1 year ago
197 Jurgen Klopp has praised Joel Matip for putting in a solid display against Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins yesterday.
The German boss spoke to The Athletic after his side picked up a 3-0 win on Sunday and admitted Watkins is ‘quicker’ than Matip.
Liverpool put in a dominant performance at Anfield and earned all three points thanks to goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah.
Matty Cash also turned the ball into his own net after Darwin Nunez rattled the post with his effort in the first-half.
Villa came into the game in free-scoring form having netted 15 goals in their last four outings beforehand.
Watkins has proven to be a real threat for the Villains under Unai Emery and has already scored three goals and provided two assists this season.
Yet, Klopp was delighted with how Matip handled the 27-year-old on Sunday, despite a disadvantage in terms of pace.
Klopp on Watkins and Matip
Speaking after yesterday’s clash, Klopp admitted that Watkins is a lot quicker than Matip.
“Both centre-halves played an exceptional game with different jobs,” he said. “Diaby hiding in midfield in the No 10 position, Joey had to step in there.
“That left Joel in a one-v-one with Ollie Watkins. And as much as I love Joel, I think we know Ollie Watkins might be a bit quicker.
“We dealt with that well. The boys in front knew about that fact and were really in the situation with the counter-pressing moments.”
Matip has certainly never been the quickest defender but he has slowed down even more in recent years.
The £100,000-a-week has been solid for Liverpool under Klopp but he has struggled over the past few months.
Nevertheless, the 32-year-old put in a solid display alongside Joe Gomez yesterday, despite concerns over the duo as a centre-back pairing.
The post 'Quicker': Jurgen Klopp admits Aston Villa have a 27-year-old who's faster than his £100k-a-week Liverpool player appeared first on The Boot Room.
