, Leeds United boss turns Kalvin Phillips into Claude Makélélé

Leeds United boss turns Kalvin Phillips into Claude Makélélé

Despite scoring seven goals last season, Kalvin Phillips was lambasted by a segment of the Leeds United fanbase.

These fans were looking for a scapegoat to bury their frustrations in of a season that started well but then rapidly went down the pan with a swirl all too familiar to them. Kalvin Phillips was that scapegoat, taking the mantle from the likes of Liam Cooper, Jason Pearce and Tom Lees.

Last season Phillips was receiving pelters from this section of the Leeds United supporter base, whereas now he’s picking up plaudits. This is the same player as last season, well body-wise it is. But football-wise it’s a case of ‘Enter Player 1’ as Marcelo Bielsa seems to have turned him into a totally different player.

What Leeds United had before was an analogue version of Kalvin Phillips, complete with all the retro scratches and hisses. But now, now the Whites have a digital upgrade where the scratches and hisses still remain but sound ever so much more clear. Leeds United fans are seeing this as Phillips goes about his business in a Whites side that some on Twitter are calling ‘Bielsalona’.

A look at his performance against Rotherham United, where he anchored the Leeds United midfield with Mateusz Klich, is enough to see just how Marcelo Bielsa is turning Kalvin Phillips from Kalvin Phillips to Claude Makélélé – from analogue player to digital upgrade.

Kalvin Phillips vs Rotherham United – not a one-man show

First off it must be said that it wasn’t the Kalvin Phillips show against Rotherham, although his performance did help to light it up. truly what Leeds United fans are seeing this season is a new, a different Kalvin Phillips. Here’s what they saw against Rotherham United in the Whites’ most recent win at Elland Road:

  • 10.7% possession from total Leeds United possession of 74%
  • 112 touches
  • 99 pass attempts/87 pass completions/88% pass accuracy
  • 99 pass attempts/66 forward pass attempts/24 aimed at attacking third
  • two chances created
  • six pass interceptions
  • two ball clearances
  • one blocked shot
  • two shots
  • two lost possessions

It’s probably a fanciful leap of imagination to compare Phillips to the French star Claude Makélélé, but there was method in my madness. Makélélé anchored Real Madrid’s midfield at the turn of this century and provided that added layer of not only defence in front of the central defenders, but also that distributive base that drove Los Blancos forward.

When he moved to Chelsea in 2003 for a five-year stint in English football, he basically just transferred his usual game over with him. The effect of him leaving was felt by Real, and scorn was poured on him by the then-Real Madrid coach Florentin Perez. Madrid struggled and even the 2005 transfer of Thomas Gravesen from Everton did not really fill the gap Makélélé left.

That’s the importance that Kalvin Phillips is having at Elland Road, he is Leeds United’s Claude Makélélé. Whilst he might not have reached the stellar performance level that former Real Madrid, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain star Makélélé did, the digital upgrade that this season’s Kalvin Phillips is over the 2017/18 version is plain to see.

Suddenly fans who were quick to hurl insults and pelters from the terraces have been quietened by his improved performances.

Stats derived from the Leeds United vs Rotherham United match report from WhoScored.
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