Kalvin Phillips was sharing notes with Harry Winks on a Marcelo Bielsa-Mauricio Pochettino comparison in the stands at Elland Road earlier this month.
While Leeds United were on their way to a 3-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur three weeks ago, Phillips spent most of the game in the John Charles Stand waiting to get on.
Winks was in a similar boat with the Tottenham Hotspur squad and the pair took their chance to trade notes on two of the most intense coaches in the game.
Speaking to GQ, Phillips also said he had spoken to Eric Dier, Phil Foden, John Stones and Kyle Walker about their respective bosses.
“His desire, his dedication to the football, it’s beyond anyone that I’ve ever read about or met,” Phillips said of Bielsa.
“And the only few people I’ve heard that are close to him are obviously Pep [Guardiola] at [Manchester] City and Pochettino, who’s now at PSG.”
Phillips said Foden, Walker and Stones described Guardiola as similarly obsessed with understanding each different team his side plays and unlocking them.
“I was speaking to Eric Dier and Harry Winks, because I was on the bench for our last game against Tottenham, and Harry was saying Pochettino is exactly the same.”
Phillips also spoke more about his dream of playing in Europe with his boyhood club.
“I want to be a player that’s got a lot of games to his name, but I want them to be games that mean something,” he said.
“And I want to play in the Europa League, the Champions League. With Leeds, and the way that we’re heading, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t.”
