View attachment 46117
You can cherry-pick stats to fuel almost any argument you want. Here's a comparison of Rodri and Phillips from 20/21 where Phillips comes out on top in most defensive stats. He also put in 77 crosses to Rod's 14, was dispossessed fewer times, and made five times as many big chances (5 to 1 according to the official Prem site).
Does this mean Phillips is better? Absolutely not. Do random pie chart comparisons of an injury-hit season mean he's crap? Absolutely not. They're different players at different clubs with totally different situations and styles.
I don't know why people are getting so worked up about this particular transfer possibility. And before Gus (who I also reluctantly put on ignore due to his attitude) starts coming back with "But this is a forum! We're allowed to debate!" - I completely agree.
It's perfectly fine to express an opinion, to suggest alternatives you think would be better, to doubt the transfer, and so on. What I, and I think a few others, have a problem with is the sneering, snide, bad faith attitude with which so many of those comments seem to be delivered. Throwing around words like "cultists" for people who have a different opinion to you or acting high and mighty because you "look at stats", as if others don't, or as if our own club's scouting department, who frankly have barely put a foot wrong since Pep arrived, are somehow a bunch of charlatans for even considering Phillips in the first place. The way some people comment in this thread, it almost sounds like they're hoping the lad does sign and then turns out to be crap, just so they can come back here and rub it in everyone's faces. It's a weird way to support the club, IMO.
It's just a shame. I'm not looking to start another argument here, as that's not what I visit the forum for. I enjoy debate and discussion and other ideas and mostly just read what others have to say and think about their ideas. But all of that becomes far less enjoyable when there's nastiness and attitudes going around.
