You might be thinking of Ake's first two seasons combined - remember this is season three at City.That’s not true though. Opinion was split for Ake. He did a lot of good things in his first season, but clearly just took a while to adapt.
I don’t think anyone could genuinely look at any of Phillips’s performances this season and tell me that he’s played well. I really hope it works out for him as I really like him, he’s a great guy! It looks like pep doesn’t trust him though.
Oh, and 12 months injured? I blinked and missed that
Lavia was told he would be 3rd/4th choice in midfield partly because we were signing Phillips. Hes 19 and already better than most DMs in the Premier League. That Caicedo kid at Brighton is your typical 'Fabinho' type receive the ball, give it to a better passer 5 yards away Cdm whilst Lavia is your 'Fernandinho' type excellent tackler + expansive passing range. One of them will be sold this summer for 70+ million.A knackered Gundogan, what is your proof of that because he looked fine. Hardly a huge shock that Pep plays the captain and one of his most trusted players in a semi final.
We didn't let Lavia go. He wanted to leave so we treated him the right way and got a very favorable transfer. If you think Pep would be playing a 19yr old Lavia today then you must live on a different planet
This. The amount of players who have struggled under Pep their first season.Pep will work his magic on him.
I’ll judge him at the end of next season after a summer break and a injury free pre season.
I honestly think & hope he will become an important squad member as have a lot of the players people have had initial doubts about.
There are reasons why he was told he would be that far down the pecking order. Lavia has had a good overall season but he is playing in a shite team for a team about to be relegated.Lavia was told he would be 3rd/4th choice in midfield partly because we were signing Phillips. Hes 19 and already better than most DMs in the Premier League. That Caicedo kid at Brighton is your typical 'Fabinho' type receive the ball, give it to a better passer 5 yards away Cdm whilst Lavia is your 'Fernandinho' type excellent tackler + expansive passing range. One of them will be sold this summer for 70+ million.
Woeful opinion. Firstly, I'm not really defending him, he hasn't had the opportunity yet to do anything here to even defend which is most of the point im making. what I'm doing more than anything is calling out those that again again are digging out a player that's barely featured for us. The only way it could be any closer to a carbon copy of Ake's first season here is if he got himself some dreadlocks. Its eerily similar and so are the comments from prople like yourself.Save yourself the time defending him. Pep preferred to play a knackered Gundogan as cdm againts championship level opposition, that should tell you everything if you haven't already seen his dire performances. 25mins was all he was trusted with and your on here moaning 'give him an opportunity, he's a good lad'. Get a grip man! If he was from Bulgaria or Romania you wouldn't care less. Everytime I see that silly bob on the field im reminded we let go a future worldclass player in Lavia for journeyman.
In Ake's first season? Not last season. His first season he played 10 times, he was involved in the first 4 games which was mainly because that was the covid season and our squad got about a weeks rest from the previous year so as one of the few that got a bit of a rest before we bought him he had to be thrown in and very much looked like he was the new guy. Then got injured, returned featured a couple of times then got injured again basically until the last month of the season when we played him almkst exclusively in games that didn't matter because the league was won comfortably. He had no real chance for anybody to even form an opinion yet some did, labeled him a £40 million waste of money and wanted him gone 12 months after signing. Very very similar to what we are seeing here.That’s not true though. Opinion was split for Ake. He did a lot of good things in his first season, but clearly just took a while to adapt.
I don’t think anyone could genuinely look at any of Phillips’s performances this season and tell me that he’s played well. I really hope it works out for him as I really like him, he’s a great guy! It looks like pep doesn’t trust him though.
Oh, and 12 months injured? I blinked and missed that
Sadly, I think you are correct. It says a lot when he is overlooked to start against a championship side, and is the last sub on.Realistically that was Phillips’s last big opportunity this season, barring catastrophic injuries, to show that he’s got anything to offer this team going forward.
In a match against lower league opponents, where we need to rest as many important players as possible, Pep would rather risk it and play two big game starters in the centre instead of Phillips. The guy is supposed to be all-action, great passer and a run-through-brick-walls type. He should be ideal in a 4 man midfield. Yet, he was the last one on the pitch out of Gomez, Palmer and himself.
I think he’s toast.