Kalvin Phillips' performance for England could be "a springboard" for the rest of his season, suggests ex-Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson.

The Manchester City midfielder played the whole 90 minutes as England dug in for an impressive victory in Naples against Italy on Thursday.

After a tough start to life in Manchester, Robinson believes this could be just what he needs to get his career back on track.

"He will be so pleased to have been given the start for England," Robinson told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.

"His game time has been really limited and it's been quite stop-start for him at Manchester City. He will be delighted the manager put his faith in him.

"Like the rest of the team, he looked a little tired towards the end of the game but the whole team can take credit for how they dug in.

"Hopefully this will be a springboard for him for the rest of the season."

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Ger Deegan, Maine Road Ramble

Two players sprung to mind when I was asked this question and both are players who haven’t featured very heavily this season - Aymeric Laporte and Kalvin Phillips.

I will focus on Laporte for now because if it was up to me he wouldn’t be anywhere near a list like this, such is the level I rate him at. However, he seems to have been bypassed in the pecking order by not only John Stones and Ruben Dias but also Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake.

I believe Laporte is a class above a couple of the names there, but there have been murmurs that he may be willing to leave the club in the summer due to the lack of playing time. I really do hope this doesn’t come to fruition as I think his range of passing and awareness on the pitch are unrivalled at times, but can also understand a player of Laporte’s ability not being happy with so little meaningful minutes throughout this season.

Read the full piece here

Danny Murphy
Former England midfielder

This is going to be a monumental week for Liverpool, but the fact they face three huge tests in quick succession might actually be exactly what they need.

Starting on Saturday, the Reds play Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal in the space of eight days and I think they need to win at least two of those games to stay in the fight for the top four.

That looks like a daunting prospect - but it might surprise a few people to see that Liverpool have not just done well in these big games this season, they've done better than any of the other top teams.

Image source, BBC Sport

To see Jurgen Klopp's side top of this mini-table did not shock me, though - it actually backs up my theory about their struggles this season, and why they have not got close to mounting a title challenge.

At the start of the campaign, it felt like Liverpool had a little bit of a hangover from missing out on two of the big trophies last May.

That was understandable, because they were two games from greatness last season. They were one Premier League win and the Champions League final away from a quadruple and doing what no team had done before in English football.

David James
Former Liverpool and Man City goalkeeper on BBC Radio 5 Live

If I was Jude Bellingham and had the choice of these two teams...

He's played 191 games and he's 19. He's used to playing every week. If he joined Manchester City he won't get that.

Some people would say he's played too many games and the rotation at City might suit him better. I think going into Liverpool at the moment, they way they are, we'll all know what will happens at the end of the season if they're in the Champions League or not. It might be a deterrent for him. If he's a Liverpool fan he might leave it until next year.

He could suit Manchester City moreso but I think if he goes somewhere it'll be to Spain.

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Let's be honest, its going to be the transfer saga of the coming summer isn't it?

Midfielder Jude Bellingham is attracting plenty of attention after a series of eye-catching performance for Borussia Dortmund and England this season, but where could he end up next?

Chloe Bloxam from The Redmen TV and former Tottenham and Portsmouth midfielder Michael Brown debate the merits of joining Liverpool on The Football News Show.

Watch The Football News Show on BBC iPlayer

Nigel Rothband, The Man City Show podcast, external

There was huge concern among fans across the Premier League, in November last year, when so many first-team squad members went off to the World Cup.

What impact would their participation in the tournament have on our team in their domestic competitions? How many would come back injured? What would it do to their fitness and how tired would they get? How will it impact on the all important momentum?

The same questions arose this week with another international break, with 20 City players involved around the globe.

Unfortunately, City suffered two setbacks with injuries to two key players.

Erling Haaland, who on Monday was announced as City’s player of the month for March, had to withdraw from the Norway squad before they were due to play Spain and Georgia.

Haaland is being treated for a groin injury and is a doubt for the visit of Liverpool in the early kick-off on Saturday. He missed six weeks last year, while at Dortmund, with a similar injury. (We now know he won't be playing).

Also sidelined is Phil Foden, who withdrew from the England squad and underwent surgery to remove his appendix.

With just a top-four Premier League finish left to fight for, Liverpool will be desperate for points at the weekend. Any more dropped points for them and even a top-six place could be a stretch.

As City continue to fight on three major fronts they will probably need to start to regain that momentum without two of their biggest stars.

Football Focus

It's 12:00 BST, which means Football Focus is starting on BBC One. You can watch now at the top of this page or on your television.

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• Manchester City have lost just one of their past 13 Premier League home games against Liverpool, winning seven.
• A Liverpool victory would mean a league double over City for only the second time in the past 17 seasons, last doing so in 2015-16.
• Mohamed Salah has scored in all three of the Reds' games against City this season - the 2-1 Community Shield win, the 1-0 victory at Anfield in the Premier League and the 3-2 Carabao Cup defeat at Etihad Stadium. The last Liverpool player to score in four games against a team in one campaign was Ian Rush, who netted in five meetings with Everton in 1986-87.

Chris Latchem and Nedum Onuoha paint Manchester blue as part of Man City's 'Blue Run' to raise money for their City in the Community charity.

Pep Guardiola says Manchester City "don't think" about winning all three remaining trophies because it's "so difficult".

Saturday's game against Liverpool starts a crucial period for City, with a Champions League quarter-final and FA Cup semi-final also coming up.

Although City won the domestic treble in 2019, only Manchester United have won the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup in a single season in 1999.

"I've said many times, just one team has won the Treble because it's so difficult," said Guardiola. "That's why we don't think [about it].

"We have this game then a long week and then a tough schedule.

"The most important thing is still we are fighting in all competitions and that is so good.

"What we've lived in the past, there is a tendency to drop. To do it for 10 or 11 months is so difficult - still we are there."

Despite struggling for consistency this season, Mohamed Salah's goal gave Liverpool a 1-0 victory over City in the return fixture in October.

"They remain an exceptional team," added Guardiola. "My opinion doesn't change.

"They can beat everyone, like we can beat everyone.

"This season the biggest rival is another one but whatever happens in the future they are a big rival."

Man City boss Pep Guardiola talking to BT Sport: "There are a lot of games of football left and a lot of things can happen. We don't feel as though Arsenal will drop many points but hopefully we can be there as long as possible.

"I would love to be in Arsenal's position but until the last moment we will fight. We have done it for many, many years. It is step by step, game by game and we will see what happens.

"To be in contention for all the competitions, this is amazing. When you win you have the tendency to drop a bit but we are still there and this makes me happy.

"I feel old."

David James
Former Liverpool and Man City goalkeeper on BBC Radio 5 Live

I think this is a must-win game for both teams. The irony is if City lose and then Liverpool put a run together they could beat Arsenal which would do City a favour.

Liverpool can't afford to have that gap going. The problem they have is their form isn't great since the World Cup.

Liverpool only seem to win if they keep clean sheets. They'll be hoping Haaland doesn't start.

Strangely they might find it easier to play against City if Haaland plays. It's a different style with Alvarez.

Pep Guardiola has just spoken to BT Sport ahead of the game. On the subject of Erling Haaland, he had this to say: "He is not fit. He doesn't feel proper. It is not a big issue but today he was not right."

So yeah, no Erling Haaland. A massive miss for City. Here is a little insight into why...

Haaland has scored 42 goals in all competitions for Manchester City this season, including six hat-tricks (all at the Etihad). Only two players have scored more in a single campaign for a Premier League club (since 1992-93) – Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2002-03 and Mohamed Salah in 2017-18 (both 44).

Haaland has scored 42% of Man City's Premier League goals this season (28/67), while his goals have also been worth 20 points to the Citizens. All three (28 goals, 42% and 20 points) are the highest by a Manchester City player in a single Premier League campaign.

Manchester City's top scorer Erling Haaland doesn't make the squad as he recovers from the groin injury he picked up in City's last match against Burnley before the international break.

He's one of six changes to Pep Guardiola's side since their 6-0 FA Cup win with Ederson, John Stones, Nathan Ake, Ilkay Gundogan, Jack Grealish and Manuel Akanji all starting.

Manchester City XI: Ederson, Stones, Dias, Akanji, Ake, Gundogan, Rodri, Mahrez, De Bruyne, Grealish, Alvarez.

Subs: Moreno, Walker, Phillips, Laporte, Silva, Gomez, Perrone Rodriguez, Palmer, Lewis.

Liverpool make two changes to the side that were knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid 17 days ago.

James Milner and Darwin Nunez drop to the bench with Jordan Henderson and Harvey Ellliott coming into the side.

Liverpool XI: Alisson, Robertson, Van Dijk, Konate, Alexander-Arnold, Elliott, Henderson, Fabinho, Gakpo, Jota, Salah.

Subs: Kelleher, Gomez, Milner, Firmino, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Tsimikas, Nunez, Arthur, Matip.

I can tell you that we had some shots of the City team bus arriving a little bit earlier. I didn't see Erling Haaland get off.

So they either smuggled him out in one of the Moonchester or Moonbeam mascot suits, or he's failed to get himself sufficiently fit to feature.

City manager Pep Guardiola has said he may have to gamble on striker Erling Haaland's fitness for today's Premier League game against Liverpool.

Haaland, 22, pulled out of Norway's squad with a groin injury sustained in City's FA Cup win over Burnley and will be assessed after training on Friday.

City will definitely be without Phil Foden, who faces up to three weeks out following appendix surgery on Sunday.

"Life is risks and sometimes you have to take it," said Guardiola.

"The doctors and, especially, the player will see how he feels.

"We have scored a lot of goals this season and he has scored an incredible amount of goals. But we've always scored a lot of goals since we've been here."

Here is what we already know ahead of the reveal of the two teams, with the big question mark around a certain Norwegian forward...

City striker Erling Haaland is doubtful because of the groin issue which forced him to miss international duty with Norway.

Midfielder Phil Foden is out following surgery to remove his appendix.

Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez is in contention despite withdrawing from Uruguay's squad because of a cut to his ankle.

Long-term absentee Luis Diaz is nearing a return from a knee injury, but this game comes too soon for the winger.

Thiago Alcantara, Naby Keita and Calvin Ramsay remain sidelined.

To eradicate any doubt, here is how we currently stand at the top of the Premier League table...

Image source, BBC Sport

Heading into the final stretch of this English top-flight season, with 10-11 games still to go, Arsenal look imperious.

Trailing the Gunners by eight points (albeit with a game in hand and Mikel Arteta's side still to play at home), Manchester City cannot afford to drop any more points.

Putting aside that game with Arsenal at the Etihad later this month, today's lunchtime fixture represents arguably their toughest remaining test in the league. Jurgen Klopp and his lads would love nothing more than to be the John McClane in City's Nakatomi Tower.