It wasn’t long ago that Joel Matip was the first centre-back on our team-sheet, when everybody was fit.
Now, he’s fourth choice, which says a lot about how much our backline has improved, actually.
The Cameroonian is currently behind Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Dejan Lovren in the pecking order and has found playing opportunities hard to come by this season.
In total, Matip has played 95 minutes of Premier League football, 90 minutes in the Champions League and 90 minutes in the League Cup only.
“It is always a challenge to get a permanent place in the starting XI – that is part of football,” the centre-back told the Echo.
“You have to work hard and sometimes that means waiting for your chance.
“It is a long season and there are a lot of games to go.”
We sympathise with Matip, but there’s no way he deserves more minutes right now.
In the top flight this term, Liverpool have conceded just five goals in total, which is our best record after 13 games in the Premier League era.
Lovren isn’t getting much playing time either, and he’s starred in the Champions League and World Cup this calendar year.
Matip is a decent backup option, but unless van Dijk or Gomez pick up injuries (heaven forbid), he’s not going to get into the side consistently.
