- Joel Matip has picked up a thigh injury, just as Liverpool enter a crazy run of fixtures
- The 26-year-old is our best central defender and his absence will come as a big blow to Klopp
- Now, Liverpool’s manager has just Ragnar Klavan, Dejan Lovren and Joe Gomez to choose from
- SEE MORE: Matip reveals Klopp fury after Tottenham shambles
Joel Matip will not play again in 2017.
That much has been claimed by the excellent Chris Bascombe in the Telegraph, with the article suggesting a thigh injury will keep our Cameroonian out until the new year.
The centre-back is an automatic starter in our much-criticised defence, but now, will miss the incredibly busy December period.
In his place, Jurgen Klopp has just two senior centre-backs to choose from – making a mockery of our decision not to strengthen the position over the summer when Virgil van Dijk proved unavailable.
Dejan Lovren and Ragnar Klavan are both capable of putting in top performances, but they’re ultimately inconsistent and have directly cost us points this term, especially the former.
Klopp also has the option of Joe Gomez, but the Englishman is currently our first-choice right-back, which means teenager Trent Alexander-Arnold would have to come into the side on a more regular basis.
This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it could be risky to field two fledgling defenders in a backline which lacks leaders and has shown its ability to implode on regular occasion.