OPINION
You would not be wrong in saying that Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is undergoing a bit of a selection crisis ahead of the Champions League clash against Bayern Munich next Tuesday.
With Joe Gomez injured and Dejan Lovren currently facing a race to get fit and Virgil Van Dijk being suspended for the fixture after his yellow card in their last group match, the only experienced defender Klopp now has at his disposal is Joel Matip.
Fabinho has played at centre-back a few times this season, but there are even question marks over whether he will be available for the game.
So who exactly can Klopp turn to in his hour of need?
He must look at no other than Nat Phillips, because at the moment, the manager is fast running out of options for next Tuesday.
The 21-year-old has shown some real signs of promise for the Under-23 side this season and Klopp even invited him out to Liverpool’s training camp in Marbella, so it is clear to see that he is starting to show the skillset required to be successful.
Yes, playing him against one of Europe’s heavyweights is very much throwing him in the deep end, but what else can Klopp do?
This is Phillips’ chance to establish himself as a new club hero if Klopp takes the plunge and starts him, after all, wouldn’t he want someone familiar with playing at centre-back rather than drafting in someone who is not as familiar with the role?
Klopp has given chances to the likes of Ki-Jana Hoever this season, so there is no reason why Phillips cannot help solve Liverpool’s current crisis.
Some may question Klopp’s decision to field a rarely-seen player on Tuesday, but Phillips is one of the only viable options left – so he must be bold and take the risk.
