Match Day Thread AC Milan v Liverpool

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Nat Phillips’ patience pays off with Ibrahimovic battle – but what about that drag back.
After playing a key role in securing Champions League football for Liverpool this season, Nat Phillips finally got his first start in the final group game on Tuesday.

Following the return of Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, Joe Gomez and the arrival of Ibrahima Konate and with no summer move eventuating, Phillips has had to bide his time.

“All I can do is apply myself as much as possible in training and develop myself as much as possible,” Phillips told the club’s official website.

 

The Asterix characters were all named as a play on words like the eponymous character himself. The Romans had names like Julius Monotonus, Overanxius and Unscrupulus. Commodius could be a new character for consideration.

 

Monday.

 

Might have a big decision to make here if Newcastle come in with a hefty bid for Nat in January: he's overtaken Joe, IMO, as fourth choice CB, and we need four. I'd like to see Joe, with his pace and top ability on the ball, developed as a utility player, including playing at 6 in midfield. But if it was a choice of selling Joe to West ham, or Nat to Newcastle..... hmm, unthinkable that there'd even be a moment's thought given to the choice a year ago.

But now? Well, no hyperbole, but isn't Nat unquestionably the most improved CB in the Prem? Sure, his lack of genuine pace marks him as different from all our other CB's excepts Matip (who's not slow, by any means) but it restricts us from playing our favoured 2-5-3 when we have the ball. But surely, when all players are fit, we can adapt tactics and formations to the players we have fit, as we didn't for a long time last season?

 

I'd like to see Phillips stay at the club. There's a balance to be had in keeping him and developing him to play a useful part in cup games and holding onto him when he could go to another premier league club (NOT Newcastle) and get more game time. He could be the Divock equivalent at the other end of the pitch. Happy to stay at Liverpool no matter what.

 

Virgil van Who?

 

Nat would be brilliant in a team that drops back and defends deep, but our high line means we need pace from the CBs to deal with the ball over the top when the FB is nowhere to be seen - which is most of the time. I'd definitely keep him on though, and like you say, perhaps a formation tweak could compensate for his lack of pace if it's necessary.

 

Nat or Joe? Put down your dog or your cat? Trump or boris? These are the choices of our age.

 

For the bonfire? I'm sure we could accommodate both.

 

Dijk

 

Im assuming your taken the piss but hard to tell. If your actually trying to be serious by suggesting Phillips is ahead of Gomez in the pecking order and that you’d rather sell Gomez over Phillips then you need to go see someone to get your head tested.

 

I really can't understand why nobody came in for him. Unless we got very carried away and valued him at silly money.

He coukd be an absolute steel for a mid table club.

 

Can i just point out we have as many CL points as Everton have PL points

 

I’d be surprised if Newcastle don’t come in for Nat in January. Especially with our good mate Howe there as he loves to buy our dross.

phillips doesn’t have the pace to play in our back line. No amount of coaching will ever help him to improve that. He may improve his intelligence and positioning but why miss out on potentially £15m for a 5th choice CB?

Fans are saying they would be happy to sell Salah because it’s the FSG model (sell to buy) so surely this would be a great example of it (and we wouldn’t be selling a half decent player in the process so nothing is lost)

 

Konate MOTM

 

I hope that if Newcastle do come in for him, he turns them down.

 

why?

 

I'm not in favour of murderous regimes owning football clubs. I'd like to think that any player with any sense of what's morally acceptable would turn them down. There was talk of the other PL clubs refusing to do business with Newcastle which will be hard, if not impossible, to do but I sincerely hope that none of our players go there while the current owners are in place.