Nat Phillips

[~LFCHistory~]

Deserves it imo after his displays towards the end of last season. Reliable and super committed. He wontnget much game time but is an option in the cups.

YNWA

I for one would’ve been sad to see him go, great backup option.

Made up that Nat's staying and signing a new contract. Once both Matip and Gomez are back on the treatment table within the next couple of months we'll see the need for keeping a reliable player like Phillips. Him and VVD as the CB pairing will be interesting.

[ronanm]

Mbappe was a smokescreen

[Charly]

HOLY****ING****!!!

If everyone is fit, it is hard to see him getting a game.

Personally, I think we wasted £30m+ on Konate. Perhaps his deal was already sorted before that 10 game run in where Nat really stepped up.

Regardless, I am happy for the guy. He saved our season last year, and was a colossus in the air. Not in the same class as VVD or Matip, but exactly the kind of player you want on the bench if either gets injured or if you want to see a lead out (perhaps more so than Gomez).

[Mark79]

Heck of a turnaround

[ame]https://twitter.com/jamespearcelfc/status/1432766241240928258[/ame]

[Mr Pink]

Even though I think he should be 5th choice cb to start (mainly cos of how we play), I think he would be a great option to have on the bench… if we’re defending a 1 goal lead with 10 min to go, and want to throw on an extra defender, I think he’d be perfect for this- he wins everything in the air…

[Fosterbloke]

Even though I think he should be 5th choice cb to start (mainly cos of how we play), I think he would be a great option to have on the bench… if we’re defending a 1 goal lead with 10 min to go, and want to throw on an extra defender, I think he’d be perfect for this- he wins everything in the air…

I'd rather have Konate, the player we paid £36m for to do that job. Philips is if we have to break glass.

[Assassin]

Saviour of LFC

If it wasnt for him. We would not be in the CL this year and possible wouldnt have made the EL. If he's got a new contract, I'm well made up for him. Fully deserved and a great option of no nonsense defending to have available

A few words from him.........

The 24-year-old told the club's website: 'Obviously after last year, it's really nice to get that reward from the club. I'm happy to be sticking around and being available if the club need to call on me again.

'I'm excited for the next chapter and just to see what that brings.

'It is nice that the club has shown me that recognition and hopefully I can bring more of the same with whatever opportunities come my way.

'Over the off-season I had a bit of time to reflect on what had happened throughout the season, how it ended and to be proud of that,' Phillips added.

'But like I've said in previous interviews, you don't want to dwell on that too much and you want to look forward and see if you can continue to push in a positive direction.

'Obviously it was a dramatic change, no-one saw it coming, I didn't see it coming – the circumstances that unfolded whereby I ended up playing regularly for Liverpool's first team.

'For anybody playing for Liverpool's first team, that is going to be life-changing. For me it's the same. Obviously it's brought about this opportunity as well.'

[Buzzo]

Yeah he and Rhys really stepped up towards the end of last season, wherever it may lead them they contributed in a big way.

Nat made 17 league appearances and 3 CL, and Rhys 9 League and 6 CL. Not a chance either of them expected to feature at all this time last season.

[Doc_Piptorious]

I'd rather have Konate, the player we paid £36m for to do that job. Philips is if we have to break glass.

Yep. Konate has the physical side of the game and the sheer size for the yard dogs. But has the raw pace and the ball playing side of the game to allow us to play a high line.

Not to mention being a few years younger.


Think we should have sold Phillips in the summer, but am guessing there were no takers at whatever price we wanted. Fair play to the guy for getting his new contract though, is not as though he did not put everything he had into his appearances last season, but I see him spending a lot of his 4 years in the ressies and more or less seeing out his career as a ressie as a result.

[Buzzo]

Watch Phillips tearing into tackles on big Joel and Gomez in training.

[baitman]

Watch Phillips tearing into tackles on big Joel and Gomez in training.

Its going to be a last man standing shin kicking contest to the death, and the winner plays on saturday.

[Charly]

Id quite like to see VVD and Nat line up against Ronaldo, and watch his aging bones crumble to dust against their immence power.

[Scratch]

If Virg got caught out of position (sacrilegious I know!) then I fear Nat could be burnt for pace, even by an aging Ronaldo.

[baitman]

If Virg got caught out of position (sacrilegious I know!) then I fear Nat could be burnt for pace, even by an aging Ronaldo.

Whoever he played alongside, Nat would be the one who stayed deep.
When he played with williams he let the little fella go ahead to make the initial challenge then Nat could collect the loose ball or dish out the crucncher.

[Charly]

HIS mighty thighs would tear him asunder...

I know we (Klopp) like to play a high pressing game, but sometimes we run out of ideas as we struggle to break down a deep defence. Most of our best opportunities come from crosses in from the fulback or from deeper balls out of defence... but because we are pushed up so high it does not leave much room to run into, so everything has to be inch perfect.

Would it not make sense to be able to adapt a bit, where we can sit back and allow pressure to come onto us. Then we can release the ball more quickly knocking it over the top, or quickly into Firmino to ping it into the path of a runner with bags of space to run into. Not sure if this would play more to Nat's strengths, but dealing with balls coming into a packed box was definitely one of his stronger areas.

This might play more to Mane and Firmino's strengths too.