John Aldridge is impressed with how quickly Joel Matip has adapted to the Premier League and with his ball-playing abilities.
After arriving from Schalke on a free transfer, Matip has taken virtually no time to adapt to the rigours of the Premier League and this has caught the attention of none other than John Aldridge.
Aside from a bizarre sliding tackle against Chelsea which resulted in the conceding of a goal, Matip has been pretty much faultless in his first several games in a Liverpool shirt. While the 0-0 draw with Manchester United may have been boring and dull, it was the first clean sheet of Liverpool’s Premier League season and saw positives in defence for both sides.
Matip was a huge positive for Liverpool.
Writing in his latest column for the Liverpool Echo, Aldridge said, “I was impressed by Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren. Partnerships are key at centre-back and the pair are starting to develop an understanding.
“I have been particularly impressed with Matip, who was my Man of the Match on Monday and kept Zlatan Ibrahimovic pretty quiet.
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“He can also create chances out of defence, as he demonstrated with his pass for Emre Can in the second half.
“When teams sit back, you need someone who can step into midfield from the back. In my day, we’d have Alan Hansen bringing the ball out and he’d sometimes get as far as the opposing back four.
“Matip is capable of doing that. When teams play with one or even none up front, it gives a centre-back licence to go upfield. Matip is adding an extra dimension to our play.”
Jurgen Klopp found a real gem in Matip and for free. There is little doubt that Matip will be an important player for Liverpool for a long time to come and there is no doubting that what we are seeing now is just the beginning.
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