Has Gareth Southgate showcased a new club role for Kalvin Phillips?

“He named everyone by their positions. He came to me and said number four, I was like, What? Did you not watch me last season?”

Such were the words of Kalvin Phillips when, in April 2021, he discussed his career in an episode of Football Focus with Ian Wright. In his beginnings, the Yorkshireman was utilised as a box-to-box midfielder and had just completed his highest-scoring season when Marcelo Bielsa arrived in Leeds. You can imagine his confusion when the Argentinian manager addressed him as a number four upon first meeting him.

Fans were understandably intrigued, and slightly confused, when it emerged that the Leeds United academy graduate had been training as a defensive player under his new coach, sometimes as a centre-back, but more often as a defensive midfielder. He first played such a role in Bielsa’s maiden Leeds game, against Stoke City in August 2018.

Three years on, and he became the first Leeds midfielder to represent England at a major tournament since David Batty in Euro 1992. It’s probably safe to say the transition paid off.

Leeds supporters know full well what Kalvin Phillips can bring to any side. Throughout his young, yet growing England career, the staunch admiration of the Elland Road faithful has often been met with a barrage of contradiction, with many fans of the Three Lions claiming the Leeds-born midfielder doesn’t have what it takes to represent the country.

Until Euro 2020, Gareth Southgate frequently used Phillips as a holding midfielder, but in no way was it the same role he has become so accustomed to in LS11. Often partnered with the similarly defensive Declan Rice, Phillips usually functioned as the clean-up for his midfield. It was consistently great displays of the fundamentals, but quite a gritty play style to watch.

It is therefore unsurprising that, given the impression he had set for the majority of England fans, many were concerned when they saw his name amongst the starting 11 for England’s first group game of the Euros against Croatia. The match began with anxious spectators who, by the blow of the full-time whistle, were praising Phillips more than anyone else on the pitch.

Southgate seemed to play the Leeds man further forward, in a role akin to that of his early Leeds days. Phillips darted from one box to the other, his Bielsa-like pressing being one of the key factors in England’s dominance of the midfield. It was through his efforts that he was able to assist Raheem Sterling for the only goal of the tie, whilst also coming close to scoring himself.

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From there, Phillips maintained his form in the remaining two group stage games, and it soon seemed impossible to even consider dropping him. The very idea became unfathomable, which is saying something given that not even a week before the group stages began, the thought of dropping him was very fathomable to most England supporters.

The midfielder was ever-present throughout England’s run to the final of Euro 2020, scarcely missing a minute of football. He would go on to cover 83km of ground in the tournament, second only to Jorginho for distance travelled. Southgate has always shown faith in the 25-year-old, and this faith is something he has continuously repaid.

Now though, it seems the England manager has been able to find a role for Phillips that allows him to best showcase himself as a player for his country, and it is of great interest that this role is something that clearly differs from his position in Leeds’ team.

Below are the heatmaps of Kalvin Phillips’ season. One for Leeds United, and one for England at the Euros.

Phillips’ Leeds United heat map (Credit: SofaScore)

Phillips’ England heat map (Credit: SofaScore)

Now, obviously, the season heatmap is far denser as there were more games to be played, but the disparity between the two is clear. Throughout the Euros, the Yorkshireman has clearly been asked to drive further forward, something enabled by his midfield partner, Declan Rice, performing as the more conventional holding midfielder of the two.

Phillips frequents the right-hand side of the pitch when driving forward, an area he scarcely visits when playing club football. This makes sense though, as it is clear that Southgate and Bielsa use ‘The Yorkshire Pirlo’ in different manors. The question that arises from this is, has Gareth Southgate unlocked a new role for Kalvin Phillips?

It’s a strange one because you could most likely argue he both has and hasn’t. If you assume he hasn’t, then this is completely valid. Not only is this owing to Phillips’ background as a box-to-box midfielder, but towards the end of the 2020/21 season, the 25-year-old often seemed further up the pitch in the latter stages of games, pressing opponents as part of a much higher line than he has become accustomed to, presumably on Bielsa’s command.

That being said, though, what Southgate has enabled Phillips to do is prove that he can operate as a number eight for an entire game, even still, against some of Europe’s finest. The stamina that he has gained through Bielsa means that his pressing and constant energy serves as a great benefit to an England midfield that otherwise naturally tires throughout the game.

So, from there, it must be pondered, would Phillips ever occupy his England role in a Leeds United team under Bielsa?

Phillips would most likely function well as a number eight, especially in Leeds’ system, but the issue becomes replacing him as the defensive lynchpin for Leeds. Whilst Robin Koch definitely provides adept cover, it’s hard to imagine Bielsa wanting to transform him into an out-and-out CDM. Then again, with Bielsa, who knows?

It’s no secret that Leeds are searching for a central midfielder in the current summer window, and it can most likely be assumed that the player they seek will be able to cover multiple positions, including those within the midfield.

For Phillips to ever move further forward for Leeds, Bielsa needs to have someone behind him who can do the job he has done for three seasons now. Whilst he could never be like-for-like replaced, Leeds could surely use one of their many options to slot into that role.

With the likes of Stuart Dallas, Mateusz Klich and potentially another midfielder at Elland Road come the end of August, chances are the 25-year-old will remain in the position that has shot him into stardom. This doesn’t serve to discredit Gareth Southgate however, who helped showcase another part of Phillips’ game to the wider world in a Euro campaign that, though bitterly ended, drew masses of praise from the millions that watched.

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