‘Championship at best’ – Pundit slams Liverpool defender

Gabriel Agbonlahor claims Liverpool’s Nat Phillips is “not a Premier League centre-half” after the Reds beat AC Milan 2-1 in the Champions League.

The win in Italy meant Liverpool became the first English team ever to win all six of their group games as they dumped Milan out of Europe.

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And as Klopp rang the changes, the Reds’ squad players stepped up.

Goals from Mohamed Salah and Divock Origi gave Liverpool all three points after former Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori had given the hosts the lead.

Phillips, who became a regular starter in the second half of last season as the Reds suffered an injury crisis, made his first start of the season on Tuesday night.

The 24-year-old played 20 times across all competitions last season, including 15 Premier League starts, as Jurgen Klopp’s side secured a top-four finish.

His performances were rewarded by Liverpool with a fresh four-year contract at the end of August.

But Agbonlahor isn’t impressed, claiming he’s “not good enough” for Liverpool or the Premier League.

“Nat Phillips is not a Premier League centre-half,” he told Football Insider.

“I’ve watched a bit of him now at Liverpool and he’s not good enough.

“For me, he’s a Championship player at best, he’s not good enough for the Premier League, especially at the top end.”

That opinion is at odds with the views of Jurgen Klopp, who described Phillips as “exceptional” alongside Ibrahima Konate at the heart of Liverpool’s defence.

“I really thought we defended exceptionally well,” he added.

“The plan of Milan was playing through the centre, through the half-spaces between the winger and our eights.

“We made it complicated because of the disciplined work of all of the players.

“I have to say Nat Phillips and Ibou Konate played an exceptional game, absolutely exceptional game.

“How they defended tonight was outstanding, I am really proud of the boys.”

Klopp also reserved special praise for Tyler Morton, who was making only his fifth competitive start.

“I don’t want to make his life more complicated than it is already, when playing at such a young age for a club like Liverpool, with a performance like this,” Klopp said.

“I think we should all calm down, but it was really good tonight. It was a big pleasure to watch the boy playing.

“The football knowledge, the football brain he showed tonight was absolutely exceptional.

“If you are technically on that level – and he obviously is – and you then have such good orientation, then sometimes we have enough time to do good stuff.

“That is what he did tonight. On top of that, he defended incredibly well, together with the other boys.”