Bielsa: I have not fallen out with Phillips
MARCELO bielsa has denied suggestions he has fallen out with Kalvin Phillips — but warned his star man that no player is untouchable. The Leeds boss started the England midfielder in defence in Saturday’s goalless draw at brighton before moving him back into his favoured position and then hooking him at half-time.
Speaking after that match, Sportsmail’s Jamie Redknapp said he felt there was ‘something not quite right’ between bielsa and Phillips and there is ‘definitely a clash’.
but bielsa, 66, maintains that his decision to substitute Phillips for Pascal Struijk was purely tactical — insisting that it would set a dangerous precedent if no player could ever be taken off.
‘It’s very difficult to imagine that a player can never be substituted from a team,’ said bielsa ahead of tonight’s visit of Crystal Palace. ‘The logic of football shows that in any game, any player can come off.
‘I thought Pascal was better suited in the second half to the defensive midfield situation that I imagined than Phillips.
‘That doesn’t mean I was correct but I did what I thought was best. but in no way does that mean there’s a difficulty with anyone.
‘It’s never good for a player or a team to think that the positions are immovable and that the hierarchies within a team can’t be altered, ever. It’s not only bad for the player who is untouchable, but it’s bad for those who want to alter the positions within a team.
‘In this example, it’s bad for Kalvin to think that he’d never be substituted like any other component of the team, to think that the initial hierarchies cannot be changed.
‘The position of a team is that you compete with your opponents and the players in your team.’
Intrigue over Phillips’ relationship with bielsa has reignited talk over a
potential exit from Elland Road. but the Argentine is aware of the importance of keeping his homegrown hero, who helped Leeds win promotion back to the Premier League before becoming a starter for England.
‘Kalvin is an idol for the fans,’ said bielsa. ‘He’s a popular property with a lot of affection and we all have the obligation to look after the feeling that unites a fan with a team. The fans suffer when they lose an idol.
‘Kalvin opted to stay with Leeds when he could have left when we were in the Championship. He cleared up his position when asked about moving to the best teams in the Premier League, saying sincerely he wouldn’t accept any offers.
‘So the position Kalvin occupies is completely deserved.’
Phillips has not been able to find the same form he did last season but bielsa denied that the 25-year-old is at his ‘lowest level’.
Leeds themselves have not hit the heights of last term and sit just three points and one place above the drop zone, having won just two games this campaign.
It has been noted that bielsa’s side, famed for their high energy style, have been running less per game on average this year. but bielsa believes that is a trend across the Premier League — and fears too many fixtures are ruining the standard of the sport.
‘The physical level of the whole league has declined,’ he added. ‘The calendar is so overcharged it doesn’t bear in mind the development of preparation.
‘That’s why I have serious doubts over the future of professional football because it is constantly commercialised and the product is worse.
‘It’s considered to sell more games but it ignores whether teams are in better conditions to offer better results. It brings me great sadness how football is deteriorating.
‘It doesn’t make sense to want to multiply the commercialisation of a product to increase the incomings when the product is getting worse.’