Leeds United midfielder scored a crucial equaliser at the weekend.
Kalvin Phillips’ equaliser for Leeds at the weekend served as a reminder of his attacking qualities.
Phillips began the season in fine form, with Teamtalk reporting he was on Gareth Southgate’s radar for a potential England call up.
The midfielder bought into Marcelo Bielsa’s tactical approach and was key to the Whites’ strong start to the season.
Over the past two months Phillips has been used in a more defensive role, due to injuries in the Leeds’ backline.
Leeds’ decision not to sign a centre-back in the summer saw Bielsa choose to lean on Phillips as a fill in for Liam Cooper during his spell out injured.
His versatility counted against him, because while he has been a solid enough fill in at the back, Leeds have been missing his influence badly in midfield.
His contribution in an attacking sense against Middlesbrough was another reminder of what he can bring to the table.
Phillips has had a disappointing start to 2019, picking up a suspension for a red card while playing at centre-back. He was not picked for the loss against Norwich.
Marcelo Bielsa is a genius when it comes to management, and this makes it curious that so far he has not been able to see that taking Phillips out of midfield has been to the detriment of the team.
Leeds need to get back to building around Phillips if they are to rediscover their early season dynamism.
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