Speaking on the Footballer’s Football Podcast, Michail Antonio has been chatting about how difficult it is to adapt to playing a different style of football on the international stage.
Footballers train all year long under the same manager, but for a few weeks every couple of months or so, they go to play under a different coach in a different style for their national teams.
Antonio was speaking about how difficult it is to play a deeper role for Jamaica, while he expressed sympathy for midfielders who play in very complex systems – pointing towards Kalvin Phillips as an example.
Antonio stated that Phillips has to play a completely different role for England.
What’s been said?
The West Ham striker spoke about Phillips’ roles for club and country.
“It’s more the midfielders who I think should find it difficult. It’s different routines. Look at Kalvin Phillips, when he’s at Leeds he’s basically man-for-man, but then going from that training to England where you need to find shape and stuff like that and not you can’t through the middle, because they will find the strikers, but at Leeds, nobody worries about that,” Antonio said.
Does it brilliantly
Antonio is absolutely right to point out the difference between Gareth Southgate and Marcelo Bielsa’s systems, but Phillips adapted to both brilliantly.
During the opening game of Euro 2020, Phillips played fantastically in a more advanced role, and he even grabbed an assist.
Meanwhile, he’s been playing as more of a quarterback for Leeds over the past couple of years.
Of course, Bielsa is now gone and Jesse Marsch is his new manager, so it remains to be seen whether or not he will be asked to play in yet another new role under the American.
Phillips has proven to be adaptable under both Bielsa and Southgate, so don’t be surprised if he quickly takes to playing under Marsch.
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