Rio Ferdinand heaped praise on Liverpool defender Joel Matip and shared what he liked in particular about the centre-back.
The BT Sport pundit claimed that Matip was a really good central defensive partner for Virgil Van Dijk and highlighted that Matip tended to pass the ball forward and shared that he appreciated how the Reds centre-back read the game.
Ferdinand added that he thought Matip had played as well as Van Dijk in a lot of games but that he didn’t get the same praise as he goes unnoticed.
“At this moment it’s Matip (who is Virgil Van Dijk’s ideal central defensive partner) due to their relationship, they blend well together,” said Ferdinand on BT Sport 2 (19:23, Tuesday, September 27th).
“It’s the best relationship between centre-halves at the club, I think long-term Gomez is the man who will come in, but you see the aggressive there (clip plays) and the reading of the game by Matip here, he’s been immense.
“He has played as well as Van Dijk in a lot of games but he just doesn’t get noticed.
“He covers ground very well, very quick, and he just does his job.
“He gets about his business quietly and effectively and I think it’s taken him a while to settle in but once he did that, he really has made this position his own.
“His reading of the game is something I really like, but this as well what I love in his game is that he passes through the lines, he doesn’t just pass sideways, he likes to get the ball behind the opposition’s midfield into the attack and gives these forward boys an opportunity to score.
“And I think he is a really really really good partner for Van Dijk.”
OPINION
Ferdinand couldn’t have said any more nice words about Matip if he tried, the only negative the centre-back could look to take from it is that the pundit still thinks Gomez is destined to be Van Dijk’s partner at the back. However, as long as Matip keeps performing well then Gomez will continue not to get much of a look in. The 28-year-old even managed to perform well against Napoli despite the Reds suffering a disappointing 2-0 loss on Tuesday night in the Champions League. Against the Italian side, Matip made two tackles, four clearances, one interception and manage to maintain a decent pass completion rate of 87.5% (Source: WhoScored). Jurgen Klopp will be hoping Matip is able to keep his good form going as the Reds face a difficult task when they take on Chelsea on Sunday. Chelsea may not be flying high in the Premier League, but they have proven to be a force in front of goal. Frank Lampard’s side have scored 11 goals in their first five league games, with only Manchester City and Liverpool having scored more.
