Kalvin Phillips brings poise and calmness to frantic Leeds United in Premier League draw with Southampton - Yorkshire Post 3/4/22

Leeds United’s 1-1 draw with Southampton was enough to give you a headache.

By Stuart Rayner

Ralph Hasenhuttl called the football played in a typically banging Elland Road atmosphere “ping pong”. It was almost as if two managers renowned for the intensity of their football felt they had to crank it up to 11.

Referee Anthony Taylor sensed his role, letting the game flow.

The players who stood out were the few able to rise above the maelstrom.

The frantic contest brought the best out of Leeds centre-backs Diego Llorente and fit-again captain Liam Cooper who regained possession to set in train Jack Harrison’s goal with a Gary Kelly-style headed tackle when Broja had the ball on the deck. The fans rose to it as well.

Leeds’ football is as entertainingly chaotic under Jesse Marsch as it was Marcelo Bielsa but whereas the latter looked to make precise incisions, the American prefers his players to bludgeon their way through as they thought they had when Harrison had a goal disallowed after numerous attempts to pinball a corner Raphinha thudded against the near post into the net.

But in the Best League in the World™ brawn alone will not cut it when even unfashionable clubs like Southampton have players as sublimely skilful as James Ward-Prowse.

His ability to put a foot on the ball and pick a pass – along with the shrewd man-management which has seen him take on leadership responsibilities – explains why the enigmatic Rodrigo has been such a key player for Marsch, to the extent where he has set aside a Hasenhuttl-style 4-2-2-2 for a 4-2-3-1 better tailored to the Spaniard. That he has such a good understanding with Raphinha, regularly plugging into the winger’s electric dribbling in Leeds’s best moments, makes him even better.

And when he finally made his first appearance since December as a 66th-minute substitute, Kalvin Phillips sprayed some exquisite passes which showed he too can elevate this team beyond super-charged scufflers.

“We have a term called the 100 to 70,” explained Marsch at full-time. “It means that in certain moments we want them to slow down, physically and in their heads, and show some poise to put together the next play.”

Rodrigo and Phillips ooze that.

Finding it at Elland Road is easier said than done.

“The fans want 100 to 150,” acknowledged Marsch. “When Illan (Meslier) catches the ball, fans want him to play it immediately.

“To understand the rhythm of the game, the flow, what the tempo changes can look like, finding ways to control matches more, will be important for us.”

Rodrigo’s “ability to find a pause is really important,” he said, adding: “Phillips is fantastic. You can see the quality, poise and confidence he brings to the group. He settled things down.”

Leeds were at their best when following thundering tackles with flowing football.

When Luke Ayling put a hard but fair challenge in on Kyle Walker-Peters in the second minute Rodrigo’s prompting should have created a Dan James chance only for Mohammed Salisu’s excellent intervention. Cooper’s tackle began a move which went through Harrison, Rodrigo and James before Fraser Forster’s low save.

When the captain used his head in the 29th minute, Leeds swept down the other end. It was all Raphinha could do to cross the ball before all of it went over the byline so he lacked accuracy, but that is less important under Marsch. It was difficult enough that Forster could only touch it into no man’s land for Harrison to pounce on and open the scoring.

As the first half came to an end, Southampton showed they had a goal in them, Meslier making an excellent low save when former Sheffield United striker Che Adams’s turn put Mateusz Klich on the floor and allowed a shot.

Walker-Peters, the right-back at left-back started the second half like a flying left winger, bringing a faint whiff of Messi to the messiness in the 49th minute. Ayling brought him down in almost the exact spot Ward-Prowse would have chosen for a direct free-kick.

Watching the slow-motion replays, some criticised Meslier for not keeping the curling shot out but in real time you just had to admire the free-kick’s majesty.

When Joe Gelhardt came off the bench for the final half-hour, showing again that despite his lack of inches he is best suited to be the rugged foil who can allow Rodrigo to play as a 10 in Patrick Bamford’s absence, Leeds looked more threatening again.

Phillips raised the quality again, picking passes like he had not played for 119 hours, not days. Cooper had been out for the same period and was meant to go off in the closing stages as he stretched out his groin gingerly, but the chaos extended to the bench with someone under the impression a non-plussed Ayling was unable to continue, and the wrong final substitution was made.

Phillips and Rodrigo picked beautiful passes to release Ayling and Raphinha respectively but Leeds need more coolness in the final third too.

Keeping a Leeds-rooted player like Phillips this summer as opposed to an outrageous but inevitably transitory talent like Raphinha, is massive.

“He’s Leeds through and through in every way” said Marsch. “It was a big moment for us in our season to get him back and closer to full fitness.”

Phillips also brings the ice in his veins at big moments. The more Marsch turns the heat up, the more important that is.