Leeds star may be asked to do something he hasn’t done since August this weekend – opinion

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Kalvin Phillips has been in the headlines a fair bit over these past few weeks.

Indeed, despite the fact that Leeds haven’t played a game in almost a fortnight, it seems as if people can’t stop talking about the 23-year-old.

Whether it’s talkSPORT presenters naming him as the best player in the Championship or former footballers touting him for an England call-up, there have been plenty of eyes on the midfielder during this international break.

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Many are probably excited to see him return to action this weekend against Luton. However, he may be asked to undertake a different role than usual against the Hatters due to an injury to Stuart Dallas.

Dallas’ injury

With Luton likely to play a two-striker formation this weekend it’s probable that Marcelo Bielsa will opt for a three at the back tactic, something he’s had to do previously in 2019/20 to accommodate injuries.

With Stuart Dallas and Liam Cooper being out, Leeds will be short one defender as Luke Ayling will have to play on the right while Gaetano Berardi and Ben White are the only fit senior defenders in the squad.

Phillips drops back

With a three centre-back formation being preferable on Saturday, the most likely outcome is that Kalvin Phillips is asked to drop back and play as the third centre-half alongside White and Berardi.

He’s played as a defender before, but he hasn’t done so since August, and injuries to Adam Forshaw and Jamie Shackleton may mean that Leeds are also lacking in the holding midfield role that Phillips usually undertakes.

How Leeds will lineup this weekend remains to be seen, but there’s a good chance that we’ll see Phillips move from midfield into a role he’s previously thrived in.

Per WhoScored, he’s made 1.5 tackles per game from 14 appearances in that role. The 23-year-old has also registered 1.4 interceptions and won a colossal 5.5 aerial duels.