EA SPORTS™ Interview – Matt Phillips
EA SPORTS™ spoke to West Brom and Scotland midfielder Matt Phillips after his EA SPORTS FIFA 17 rating was upgraded in the latest ‘Ratings Refresh'. He gave us an insight into the best EA SPORTS FIFA 17 player at the club, the key to West Brom’s impressive form this season and who his football idol was growing up.
EA SPORTS™ : Who is the best FIFA 17 player at the club?
M P : Funnily enough, we talk about this quite a lot and most of the guys will probably say Nacer Chadli.
EA SPORTS™ : Do you remember the first FIFA game you appeared on as a player?
M P : I don’t remember which one it was but I do know that I was playing for Wycombe Wanderers at the time.
EA SPORTS™ : How does it feel to have your FIFA 17 rating upgraded from a 74 to a 75?
M P : It’s a good feeling, especially as the game has the dynamic ratings feature where player ratings are updated each week - its always good to see how you’ve got on. It’s a really good feeling.
EA SPORTS™ : West Brom currently see themselves sitting in the top half of the table, what do you think the key is to staying in this position come the end of the season?
M P : Just to keep doing what we’re doing, as we’re playing some really good football, especially at home. We need to just keep taking each game as it comes and carry on the way we are playing at the moment.
EA SPORTS™ : How important has the home fans support been this season?
M P : It’s been massive; they really get behind us both at home games and away games. The boys love it; we love playing a good style of football in which they want to see and respond to with such good support.
EA SPORTS™ : How impressed are you by the progress in which the team has made this season?
M P : I’m delighted, obviously I wasn’t here last season but it’s a great club with a great set of players. I’m really enjoying my football here this season.
EA SPORTS™ : Who was your footballing idol growing up?
M P : I would probably say Ryan Giggs, as obviously he’s also a winger. He’s a player who has gone on and had a fantastic career over the years and won medal after medal at one of the biggest clubs in the world.
EA SPORTS™ : How far do you think West Brom can go this season?
M P : I don’t really think you can put a stop on how far we can go. We’re currently 8th in the table and not that far behind 7th, which could lead to us possibly qualifying for Europe if we do manage to keep rising up the standings. But as I say, it’s all about taking each game as it comes.
EA SPORTS™ : Have you set yourself any personal targets for the season?
M P : Not really, I try not to set goals. I’m just really enjoying my football here and want to carry on doing so. Much like the team, I also just try and take each game at a time and do my best in those games.
EA SPORTS™ : You’ve scored 4 goals this season, which one was your favourite and why?
M P : I would probably say the goal against Leicester City earlier on in the season, obviously it was a bit of a turning point for myself and it got us the three points against the reigning Champions.
EA SPORTS™ : You currently have 8 assists this season, you must be happy with this? What’s the key to providing such good opportunities for your teammates?
M P : In training, we work a lot on attacking phases of play. The boys behind me are always helpful, whether it’s been Craig Dawson or Allan Nyom, they’ve both been really good with getting the ball to me in areas in which I like to receive it and with such good movement from the boys up top, it has worked really well.
EA SPORTS™ : For any budding young wide midfielders, what would your advice be to them?
M P : Just to keep practicing, and keep practicing on your weaknesses as well as your strengths. Keep using both your right foot and left foot, whether it be dribbling or shooting.
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