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Nigel Martyn has told The Boot Room that he believes Leeds United star and fan favourite Kalvin Phillips is marginally better than Everton star Allan – after both holding midfielders helped their sides to impressive results over the weekend.
Phillips, 24, returned against Arsenal on Sunday after missing the last three games with a shoulder injury. It is little surprise to many that without the Leeds academy product, Marcelo Bielsa’s men suffered 4-1 defeats to Leicester City and Crystal Palace.
Meanwhile, Brazil international Allan was signed by Carlo Ancelotti from former side Napoli for a fee of £21million (BBC) in the summer, and he has since starred for the Toffees. Indeed, Allan did well against Fulham on Sunday, helping his side win 3-2.
Comparing both anchoring midfield players, Martyn claimed that while Allan is top player – he feels Leeds star Phillips offers slightly more when it comes to getting across the pitch quicker, whereas Allan has a tendency to follow the ball.
“Kalvin’s reading of the game, perhaps, is better,” Martyn told The Boot Room. “Allan is a really good player, he has impressed me. He breaks a lot of things up. He follows the ball instead of staying with his man sometimes, which can happen.
TBR’s view – Phillips more of a driving force than Allan
As Martyn states, both players do a crucial job for their sides and without their influence on the team – Everton and Leeds struggle. Physically and in the air, Phillips is seemingly superior – while he tries more attacking passes than Allan.
His beautifiul assist for Jack Harrison’s goal against Liverpool is proof that although he is firstly a holding midfield, Phillips is more of a deep-lying playmaker – whereas Allan feeds James Rodriguez and Abdoulaye Doucoure to provide creativity.
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