Nat Phillips

[Fivex]

He'd be great alongside VVD against teams with a big target man, but not so great against teams with pacey frontmen...if he's happy to stay, on low wages, then I don't mind seeing him as 4th or 4th choice.

Have you considered he might be better suited to being 4th choice instead?

[Doc_Piptorious]

How the doubters have flipped

Nope I still think he is doing well atm but that he is having a run of good games rather than being a good player of the level we need.

Would not be upset if he stays at the club but for me it would have to be as a 5th or 6th choice CB.

I think he could do very well at a Championship club that does not play a high line or at a PL club like Burnley, but I do not think he is good enough to be coming into our first team on a regular basis next season.

Be delighted if in a years time he is having a really good season helping us towards number 20 and this post comes back to haunt me, but I do not see that happening.

[Irishnev]

Nope I still think he is doing well atm but that he is having a run of good games rather than being a good player of the level we need.

Would not be upset if he stays at the club but for me it would have to be as a 5th or 6th choice CB.

I think he could do very well at a Championship club that does not play a high line or at a PL club like Burnley, but I do not think he is good enough to be coming into our first team on a regular basis next season.

Be delighted if in a years time he is having a really good season helping us towards number 20 and this post comes back to haunt me, but I do not see that happening.

Our game is based on a high line and the ability to either carry the ball (Gomez/Matip) out from the back or hit long cross field diagonals (VVD) to evade when we are pressed. Phillips is doing great but I saw some interesting stats vs RBL

He won the same amount of aerial duels as Mane (2) - he did make clearances

He lost the ball 34% of the time which is huge for a CB where pass completion is high 80s

This is where we need to be ruthless as a club and it has bitten us in the past. Nat is a great lad, honest, stick his head where you wouldn’t put your boot type of player but our team doesn’t need that. Both Matip and VVD win far more headers than him and they do all the stuff he can’t do with pace and technical ability. We need to buy a CB like them and let them fight fir the right to play with VVD

We will never get more for Phillips than this summer (even in a depressed market) - he need to capitalize on that and let him play in a side that suits his abilities and where he’ll be first choice

[baitman]

Nev, even if it would be the best time to maximise any return on Nat you have to balance that with the lack of availability and durability of our other defence options.

Im not saying he is a worldie, just that he is half decent and committed, his stock is higher than matip, gomez and half of our midfield as he is bulletproof.

To sell him would mean bringing in at least 2 30m+ defenders as we cannot be sure Gomez will ever be truely fixed or if there is too much humidity for Joel Biscuits to risk it.

[Irishnev]

Nev, even if it would be the best time to maximise any return on Nat you have to balance that with the lack of availability and durability of our other defence options.

Im not saying he is a worldie, just that he is half decent and committed, his stock is higher than matip, gomez and half of our midfield as he is bulletproof.

To sell him would mean bringing in at least 2 30m+ defenders as we cannot be sure Gomez will ever be truely fixed or if there is too much humidity for Joel Biscuits to risk it.

I get that Baitman - if we are broke then keeping him as a 4th CB makes sense and play him where his skills are most suited. I’d sell Matip as well and buy 2 CBs in an ideal world but I guess that won’t happen.

I don’t want to come across as being totally disparaging to Nat because I love his attitude and am delighted with his recent performances. We just went down this road with Divock and didn’t sell him when we could have maximised our return.

[Exiled_red]

Now everyone is bigging him up he's going to go to **** isn't he

[Norbs]

Standard

[Irishnev]

[ame="https://twitter.com/theanfieldtalk/status/1370713058490847233"]https://twitter.com/theanfieldtalk/status/1370713058490847233[/ame]

[baitman]

I get that Baitman - if we are broke then keeping him as a 4th CB makes sense and play him where his skills are most suited. I’d sell Matip as well and buy 2 CBs in an ideal world but I guess that won’t happen.

I don’t want to come across as being totally disparaging to Nat because I love his attitude and am delighted with his recent performances. We just went down this road with Divock and didn’t sell him when we could have maximised our return.

Divock has had many chances to finally show be has the balls and the results are in

I think Nat is a good option that we already have, if we had paid 20m for him we'd be thinking we had a bargain.
So for me he is a guaranteed starter unless vvd and matip/gomez are fully fit (if ever) and ready to go.

[Zapater]

I'm in the minority, but I just don't see it. Seems like a great lad, but I think his performances are mediocre at best. Doesn't seem that dominating to me and his over reliance on his right foot is clear. He's playing because we have no one else and he'll be exposed over time. With a fit squad, doubt he'd get much of a look in and I don't expect to see too much of him in the future.

[Paul12]

He's brought back the Carragher hoof.

[Charly]

He is a solid unit, and seems a better defender than Kabak and Williams.Seems to win things in the air too, which is a dying art amongst defenders.

I guess we have the rest of the season to see. But he has yet to drop a Lovren style bollock.

He may not want to stay as 4th/5th choice.

[Angryred]

give that guy a proper contract & he will stay, loves LFC!

[Scratch]

I think he will want first team football tho, he doesn't strike me as the type to sit idly by and earn a paycheck, he'd rather be playing every week, even if it limits his chance of a trophy-laden career. Man just wants to head balls for a living.

[ronanm]

I hope they don't ban heading