Joel Matip has admitted that he enjoyed watching the ‘brilliant’ Trent Alexander-Arnold against West Ham United last night.
Trent turned in a magnificent performance from midfield as Liverpool came from behind to beat the Hammers. And Matip – who bulleted in the winning goal – told LFCTV that his right-sided teammate deserved some applause.
“The midfield with Trent stayed so calm with the ball, it was really nice to watch how they play,” said the 31-year-old. “He’s [Trent] brilliant, everybody knows the quality on the ball. There you get more touches on the ball and have a bigger impact on the game. He does that brilliant.”
Plenty of praise for Liverpool
Alexander-Arnold’s display last night has deservedly taken the plaudits, but he wasn’t the only one to impress in a Liverpool shirt. Matip is right to highlight the rest of the midfield, because they all did their job with aplomb.
Curtis Jones was probably the pick of the bunch, his high-pressing winning back possession for the Reds plenty of times. Alongside him Fabinho looked much better, while Jordan Henderson kept things ticking over, too.
With Trent moving inside to join them more often than not, the trio have had to adjust to that. This doesn’t happen without plenty of work on the training ground. It isn’t a coincidence that Jurgen Klopp has kept the same midfield for the last five games now.
As Thiago Alcantara continues to build his fitness, you’d expect him to come back in at some stage soon. But for now this midfield seems to be understanding exactly how to facilitate Alexander-Arnold’s arrival.
Moreover, Liverpool keep winning. If the formula seems to be working, then Jurgen would be silly to change it.
As for Trent, what more can you say? After so much negative press over the course of the season, the 24-year-old is now well and truly answering those critics. Long may it continue.