead of Pep Guardiola

Phillips has placed Marcelo Bielsa ahead of Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola and Gareth Southgate, highlighting his time at Leeds.

“Bielsa had the biggest impact on my career,” Phillips told Sky Sports. “The time when he came at Leeds, we were a Championship club and he completely flipped it.”

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. As a result, the former Leeds youth product switched to a defensive midfielder, a position he didn’t see himself in while coming up through Leeds’ system.

“I’m probably not a holding midfielder,” Phillips recalled on the podcast. “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.”

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