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Ashley Cole questions Kalvin Phillips' passing abilities after Leeds star plays for England
Ashley Cole has cast major doubts over Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips after England’s 1-0 win over Romania on Sunday evening.
The former Chelsea and England left-back was on punditry duties for ITV during the international friendly ahead of the upcoming European Championships.
It was a comment regarding Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson that appeared to rile a number of Leeds fans on social media.
Leeds United fansite ‘Right In The Gary Kellys’ tweeted these quotes from Cole during the game: “That’s his strength [Henderson], that ability to play a bit longer which I don’t think the other two have in their locker.”
Cole hit back on his personal Twitter profile after a video of Phillips versus Burnley and said: “Now show me where he’s doing that in and around the halfway line to put someone in or create a goal-scoring opportunity?
“Another question, does Kalvin Phillips play the same or similar role when playing for Leeds as he does for England?”
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Now show me where his doing that in and around the half way line to put someone in or create a goal scoring opportunity? Another question does Kalvin Phillips play the same or similar role when playing for Leeds as he does for England? https://t.co/qEzdrQXsZR
— Ashley Cole (@TheRealAC3) June 6, 2021
He also called stats a “waste of time” when presented with some stats showing Phillips’ long-range passing abilities.
Don’t bring stats because they are a waste of time, https://t.co/gyZg5Ldg8U
— Ashley Cole (@TheRealAC3) June 6, 2021
Lazy
Has Cole actually watched many of our games? He seems to think he knows an awful lot about Phillips without offering much insight into his performances.
We might understand if he was criticising his shooting which doesn’t get exercised enough because of the role he plays for us, but highlighting his passing range as a potential weakness is a new one for us.
Of course Phillips doesn’t play the exact same role for England as he does for Leeds, but that shouldn’t detract from his obvious qualities that are still on show whether it be in the Premier League, or the international stage.
Henderson is a terrific player with a good passing range, but even the most ardent Liverpool supporter wouldn’t be highlighting defence-splitting balls as one of his greatest assets.
Cole then launched into a series of tweets to defend his point, but we think he’s done quite enough talking for me.
It’s time for Phillips to prove him wrong on the pitch if he gets the opportunity.
In other Leeds United news, ITV pundit shares what he heard Whites supporters shout to Gareth Southgate on Sunday.