Arsenal
Aston Villa
Chelsea
Crystal Palace
Everton
Fulham
Leeds United
Liverpool
Manchester City
Manchester United
Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest
Sunderland
Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham United
Wolverhampton WanderersNews
Micah Richards explains why Kalvin Phillips struggled in Leeds United defeat
Micah Richards has been discussing the performance of Kalvin Phillips in Leeds United’s 6-2 loss to Manchester United over the weekend and it is clear the former England defender has some sympathy for the ‘Yorkshire Pirlo’.
Leeds were run ragged in the first-half at Old Trafford, particularly in the middle of the park where the roaming position of Bruno Fernandes and lung-busting dynamism of Scott Mctominay had both Phillips and Mateusz Klich chasing shadows. They were not helped by Rodrigo’s sloppiness in possession in what was a dire defensive display.
But as Richards, who grew up in Leeds, , the England international midfielder was not helped by the man-to-man tactics employed by Marcelo Bielsa.
“You see the space here. Phillips, who I am a big admirer of, got left alone today. He had no help from his team-mates and look at the space there.
“It kept happening, and happening and happening. It’s like they didn’t learn from the mistakes.
“(Fernandes is) dragging Phillips all over the place but that’s what he has been told to do. He’s been told to go man to man. But look at the space in the middle of the pitch.”
The home side continuously stretched Leeds into leaving acres of empty space in behind and the Whites were duly punished.
Phillips was hauled off at half-time, along with Klich, with both players putting in one of their less memorable displays in a Leeds shirt.
Phillips will hopefully recover from this display but there is no doubt that, on this occasion, he was schooled by the more intelligent footballer in the masterful Fernandes.