In star-studded England, Phillips shines bright
GUWAHATI: Had there been no pandemic and the European Championship been held as scheduled last summer, Kalvin Phillips would have been on vacation or home following the tournament on TV. The Leeds United midfielder was a Championship player till last season, with no experience of top-flight football, until the team was promoted to the Premier League after 16 years.
But there he was on Sunday afternoon at London’s Wembley Stadium, dictating the game from midfield as England started their Euro 2020 campaign with a 1-0 victory over 2018 World Cup runners-up Croatia in Group D. Phillips had a near-flawless outing, playing a box-to-box role.
In a star-studded starting line-up, Phillips never seemed out of place. He started buildups, recovered the ball, made timely tackles and interceptions, and created space for teammates when needed in a cagey encounter between two cautious sides.
He made his most notable contribution when he found Raheem Sterling in a small pocket of space inside the box with a brilliant ball early in the second half. The power in Sterling’s shot took the ball past the keeper, and proved the winner.
It was a game-changing contribution from Phillips at a moment when neither side seemed to be able to take charge. The all-round showing from the Leeds academy product was exactly what England boss Gareth Southgate would have expected of him when he gave Phillips his international debut last September. The authority shown by him on Sunday must have amazed even Southgate.
“Kalvin is a player who is so understated. He has had a fantastic start to his international career. I thought he was immense throughout the game,” Southgate told reporters after Sunday’s win.