Jurgen Klopp was pleased with Joel Matip’s “super performance” at center-back despite the fact that he was a surprise starter for Liverpool against West Ham.
Virgil van Dijk, Luis Diaz, and Darwin Nunez were the only players to remain in Klopp’s starting lineup from LASK in midweek after eight changes were made.
, who was given the opportunity to start at Anfield, excelled in his performance against Michail Antonio.
Matip kept close to the West Ham striker the entire time, preventing him from turning and taking advantage of the space behind Liverpool’s high line. This was crucial considering the way Klopp lines up his team.
In his post-game press conference, the manager acknowledged this and noted how his No. 32 significantly contributed to the Reds avoiding “chaos.”
“Joel Matip [had] a super performance against Antonio,” stated Klopp.
It’s a crucial part of the game. They chip the ball there, and I’m not sure how frequently we suffered in the past when he had ball control.
“Today he had it once or twice, and chaos broke out right away. Matip performed that extremely well.
Matip has already made four starts for Liverpool this season, largely as a result of Konate’s injury at the start of what many expect to be his final year.
His contract is set to end next summer, and according to sources, he won’t be given the option of an extension but rather will be permitted to depart for free.
Although Matip and Joe Gomez, to a lesser extent, have been pushed to the sidelines recently and have fallen in the eyes of fans as a result, they are still capable of proving their worth.
That happened once more on Sunday when the Cameroonian rose to the occasion against a cocksure Antonio and contributed significantly to Liverpool’s most recent triumph.
