Liverpool ‘monster’ worthy of new contract after incredible RB Leipzig display

Liverpool: Klopp 'can't think' about winning Champions League

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“Oh my god. What a boy he is, what player he is, what a night it is for him,” those were the words of Jurgen Klopp, when asked to comment on the performance of Nat Phillips after his side’s 2-0 win over RB Leipzig in Budapest. The German was not wrong. This was Phillips’ finest hour in Liverpool red bar none.

The 23-year-old, who has still only played just over 10 matches for the Reds, was their defensive bedrock in Hungary.

He cleared, headed, tackled and won almost everything that came his way, even if Leipzig failed to ask serious questions of the 2019 European champions.

The redeployment of Fabinho in the No 6 role proved a game-changer and helped bring the best from Thiago Alcantara, while also providing protection for Phillips and Ozan Kabak at the heart of defence.

The 20-year-old took care of business impeccably on the deck, while Phillips dominated the aerial duels and bulled the Leipzig attack.

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So much so, that Klopp was left drooling over his performance, adding: “That’s absolutely great. The concentration level he shows now week in week out since he is playing for us is absolutely incredible.

“He is doing exactly the right things at the right moment. In the air he is a monster and you could see today football-wise he is not bad.

“I couldn’t he happier for somebody more than I am for Nat at this moment. It was a great game.

“Not a lot of people get the honour to play a Champions League game and he has that now and he played a really good one and he won it and qualified for the last eight.

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“That is really special. A few years ago nobody would have thought that, and I’m really happy that he can experience that now.”

Klopp was right and Phillips’ performance was enlightening. It made you realise that he has perhaps been hard done by this season.

Whenever he has played, he has never let Liverpool down. He was Man of the Match again last night, just as he was on his Premier League debut at West Ham.

He was also part of big wins at Tottenham and West Ham in January before being dropped to the bench for two games, after also keeping clean sheets at Newcastle and Sheffield United.

Phillips plays to his strengths and although he isn’t the most technically-gifted centre-back, he does exactly what is asked of him.

The defender recently admitted that he was left disappointed when he was unable to leave the club last summer, in search of regular game time.

“At the end of pre-season, it looked like I was on my way out and going elsewhere to get some games and start my career, and carry on off the back of my loan spell last season,” Phillips told Sky Sports.

“Initially, when it first happened, everybody was fit, and it didn’t look like there would be any scenario where I would be playing for Liverpool’s first team this year.

“I was a bit disappointed because I was looking forward to going and playing football and just kick-starting my career, but obviously things changed.

“I don’t think anybody could have seen what was coming, and it was like a typical example of how bizarre football can be sometimes. I think it was within a month I was making my debut.”

As Phillips said, nobody could have predicted his dramatic rise to the fore and now he is considered a valuable asset to the Reds.

Yet his contract at Anfield is still up in a matter of months but after last night’s showing, he may just have earned himself an extension should he want to stay.

Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez will of course return when fit but Joel Matip’s fitness issues suggest he can no longer be relied on.

Having Phillips in reserve is a no-brainer for Liverpool, particularly given that he only earns around £4500-a-week.

He deserves a big pay rise following his efforts for Liverpool this season and Klopp must do everything to keep him moving forward.

His monstrous showing at the Puskas Arena was enough to justify a new contract in itself…

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