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Whelan gushes about Matip

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Noel Whelan waxed lyrical about Liverpool defender Joel Matip and stated that the centre-back could go on to be viewed as one of the world’s best players.

The BBC pundit claimed that if you’re playing reguarly for one of the best teams, such as Liverpool, then you’re a real star and he added that Matip didn’t look too far off Virgil Van Dijk’s level.

Whelan explained that Matip had benefited from playing alongside Van Dijk and stated that everyone has seen the 28-year-old reach a new level in 2019.

“Matip has always looked a good centre-back but he has benefited so much from Van Dijk,” Whelan told Football Insider.

“Van Dijk’s calmness and authority just rubs off on everyone else.

“He’s the best centre-back in the world and Matip looks barely any less commanding. That is the highest compliment you can pay him.

“You’ve seen him go to a new level this year and he’s at such a good age for a centre-back, a position where you mature later than attacking and midfield players.

“He can be one of the world’s best, absolutely. Liverpool are the Champions League holders and title favourites. If you’re playing regularly for one of the best teams, you’re a real star.”

OPINION

No one is going to argue with Whelan as he is spot-on about Matip. The ex-Schalke defender hasn’t put a step wrong since the start of the year and he has been phenomenal since the first ball of the 2019/20 campaign was kicked.  Matip has averaged an impressively high rating of 7.72 across his seven league outings and has been a beast at the back in games as he has averaged 1.7 tackles, 1.7 interceptions and an eye-watering 5.3 clearances per match (Source: WhoScored). When you consider that the defender wasn’t always guaranteed a place in Jurgen Klopp’s first-team, he only played three minutes in the first five league games of the 2018/19 campaign, for him to now be a player considered to be on course to be among the best players in the world, it shows how much he has improved. The only real downside to Matip’s improvement is that you can’t help but feel sorry for Joe Gomez. The promising centre-back is struggling for game time this season as he just can’t oust Matip from the team, as who would drop a defender in such good form?

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