1 year ago
174 Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has been speaking about Joel Matip ahead of tonight’s League Cup clash and labelled him a ‘top defender’.
Van Dijk has led the way for Liverpool over the past few seasons as he’s played a key role in their success under Jurgen Klopp.
The 32-year-old is undoubtedly one of the best centre-backs in world football and remains an integral part of Klopp’s squad. But another defender who’s also played his part over the years is Joel Matip.
Indeed, the Cameroon international has often partnered Van Dijk in central defence and while he’s struggled with injuries over the past couple of years, he’s come back into the side of late.
Van Dijk is currently serving a suspension after being sent off in the 2-1 win at St James’ Park last month and the Dutchman has singled out Matip for praise.
Van Dijk on Matip
Speaking to Liverpool’s official website, Van Dijk stressed the importance of having a deep squad and praised Matip for stepping up in recent weeks.
He said: “One of the biggest lessons of the last few weeks – and even further back than that – has been the importance of having a squad made up of players who are ready to make a contribution whether they start games or come on off the bench.
“There are so many examples that it is impossible to list them all, but in all of the fixtures we have played so far this season one of the biggest features has been that it doesn’t matter who starts and who finishes – everyone has a part to play.
“It was exactly the same on Sunday with Joel Matip coming back into the starting line-up and showing all of the experience and quality that makes him such a top defender, Diogo Jota coming on as a substitute to score a goal that was hugely important, and so many others doing their bit.”
While Matip has undoubtedly slowed down over the past couple of seasons, he remains a reliable option for Klopp.
The 32-year-old has stepped into the Liverpool side since Van Dijk’s red card and helped them to four consecutive wins in the league.
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