Marcelo Bielsa over a top player for me every time - Sue Smith

Manchester City had a game-plan to stop Phillips playing and were the dominant team in the first 20, 25 minutes until a little tactical tweak by Marcelo Bielsa got him on the ball more and Phillips started to play better and more freely.

Leeds like to build from the back so Phillips’s great range of passing will be a loss in the attacking sense. He starts the attack from the back, picking the ball up from the defence and pinging passes.

He also provides defensive cover as the pivot. He reads the game well, snuffs out danger and is athletic to get across the pitch.

Phillips can get forward but Bielsa has probably told him to save his energy and nine times out of 10 he protects the defence and reads the game, so he will be a huge loss to Leeds in a defensive and attacking sense.

But the biggest disappointment is for the player himself after the strides he has already made forward this season.

Although Bielsa was refusing to put such a precise timescale on it, the club initially announced he would be out for six weeks.

He was playing brilliantly in the Championship and has moved up to Premier League and international level this season. Before that, people were asking if he could do it in the Premier League.

He has proved he can.

When you are playing well, the last thing you want is any time out.

Bielsa tried to make light of his absence last night by moving Pascal Struijk from centre-back into midfield at Villa Park, but had to substitute him midway through the first half, already on a booking.

I like the way Bielsa does not dwell on problems, he just finds an answer and has such versatility in his squad to help him do that.

He also trusts his players, happy to quickly throw on Jamie Shackleton.

Some players and managers – Sheffield Wednesday’s Garry Monk being a case in point – prefer players to be specialists but if you have the ability to play in different positions, it gives you more options to get a game, as it has for Struijk.

I was an attacking central midfielder at Tranmere Rovers when I first played for England, playing with two defensive midfielders behind me.

At international level, I had to be more disciplined. England played me as a left-winger and I had to track back and help my full-back. Over time, I played at wing-back so I had to be even more disciplined and learn that role. It helped me think about my defensive responsibilities.

When I was first asked to play wide as a 17 or 18-year-old, my attitude was, ‘I’m a centre mid, I don’t want to help my full-back out,’ but it made me a better, more disciplined player.

I had different managers in my career who thought I could do different jobs and you might think you are better at a certain role but they might see something else in you so you have to be quite flexible. That has to help if you do move on.

Initially, I suspect it might be more Bielsa than the players saying they can adapt to different positions but that has got to give you confidence. If a coach of Bielsa’s calibre says you can do something, you believe in him.

If you are playing okay, getting by, and you start doing what your coach is telling you and suddenly you are playing in the Premier League and for your country, you would listen to every single word he says. Other players see that improvement and buy into it, too.

Bielsa has had a huge impact on a lot of players he inherited at Leeds who no-one probably thought would develop into the players they have, and Phillips probably falls into that category.

Whenever you listen to interviews with the Leeds players they have an absolute belief in him and it shows on the pitch.

I have had conversations with a few people about whether club owners should try to bring in amazing players or focus more on a manager that can transform a group of decent players.

The effect Bielsa has had on players like Phillips and Struijk shows why I would go for the manager.

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