Liverpool always appear to be somewhat thin in some department or another when the January transfer window swings around, and this year, Jurgen Klopp's resurgent side may be top of the Premier League after 16 matches but there are clear areas of concern.
After falling by the wayside and finishing fifth in the Premier League last season – with the sapped midfield's failure to protect the defence and charge the engine room resulting in something of a systematic failure – it was clearly that more than tinkering was needed over the summer.
And Klopp enacted the changes that he saw would catapult his illustrious Liverpool side back toward the forefront, which certainly appears to have happened across the 2023/24 term so far, with 37 points and just one defeat from the opening 16 matches of the calendar.
The Anfield side has also qualified from its Europa League group phase with a game to spare and awaits the visit of West Ham United in the Carabao Cup later this month.
But there does appear to be a certain sense of fragility, with a starring specialist No. 6 still needed and the acquisitions of stars Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch coming at the expense of fortifying the backline.
Joel Matip, aged 32, ruptured his ACL during Klopp's side's stunning comeback win at Anfield earlier this month, exacerbating the thinness in the rearguard, which has inevitably prompted some supporters in the Reds' circle to ponder not only whether he'll play for the club again but also weather cult hero Nat Phillips could be seen at Anfield once more before too long. Currently, he is plying his trade out on loan with Scottish giants Celtic.
Nat Phillips' Liverpool career
Phillips has deservedly earned a place in Liverpool supporters' hearts for his brilliant performances alongside Rhys Williams in the 2020/21 campaign when Virgil van Dijk was nursing an ACL injury and Klopp's system had collapsed due to an inpour of injuries.
Lauded as "absolutely insane" by his Liverpool manager for his efforts, Phillips, aged 26, featured 17 times in the Premier League and notably scored against Burnley as his side sculpted a ten-match unbeaten streak to close the campaign – interestingly, the two matches Phillips did not appear in this period were the two times Liverpool dropped points.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Aerial duels
Tackling
Passing
Concentration
*Sourced via WhoScored
Praising him after that goal during a 3-0 victory at Turf Moor, pundit and former Liverpool player Jamie Redknapp said: "The second goal really helps and Nat Phillips has had an unbelievable time, he's full of confidence. He's a throwback defender. He wants to make blocks, he wants to make tackles, he's got great anticipation."
As per Sofascore, he thrived across his 17 displays, completing 84% of his passes, making 4.8 clearances per game and winning 66% of his aerial duels.
The 6 foot 3 colossus also impressed across both quarter-final legs against Real Madrid in the Champions League that year despite being knocked out of the competition, winning ten aerial duels and keeping a clean sheet in the second leg on Merseyside, albeit having fallen to a 3-1 loss in the Spanish capital.
But Klopp's never really viewed him as a lasting solution in Liverpool's team and loaned him out to Bournemouth for the latter half of the 2021/22 Championship campaign, where he made 17 appearances as the Cherries secured promotion back to the top-flight.
After barely making a mark last year, Klopp decided that he should be loaned out to the Scottish Premiership, joining Celtic – managed by Brendan Rodgers. His time in Glasgow has sadly not been auspicious so far…
Nat Phillips' season in numbers
The £65k-per-week titan has been "really bad" since his summer switch to Scotland, according to one Celtic podcaster, who also remarked at the staggering lack of effort in training and inability to produce performances of the same like that earned him acclaim at Anfield.
Since arriving, Phillips has only made eight showings across all competitions and has started just three times in the Scottish top-flight, with his one start in the Champions League resulting in a 2-1 loss at the hand of Lazio at Celtic Park.
Phillips endured a nightmare as Celtic's unbeaten start came to an end against Kilmarnock on Sunday, scoring an own goal as the hosts won 2-1 and receiving criticism for his gangly, uncoordinated defensive efforts.
Across the Premiership campaign, he has demonstrated some impressive elements to his game, assured with an 85% pass success rate and zestful with 4.2 ball recoveries per game – also forever a formidable force aerially – but his actual tackling ability is woeful, winning just 30% of his duels.
Writing in his post-match player ratings, Football Scotland's Blair Meikle branded him with a 5/10 score, saying: 'Carried the ball out of defence well at times and made some good tackles but also showed the other side of his defensive game by looking pretty shakey when Kilmarnock bombarded the box. And then turned into his own net to level the scores.'
Klopp might have cryptically quelled murmurings that Liverpool will target defensive reinforcements in January, hinting that he will not be drawn into any hasty deals, but truthfully, such remarks must be taken with a pinch of salt.
If Liverpool identify an apt target for transfer this winter then moves will be made in the shadows, as has so often been the way throughout the German's tenure at the club.
But should the club decide to bide their time and await 2024's summer transfer window, when the pickings will be far riper, Phillips should not be reintegrated into the squad as a short-term fix – he is not cutting the mustard and it's just simply quite hard to envisage how he slots into this dynamic squad beyond the next two transfer windows.
With Jarell Quansah rising closer to the fore and Joe Gomez a competent option – even though he's been used out wide this term – bringing Phillips back may not be a fruitful move, with the Bolton-born ace struggling to assert himself at 26 years of age.
