LFC Daytrippers contributor Chris Brack has been discussing the Reds defender Joel Matip during a recent episode of the podcast.
Jurgen Klopp’s side went to Stamford Bridge at the weekend and defeated Frank Lampard’s side 2-0 thanks to a brace from Sadio Mane (as per BBC Sport). However, Matip, along with Joe Gomez, was unavailable and so the boss turned to Fabinho to partner Virgil van Dijk in the heart of the team’s defence.
Brack feels the club still need to add another centre-back to their squad this summer and expressed his concerns regarding the 29-year-old. Here is what he had to say:
“I thought all summer we needed a centre-half who would play alongside Van Dijk and make Matip fourth-choice. Unfortunately, with Matip, fitness-wise he’s not good enough. Ability-wise he is, but fitness-wise he isn’t good enough, and he hasn’t been now for two years. It says it all when [Dejan] Lovren is actually fitter than him. Whether it will happen this summer, I don’t know, but I think we need a centre-half badly.”
Are you confident Liverpool will add another centre-back before the window closes?
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TIF Thoughts…
It’s clear from the podcaster’s comments that his concerns regarding Matip are to do with his ability to stay fit consistently rather than a lack of quality. The Reds signed the 29-year-old on a free transfer from Schalke back in the summer of 2016 and since his arrival, he has played 112 times.
Last season alone, the Cameroon defender, who is valued at £28.8 million (as per Transfermarkt), missed 20 fixtures through injury (as per Transfermarkt) which validates Brack’s concern.
Fabinho, who slotted into the defence for the Chelsea match on Sunday, was given an impressive performance rating of 7.44/10 by WhoScored.com, proving that he is capable of filling the role. However, using the Brazilian as part of the backline will reduce the midfield options available to Klopp, therefore, you can understand why Brack would prefer to see the club sign another central defender.