The problem with Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren

Liverpool now have a problem with Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip after Joe Gomez took their place in the starting side.

At this rate, neither of them are getting back into the side. Jurgen Klopp likes his settled combinations and Gomez alongside Virgil van Dijk is about as settled as you can get.

Both are quick, excellent with their feet and possess enough strength to knock attackers about with ease. While Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip can bring some of those qualities to the fore, they can’t do it as well as the men who hold the shirts.

However, we are going to run into a problem with that. These men are high level athletes who want to be playing football, and right now they aren’t. They are, however, part of a squad who are breaking records left, right and centre and that will be a huge pull to them – but it won’t last forever.

More from Rush The Kop

• Set to return, Virgil Van Dijk facing heavy criticism back home
• Liverpool making late comebacks all the rage once again
• Wolves tilt gives Klopp opportunity to tinker with lineup following international duty
• Players to watch in the matchup with Wolves
• Predicting Liverpool’s Next Five Premier League Fixtures

Sooner rather than that one of the two, or perhaps both, will sidle up to Klopp and have a whisper in his ear about wanting to leave in order to pursue regular first team minutes. And at that point, they should be granted their wish.

Unless there is another profound injury crisis, Lovren isn’t going to feature in the Premier League. His career has got cup competitions written all over it, and for a man who played for Croatia in the World Cup final, that’s got to hurt.

Matip may still have a chance, but he doesn’t right now. Both back-ups are very good players, which is excellent for Liverpool, but it also represents a problem.

If they leave, who out there is going to want to a join a club for the honour of fighting for a place on the bench?

And as things stand, none of the young players are good enough to step up. We saw how Sepp van den Berg struggled when he was brought into things and Ki-Jana Hoever hasn’t been given a chance this season.

And that’s the problem with Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip. Too good to sell, not good enough to play.