Kalvin Phillips

[TrentGrisham]

sigh...

Defensive midfielder is arguably the most demanding position in world football. Even more so in a side coached by Pep... but I'd be shocked if he starts another game all season. He's just so slow to react. His weight of pass bar a good through ball in the first half was poor. Joelinton is a big fucker but he literally was playing like he wasn't even there all second half.

Txiki has a lot of stock in the bank in my book but this sure seems like it was a big swing and a miss.

 

[freshie]

I can’t believe he was brought in to provide cover/competition for Rodri. We don’t get many wrong but this transfer we certainly did. He should’ve left in the summer when it was made abundantly clear he was surplus to requirements. His obduracy will cost him

 

[Sir peace frog]

could of been sharper,but considering the game time hes had with us that is understandable, his problem is hes being judged in a position where we have had ferna and rodri for the last 10 years, he isn't a bad player in fact hes a very decent player and i knew as soon as the whistle went at full time i knew he would be the whipping boy,one annoying part was the newcastle goal although rico made a bit of a hash of it phillips should of got back into the middle , a run of games might do him good(fingers crossed)

 

[freshie]

Yorkshire pirlo. Do me a favour. He's awful. Get rid....

Yorkshire pudding would be more apt

 

[Rammy Blue]

Pep couldn’t have made it more obvious to him that he’s not wanted, he chose to stay which was his prerogative, but that doesn’t mask he just doesn’t suit us and looks like a fish out of water. He just needs to go.

 

[Tricky_Trev]

His verdict on Phillips just then in his post match interview suggests that he won’t be getting anymore chances.

Obviously. Today wasn’t even a chance for him. He was just being used so that Kovacic or Nunes didn’t have to play the full 90. It was not the opportunity Kalvin thought it was. Minds have already been made up, he’s finished here.

 

[ninjamonkey]

Come on mate. EVERY time I have seen Phillips in a City shit he has unimpressed me. Just plodding around and being OK WILL NOT win us titles. City players need to be better than OK. Miles above it. That's why we are Treble winners and one of the greatest sides of all time. We haven't got to those stellar heights with "ok" players..

He needs to go. He looks like he's won a raffle to play for City and can't believe his luck!

Ultimately he needs to be better than just okay to have any meaningful role here i agree but his starts for us are in the single digits still and he's playing in a much changed side for the first time this season.

Id hope for more but okay is a perfectly acceptable level for tonight. The criticism on here is entirely unwarranted based on that performance.

 

[Kamaro011]

could of been sharper,but considering the game time hes had with us that is understandable, his problem is hes being judged in a position where we have had ferna and rodri for the last 10 years, he isn't a bad player in fact hes a very decent player and i knew as soon as the whistle went at full time i knew he would be the whipping boy,one annoying part was the newcastle goal although rico made a bit of a hash of it phillips should of got back into the middle , a run of games might do him good(fingers crossed)

I rather Philips left the club as soon as possible tbh either in January or next summer, not because i hate or don't rate him.

He at this point is just become a whipping boy like you said, even if he have a good or fine game it will be ignored by majority, the moment he have a bad game he will become a target ignoring that other player have also bad game but they will get ignored because some of our fans need to have FFS player to be a major sole reason to blame of why our team is loss.

You can bet your ass the moment Philips get move, the other player in our team will get the role FFS from some of our fans which Grealish will be most likely to get that role again.

 

[Crooked_rain]

In my opinion he's pretty much a bang average Premier league midfielder.

Obviously there's no shame in that, it's still an incredible level in the context of the whole of football, but he just isn't cut out for an elite team, very few are.

I always trust the club because our recruitment has been excellent for the most part but I couldn't understand what they saw in him even when I heard he was signing, I said so at the time. But the people at the club know far more about the game than me, so I thought they saw something that I was missing.

But he's been exactly what I thought he was already and not really suited to the way we play

People can't even be objective about him now because they get accused of sticking the boot in. But there's nothing wrong with being honest and saying he's been lacklustre and probably not cut out for our level.

 

[Plain Speaking]

He seems a nice lad, but he's lacking confidence in his own ability, unfortunately he's not comfortable on the ball enough for our team.

He's hiding in games. I would be surprised if he starts against Wolves, (maybe a few minutes at the end if we are winning comfortably?). I would be astonished if he plays against Arsenal.

On the positive side he's made me a bit of money in the last couple of games, in each I bet he'd get a yellow card, plus today I also also bet he would make at least 2 first half fouls. He's at least consistent in giving away fouls! ;-)