OPINION
Credit where credit is due, Joel Matip has had to graft to get to where he is today. When he joined Liverpool on a free transfer in 2016, it took him a long time to adapt to the English game. The Cameroonian often looked clumsy and out of his depth, and repeatedly he put in performances that must have had Kop fans questioning the wisdom of Jurgen Klopp’s decision to bring him in. Now, however, after stepping into the breach for the injured Joe Gomez last season, he looks like one of the smartest pieces of business that the German has pulled off during his tenure at Anfield. He has removed the mistakes from his game and formed a solid partnership with Virgil Van Dijk at the heart of defence, and looks every inch the elite centre-half. In his one Premier League performance prior to Saturday’s 3-1 win over Arsenal – a victory that came courtesy of a towing header from the defender, by the way – he made a colossal 10 clearances, as per Whoscored. And that’s without the goal threat that he has started to offer at the other end too. His strike today takes his tally to two in four for the season, and if he can continue to shut teams out at one end and cause them problems at the other, what’s not to love? Fair play to the big man.
Live 4 Liverpool have gathered some of the best tweets below:
Liverpool MATIP has just scored the goal of the season
WOW
— SCARFACE (@LFC_LION) August 24, 2019
We got Matip on a free hahaha. Wow.
— Martin (@Turner_LFC) August 24, 2019
Matip is the most under rated signing of the Klopp era. He’s incredible
— Jordan McDonald (@jordanmcd90) August 24, 2019
https://twitter.com/MovesLikeSa11ah/status/1165316811245727744?s=20
We’re all living in Joel Matip’s universe
— Allwyn D’Souza (@Zonal_Marker) August 24, 2019
https://twitter.com/ffsJoel/status/1165316058808553472?s=20
Matip > Pele
— Wayne (@__wayno__) August 24, 2019
