Nathaniel Phillips

[3 Stacks]

Just now, m0e said:

What about left back?

 

The actual position Flanno played in as we won 15 out of 18 in the league?

Did he? I forgot. I try to forget that clown ever played for us.

[Scott_M]

3 minutes ago, m0e said:

Just seen this.

 

That's a bit better than never wanting to see him again.

Yes, I was a bit harsh at first, but in general, we need to be aiming higher.

 

If he played at say, Burnley, where they sit back, low block and an entire midfield 10 yards in front of him, he’d be Ok.

 

But we don’t play anything like that. 

[m0e]

1 minute ago, 3 Stacks said:

Did he? I forgot. I try to forget that clown ever played for us.

Interesting.

 

He was part of some of the best football I've ever seen from us. And a big part.

 

Edit - Glen Johnson was at right back.

[dockers_strike]

6 minutes ago, m0e said:

Really? That's a bit extreme, no?

 

He's been absolutely fine against most teams. Only time he struggled since he's had the extended run was away at Madrid, and that was mostly on the shite ahead of him.

 

The only reasons he wouldn't be kept on are:

- he wants to leave for 1st team football 

- we need to sell him because we're 'skint'

 

I suppose, there could be one more:

 

If his lack of pace has such a massive impact on our tactical set up that Klopp decides he doesn't want to deal with that any longer, then fair enough. 

 

I don't see it, personally.

 

Plus, whatever quality he lacks, we're almost certainly not replacing him with that type of quality this summer.

Agreed. I know Jocky once said defenders dont like playing against pace but I think all this 'he's too slow' is over played. Id say Nat is faster than Sami and too many seem to think quickness means other aspects of a cb's play will be better and it might not.

 

I think some set out an impossible wish list of attributes for these back up players that's just not reality.

[3 Stacks]

Just now, m0e said:

Interesting.

 

He was part of some of the best football I've ever seen from us. And a big part.

He rode the coat tails and was shit.

[m0e]

Just now, 3 Stacks said:

He rode the coat tails and was shit.

 

[m0e]

5 minutes ago, Scott_M said:

Yes, I was a bit harsh at first, but in general, we need to be aiming higher.

 

If he played at say, Burnley, where they sit back, low block and an entire midfield 10 yards in front of him, he’d be Ok.

 

But we don’t play anything like that. 

Fair enough. I'd definitely keep him as 5th or 6th choice, rather than risking another shit show next season.

[Scott_M]

17 minutes ago, dockers_strike said:

Agreed. I know Jocky once said defenders dont like playing against pace but I think all this 'he's too slow' is over played. Id say Nat is faster than Sami and too many seems to think quickness means other aspects of a cb's play will be better and it might not.

 

I think some set out an impossible wish list of attributes for these back up players that's just not reality.

Disagree. Our defenders need to be fast, be able to read the game well, move the ball quickly and be great in the air & be good 1 v 1 defenders. We play a high risk game.

 

IMO, he only ticks 2 of those boxes.

 

On the pace bit, it impacts the rest of the side more than the defence. They don’t press as high or intently as previously because they don’t trust what’s behind them as much, gaps appear more for the opposition, teams get through us easier etc etc etc. 

[Jairzinho]

Matip is the player that needs replacing. Excellent but always injured. VVD plus Gomez or new guy as first choice. Fabinho and Phillips 4th and 5th choice depending on whether the opposition has forwards that can run. That way Phillips doesn't play much (he can play in the domestic cups as well, obviously). However, he may feel that he can play every week for a side in the bottom six and in which case we'll need another. Would be nice if we had any idea whether Davies is good enough to play a few games. By all accounts he's a bit quicker and better on the ball than Phillips.

 

 

[dockers_strike]

54 minutes ago, Scott_M said:

Disagree. Our defenders need to be fast, be able to read the game well, move the ball quickly and be great in the air & be good 1 v 1 defenders. We play a high risk game.

 

IMO, he only ticks 2 of those boxes.

 

On the pace bit, it impacts the rest of the side more than the defence. They don’t press as high or intently as previously because they don’t trust what’s behind them as much, gaps appear more for the opposition, teams get through us easier etc etc etc. 

And if he's playing alongside van Dijk or Gomez, it doesnt matter because they'll be the quick defender.

 

[Barrington Womble]

6 hours ago, m0e said:

EDIT - just seen the previous posts.

LFC History agree.with me that henchoz missed the begginging of the season.

[Barrington Womble]

And Thompson's words. 

 

 

[Scott_M]

10 minutes ago, dockers_strike said:

And if he's playing alongside van Dijk or Gomez, it doesnt matter because they'll be the quick defender.

 

I don’t agree. They both need to have a good turn of pace. The right sided centre back will have more pressure on them as they’ll likely be doing additional cover for Trent and be viewed as the weaker centre back alongside VVD.

[aRdja]

23 minutes ago, Scott_M said:

I don’t agree. They both need to have a good turn of pace. The right sided centre back will have more pressure on them as they’ll likely be doing additional cover for Trent and be viewed as the weaker centre back alongside VVD.

To be fair Matip isn’t exactly rapid and he did well in that year we won the CL. However like you I’d prefer to see Phillips replaced with a better defender and keep Kabak instead.

[Joey8FrogsLegs]

The Flanagan analogy is quite relevant, even if I would say Phillips is a a better player overall than Flanagan was.

 

Phillips is doing great and nothing more can be asked of him, but no way is he good enough to be anywhere near first choice here long term. He’ll end up in the Championship or at a bottom half PL club maybe. Or he could stay here and be 5th choice, which would be fine by me.

[aRdja]

Not convinced by Konate from the highlights... seems to go to ground a lot. Soyuncu seems to have fallen out of favour at Leicester. He was great last year. He would make a great second choice CB.

Van Dijk

Soyuncu

Gomez

Kabak

Phillips

[VladimirIlyich]

10 hours ago, Bjornebye said:

07:08 

 

 

 

 

How shite was James?

[VladimirIlyich]

People seem to be assuming that,as long as VVD comes back ok,Gomez will do too. Gomez injury record is appalling and I'd be interested to see how it stacks up v Matip who we know is a massive injury liability. Before this season VVD was the only centre back we could rely on and why so many of us were surprised no back up was bought.

[TheHowieLama]

Gomez is a better player than Soyuncu imo.

He is good and would be preferred over Kabak/Phillips though.

[Code]

I cant be the only one to notice how often we pass the ball past Phillips at the back. 

[m0e]

2 hours ago, Barrington Womble said:

And Thompson's words. 

 

 

Not expecting him to make an impact straight away is not the same as not expecting him to be a bit part player.

 

I understand the Henchoz injured bit, I just don't see the 2 as related.

[Scott_M]

9 hours ago, m0e said:

Not expecting him to make an impact straight away is not the same as not expecting him to be a bit part player.

 

I understand the Henchoz injured bit, I just don't see the 2 as related.

A certain poster dragging up historical inaccuracies.... who’d have thunk it.

 

Even if he got Henchoz being injured correct.

[sir roger]

Be reasonably happy going with VVD , Gomez , Matip , Kabak and Nat. Would also give options for Gomez to become main cover for TAA rather than Neco.

[Paulie Dangerously]

He'll spend a few years looking great at someone like Burnley sitting on his 18yard line, probably get a couple of England caps before a team like West Ham or Everton take a punt on him and he just looks average. 

 

He'll have a decent football career and seems like a nice lad. Fair play to him. 

[Barrington Womble]

10 hours ago, m0e said:

Not expecting him to make an impact straight away is not the same as not expecting him to be a bit part player.

 

I understand the Henchoz injured bit, I just don't see the 2 as related.

I didn't say they thought he wouldn't make an impact. I said they didn't think he'd be a regular. Thommo has talked about this loads of times. That's one quote I found on LFChistory. He was never brought in to be henchoz's partner - I saw one interview with Thompson where he talked about watching him in the Dutch league, how the club had watched him a certain number of times and how he himself went out to see him (can't remember how.often, but certainly.moee than once). He said something like "he didn't put a foot wrong, but he wasn't playing against any kind of quality and we thought he was worth a gamble as we were bringing in henchoz to transform the defence and we could afford to take a chance with a guy who didn't have to make it". Expectations on Sami were really low when he signed. He transformed that quickly, but he was certainly a player football people had questions about - which is where the original point was about Newcastle passing on him. In the same period, we passed on Cristiano Ronaldo. We got lucky with one and clearly not lucky with another.