Joel Matip put in another substandard performance against Leicester on Saturday. He should be the one to make way for Ragnar Klavan against Burnley on New Year’s Day.
In the preseason Liverpool badly needed a new center half. There were only three specialists in the squad; Dejan Lovren, Ragnar Klavan & Joel Matip. And of those three we had serious question marks over two of them. But at least we had Matip, right?
The Cameroonian had an accomplished first season for Liverpool. While not dominate with strength and speed he was a class act. Great positional sense, comfortable on the ball and most notably, not prone to errors. A great player to get on a free transfer.
Now 18 months into his Anfield career his place is in serious jeopardy. The 2017/18 season did not start well for him; a number of substandard games raising some early alarm bells. His form improved very little in October and November but the error-filled efforts of Dejan Lovren were absorbing all the attention.
Then an abductor injury kept him out for six games. In his place came Ragnar Klavan. The first five and a half games of Matip’s absence were the best run of defensive form we’ve seen this season. And then we soiled the proverbial bed against Arsenal in a five-minute period. Yet none of those goals were Klavan’s fault.
That horrible defensive deja vu showing against Arsenal made Matip’s inclusion against Swansea and Leicester inevitable. The Boxing Day game against Swansea was a one-sided affair with nothing to stretch the back four. Leicester are a much better side and Matip was not up to the task.
When Matip has played well this season it has been next to Ragnar Klavan. Ditto for Lovren. The Estonian deserves his place ahead of his two teammates and should be first choice to partner Virgil van Dijk. At least until Nathaniel Clyne returns and Joe Gomez can be considered regularly for the role.
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Lovren does one thing well; marking big strikers. As Liverpool matchup against Burnley’s one-dimensional, physical attack, it should be Lovren and Klavan trotting out at Turf Moor tomorrow.