He's Leeds United and he knows he is - how Kalvin Phillips is feeling the enormity of Whites promotion bid

The questions flowed after Leeds United lost at Birmingham City on Saturday - “my family are Leeds mad so they were all saying ‘what happened, how did you lose?’” - but Phillips would be no different if the roles were reversed and this, a wonderful but agonising lunge for promotion, is what every Championship player wants.

No-one is immune from tension it creates but Phillips can see the positive aspects of much of what is happening: the possibility that second place will fall to Leeds, the unmistakable buzz this season has generated and the unpredictability which is preventing Leeds and Sheffield United from sleeping soundly.

The clubs are trading blow after blow, shifting in and out of the last automatic promotion place.

Sheffield United thought they had gained some crucial impetus by winning at Elland Road on March 16 but gave it up again by losing at home to Bristol City. If Leeds believed that stumble might be decisive, their own defeat to Birmingham proved otherwise.

Bielsa’s players are at Preston North End tonight, under pressure to alter the table again.

“Last week we were all buzzing because we’d taken second spot,” Phillips said.

“Then this week we lose against Birmingham but it’s part of the game and it’s part of the Championship. It’s an exciting time to be at this club and whether there are highs or lows, it’s always a good thing that you’re fighting for second place.

“There is a little bit of enjoyment in it. This week hasn’t been as enjoyable as last week but (pressure) is part of the game and it’s part of Leeds. I’ll always be proud of what we’re doing because we’ve had a really good season.

“I’m more Leeds than anyone you can get, really, but the foreign lads who’ve come in, they’ve understood what type of club this is. And getting to know me, they know I’m Leeds mad too.”

It is the sad reality of the Championship that the best of seasons - or the best season Leeds have had in a decade - are always at the mercy of the end result.

Alan Browne, the Preston midfielder, claimed yesterday that United had been “made out to be this world-class team by the media” but Bielsa’s revolution has been a revelation, engaging a support who over the years have found other head coaches difficult to respect and creating a machine from a group of players who were grinding to a rusty halt away at Deepdale 12 months ago.

Nonetheless, a compelling story needs promotion as its conclusion and all bets are off with six games left.

The bottom line is that Leeds, Sheffield United and Norwich City would all merit a top-two finish. As it stands, one club will have the miserable experience of going past 80 points, running close to automatic promotion and finishing in the play-offs.

“Obviously it would be tough but we haven’t thought about that,” Phillips said.

“We just think about getting the win in every game we play and we’ll see at the end of the season who goes up and who doesn’t.

“There’s no reason why we can’t go on and get promotion automatically. We’ve been playing really well and if we keep playing like we are then we’ve got a really good chance.”

Reviews of this season will record the impact of Phillips, whose education under Bielsa has converted him into arguably the most convincing defensive midfielder in the league. On Sunday he was recognised at the EFL’s awards ceremony in London with a place in the Championship’s team of the year.

Phillips, to most observers, was a shoe-in but the inclusion caught the 23-year-old unawares.

“I wasn’t expecting this award,” he said.

“I got told a few weeks ago and I was surprised, to be honest. But when I look back at the games I’ve played in and the season I’ve had, I think I’ve done really well.

“I’m not blowing my own trumpet. It’s my team around me who’ve made me better and my coaching staff as well but I’m really happy with how I’ve been playing.”

At Birmingham on Saturday, Bielsa withdrew Phillips from his usual midfield position and played him as a central defender in a back three.

Leeds were beaten by a 29th-minute goal from Che Adams and lacked their usual verve, failing to draw a save from Birmingham goalkeeper Lee Camp in the final 20 minutes.

Bielsa insisted afterwards that his players were as suited to his fabled 3-3-1-3 formation as they were the more familiar 4-1-4-1 and Phillips agreed.

“It depends on how we start a game and how we’re playing,” he said.

“I’ve played centre-back a few times when we’ve played really well. I’ve played centre-back a few other times when we’ve not played so well. I think it comes down to us collectively.

“We need to pass the ball better (than at Birmingham) and we need to fight for second balls a lot more. Preston are going to fight but if we battle well and play the football we’ve been playing, there’s no reason why we can’t win.”

Sheffield United’s players will observe from a distance this evening while Leeds tussle with Alex Neil’s side. Leeds will do likewise tomorrow night when Sheffield United go to Birmingham.

Phillips joked about the prospect of “sitting and watching Sheffield United get beat” and it is obvious to Bielsa’s players that they need a favour elsewhere.

Both clubs can empathise with the tension the other is feeling. Phillips knows Billy Sharp, Sheffield United’s captain and goal machine, from Sharp's short time at Leeds and has no difficulty imagining how it is for a lifelong Blades fan, in the thick of a frantic fight to go up.

“You know a few people, like Billy,” Phillips said.

“You speak to him but it’s just about how they’re doing, as a family and so on. You’re not really talking about football.

“The time when you talk about football is after it’s finished and hopefully I can speak to Billy then and say ‘all the best in the play-offs.’”