Kalvin Phillips is both the player Gareth Southgate has been unwilling to do without and the one carrying the can for England’s defensive orientation. Treading a fine line between not wanting to make a mistake and setting the England forward line free is a consideration that has been uppermost in Phillips’ thinking as he weighs his deployment against Germany.
Unless Southgate wakes up a different man on Tuesday, Phillips looks likely to continue his ever-present role in the heart of the English midfield. The key for him, it seems, is reconnecting with the Yorkshire Pirlo that took a grip on proceedings against Croatia and bringing the same forward momentum to bear against Germany.
Each encounter is acquiring greater weight. Croatia he recognised as the biggest match of his career, his first in a major tournament, yet here we are just three games down the line in a contest with higher stakes against an opponent of huge historical significance.
He presents his dilemma thus: “I’m new to the team so don’t want to be risking the ball too much and lose confidence, but at the same time I’m at a major tournament and need to show what I can do. If I’m on the ball, and I’ve got time to turn and go forwards and play players in like Harry Kane or Raheem, I’ll try to do that. As the games have gone along I have got more confidence.”
Phillips finds himself the embodiment of a philosophical problem that has taxed Southgate in this tournament. To date, Southgate has shown himself a coach inclined to stick rather than twist. Only when circumstances dictated, in this case Covid, did he make significant changes to his line-up and even then within the same framework.
Phillips credits Southgate with the right tactics against Croatia, playing him in an advanced role. Against the Scots Southgate and Phillips were outmanoeuvred by coach Steve Clarke’s 3-5-2 configuration, which brought commensurate criticism. Two goals in three matches is a perverse return given the attacking depth available to England.
Though Southgate earns props for three clean sheets, the feeling is he must unlock England’s attacking potential to beat Germany and force errors from better teams. Phillips choruses the same line as his team-mates insisting that the coach is setting a positive tone and the goals will come.
“He wants us to attack, get goals and express ourselves with the ball. If you look at the last three games we haven’t concede a goal. If you look at my club team where we are scoring five and conceding four it is probably not as good. So keeping clean sheets is a major positive.”
It is a lot to ask a player who made his international debut only nine months ago to run a match on this scale in a part of the pitch marshalled by industry leaders. The reputations of Ilkay Gundogan and Toni Kroos in particular have been thrown at Phillips repeatedly since the draw was completed.
Sure Kroos can play, but the outcome does not reduce to one arm-wrestle, according to Phillips.
“I’ve seen videos. He’s been a top level for so many years. It’s going to be difficult. The game won’t just revolve around Kroos. He is a major factor in how the team plays but it is more about England and how we play. I’m concentrating on defending against the whole team and neutralising as many people as possible.”
Setting the match in its historical context is a wasted journey with this group. “It’s just another game for me. Regardless of whether we did well or we didn’t in the past doesn’t matter,” Phillips said, echoing the mantra of his team-mates. “It’s about Tuesday.”
More from i on Euro 2020
- England aren’t ‘rubbish’ and Southgate isn’t a ‘fraud’ – we just need a bit of patience
- What the Premier League could learn from Euro 2020’s controversy-free referees
- The football nomad who became a hero for his role in saving Eriksen’s life
- How Ronaldo’s Coca-Cola stunt could change the face of football sponsorship
- How to watch every Euro 2020 match on TV and online in the UK
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/35WGRHS
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