Kalvin Phillips

[ancoats]

Phillips can play but the shoulder injury really set him back, and when Pep questioned his weight after the World Cup it sort of sent a signal the end was near for Phillips,

 

[Ghostofmerlin]

Feel like we will probably still be talking about him in 2027

 

[citizen_maine]

Take nothing for granted. We can really set the pace this season and intimidate our rivals if we get off to a flying start. Defending our title this time breaks another record. Strongest XI please. We should not weaken ourselves just to give somebody a chance.

So strongest XI until they break

 

[5 Hit Gibbon]

Has to start delivering, that's it really.

Takeaways?

 

[Invisible Man's Bandage]

The only minutes you can see him getting are in games we are winning comfortably and he comes on in the 88th minute. What you can't see is him ever starting or coming on in say the 70th minute in a game that's in the balance (like Newcastle).

The club have a 40 mill plus transfer fee invested in him, are paying his wages and he takes up a valuable squad place and in return they are getting zero return. Maybe push might have to become shove and he is told that he won't be included in the official squad when submitted after the window shuts.

 

[John Wayne]

So strongest XI until they break

No, that would be stupid. Whilst we're trying to find our rhythm and it's the only game in a 14-day window between Newcastle and Fulham games, then I see no reason why we can't play our strongest team. That's not the same as saying we should play our strongest XI every game, but I suspect you knew that.

 

[Trevor Morley's Tache]

He's got 104 pages on his thread in the players performance forum, which is precisely 104 pages more than minutes than he's played this season, but I think that's more indicative of this forum than anything else.

 

[Gumzy97]

We may have a maguire situation on our hands. If he doesn’t play a game in the prem and Southgate still picks him for England.

Why would he move to another club. He can sit on the bench and collect medals and play for his country

 

[citizen_maine]

No, that would be stupid. Whilst we're trying to find our rhythm and it's the only game in a 14-day window between Newcastle and Fulham games, then I see no reason why we can't play our strongest team. That's not the same as saying we should play our strongest XI every game, but I suspect you knew that.

But, if we're not going to play the strongest XI, does it not make sense to do it in the games we're most likely to win with a weakened team?

 

[Gabriel]

The League Cup starts at the end of September, so it could be a comparatively busy month for him at this rate, a match a month through February should we go the distance.