Hard graft proves to be a massive fillip for Matt
MATT Phillips is in a good frame of mind as the season closes its first chap
ter.
The West Bromwich Albion winger has secured his long-term future after agreeing a new deal and rounded off a successful week by finding the net for the second time this season in the win over Blackburn Rovers.
The nagging concern among many Albion fans is Phillips’ fitness issues during his time at The Hawthorns; he’s enjoyed periods of brilliance – particularly in the top flight where he scored four goals and claimed seven assists in the space of ten matches in 2016 – and also, by his own admission, spells of frustration.
That was evident at the back end of last season when Phillips made four appearances between January and mid-April and didn’t complete 90 minutes once beyond New Year’s Day. Compare those numbers with the beginning of this season where, under Slaven Bilic, he has enjoyed plenty of minutes.
It’s no coincidence, though; Phillips put in plenty of graft during the close season to ensure he was fully prepared for an uninterrupted beginning to the new campaign.
“I’ve worked hard over the summer,” he said. “The second half of last season was a tough time for me but I worked with the physios over the summer and feel I’m getting back to my sharpness and what I showed at the beginning of last season.
“The second half of last season was a tough time for me, mentally more than anything. I love playing football. I enjoyed the first half of the season. Injuries are part and parcel. I worked hard and got myself back.”
Phillips, who says he’s delighted to be back in the international fold with Scotland after earning a recall from Steve Clarke, is now looking forward to representing his nation in tricky Euro 2020 qualifiers against Russia on Friday and then Belgium on Monday.
Albion supporters will be hoping their man returns to the Black Country injury-free after such a positive start under Bilic.
Was there ever any doubt in Phillips’ mind that he would struggle to shake off such setbacks, having contended with a number in his time with the Baggies?
“Just the belief that things will get better,” he continued. “A lot of hours have gone into it and the physios and club have been brilliant in supporting me.
“I want to repay them with performances and play my part in getting us back to the Premier League.
“You have a couple of weeks off [in the summer] and then it was about continuing the work I was doing towards the end of the season to make sure that, come preseason, I was in a position to be back with the boys straight away without missing too much and hit the start of the season running. I’ve missed no days of training.”