Kalvin Phillips

[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.

 

[decmancity]

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).

I don't really understand this argument. That is exactly the role he signed up for.

Why would Pep be subbing Rodri (the best DM in the world) off in a incredibly close game against a potential title rival. He doesn't make subs at the best of times and he definitely resists in games like that.

 

[5 Hit Gibbon]

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.

Not really, people are discussing his lack of performance or lack of opportunity to perform.

 

[John Wayne]

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?

We rarely do play with a weakened team, but we rotate top-drawer players. We have not yet played a weakened team for the third game of the league season in Pep's time with the club. My argument is that we should try to win as many games as possible early on so that we are not under pressure to rotate down the line. It makes zero sense to drop Rodri, Haaland or Dias for this game.

 

[Blue and true]

Great character and looks a nice lad but I can’t help but resent him for being unable to help Rodri out by resting him. He just seems to be an extra body on the bench.

I kinda see where you're coming from. I don't so much resent him, I resent the situation. He's just furniture in the dressing room now, and taking up a valuable squad space.

 

[John Wayne]

Not really, people are discussing his lack of performance or lack of opportunity to perform.

I don't get why people get upset about the length of a particular thread, as if their own posts in the thread don't count. It's a City forum. I despair more at people who come here to talk about politics than about a City player.

 

[Blue Llama]

Why do we have 2 KP threads?

 

[Invisible Man's Bandage]

I don't really understand this argument. That is exactly the role he signed up for.

Why would Pep be subbing Rodri (the best DM in the world) off in a incredibly close game against a potential title rival. He doesn't make subs at the best of times and he definitely resists in games like that.

Eh?

So we paid over 40 mill to bring someone in to play a few minutes at the end of games that are won? Seems a bit wasteful to me...

 

[decmancity]

Eh?

So we paid over 40 mill to bring someone in to play a few minutes at the end of games that are won? Seems a bit wasteful to me...

Kalvin is basically there incase Rodri goes injured but he has seemingly even blown that opportunity with Pep because he will now probably play Kovacic or someone else.

Busquets and Kimmich regularly played 45+ games a year under Pep because of how critical they were and even then, Busquets only really got rest in games where Pep could truly rest players. We pretty much never get that opportunity, every game is must win unless we manage a favourable cup draw.

Rodri will do the same amount of minutes for the next several seasons.

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

Why do we have 2 KP threads?

Agreed. It’s nuts.