Kalvin Phillips

[mattcity5]

If you remember, Kompany started as CDM in his first season and didn't do well.

Then Mancini tried him as a CB and magic happened.

I always thought Kalvin would be more suitable for that position, especially the one Stones / Akanji play.

CDM - ain't gonna happen.

Kompany had played as a centre-back most of his career. He filled the role in at City when he joined because at that point we pretty much had nobody else to play there. He did ok, but he obviously was far better once he moved back into defence, which happened, I think, when we signed De Jong.

 

[Gone for a Burton]

Anelka is always the player I think of. Even Kev gives me a sense that he sees it as a career rather than a passion. Why I have a niggling voice in my head that he might not do coaching, just call it a day and get on with his life. I could be completely wrong on that, mind, so hard to tell. But you just know Pep, Kompany, Gundo seem like lads who would sit and watch an amateur five-a-side game and want to coach it before they sat down to watch Netflix.

And like you say, it's fair enough really. These days you're plucked from the street as young as five and encouraged to see it as a job before you've even hit puberty, of course some lads lose their love of it or just want to turn it off the second they get home.

Kev loves go carting !!

 

[Gone for a Burton]

I hope the lad takes a step back,regains his confidence,self respect and form then builds his career again.

The move hasn't worked for either party, but he has enough in his locker to have a good career.

Good luck lad !!

 

[Tevez City]

I will trust him to start all the Carabao & FA cup games as CB

 

[p.taker]

I will trust him to start all the Carabao & FA cup games as CB

Lol

You might catch a few

 

[comiskey33]

Kompany had played as a centre-back most of his career. He filled the role in at City when he joined because at that point we pretty much had nobody else to play there. He did ok, but he obviously was far better once he moved back into defence, which happened, I think, when we signed De Jong.

thought he played midfield for hamburg?

 

[mattcity5]

thought he played midfield for hamburg?

I'm not sure if people have assumed that because of where City played him initially, or if he did tbh. I do know that before then, at Anderlecht, he was viewed as a top centre-back prospect and that's where he played then.

 

[Keeper!]

I will trust him to start all the Carabao & FA cup games as CB

So will Pep, with the extra CL games and the end of season Club world cup I would imagine he will be happy to be out of the Caribo cup ASAP

 

[mattcity5]

thought he played midfield for hamburg?

Checked on transfermarket...

At Anderlecht it was 1 appearance out of 121 in midfield. At Hamburg it was around 60% of his matches in midfield (not totally accurate as some games don't have a position listed for him).

I'd say he was a natural defender, who could do a job in a limited role in midfield. No idea what our original plan was, but our immediate need was a midfield tackler. That will have changed once we got De Jong, and then Barry also. Whether moving him back was because of that, or we bought them because we wanted to move him back anyway, I have no idea. It was a good move though!

 

[Asa's left peg]

I'd love Kalvin to succeed but he ain't getting a place in front of our battle hardened, experienced warrior defenders we have currently. Whilst he looked ok amongst the kids in the friendly, I wouldn't get to carried away.

He came to us and thought he'd made it and from afar it looked easy. Accept the pass, lay it off to one of the many world class players and sit back and watch (Nunes seems to have a little of this). Everyone of our players works and runs hard but not everyone sees or appreciates it.

There is still a player in there, with Kalvin, but he's drowning.

Bielsa, Southgate and Pep all saw something. I have to admit, it's a little mystifying that Pep can't get his mojo back.