Tom Cunningham (@TomCunningham75)
How good does it feel to welcome football back? And I mean real football. Not fake crowd noise, which cheers strikes well wide of the mark thanks to an accidental push of a button or cardboard cutouts, as strange and funny as they was, replicating that of a Weeping Angel, which moves every time you blink. I mean Real emotions. The ole’s every time a pass is made; the anxiety-based screeches as a shot fizzes past the post and, most importantly, the collective ‘go on’ before the ball finds the net to signal the best feeling in the world. So welcome back football, and whilst we’re completing our greetings, welcome back Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip, we’ve missed you.
For the first time since the title win, the game against Norwich felt like Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool. Cool, composed and ruthlessly in control. Every player fulfilled their role, no matter how small, as if they’d been handed the same script. James Milner, for example, had the role of, well, being James Milner and turning on his engine, breaking up play and receive what feels like a mandatory yellow card nowadays.
Any doubts before the game were quickly turned into excitement as soon as Virgil van Dijk stepped back on the pitch. He simply didn’t miss a beat; one hair didn’t fall out of place. He had the swagger of the best defender in the Premier League because..he is. But, it’s also worth remembering Joel Matip whilst building the Van Dijk shrine of praise. The Cameroonian’s return has almost gone under the radar thanks to the colossal impact of his Dutch counterpart. So let’s take a minute to appreciate the role he plays under Jurgen Klopp.
Mr Underrated, they should call Joel Matip. If you ask rival fans what they think of him, they’ll likely dismiss him as nothing more than a middle-tier defender in a top side. They’d be wrong to assume that, however. When fit, and yes, I know that’s his biggest problem, Joel Matip is one of the best defenders in the Premier League. When bringing the ball out from the back, he is arguably Liverpool’s best central defender, taking players on like he’s some 6’5 Lionel Messi regen.
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Meanwhile, his passing ability perfectly suits his partnership with Virgil van Dijk. Whilst the Dutchman is spraying the passes we all wish we could do, Matip’s passes go under the radar despite being as important; it’s the very thing that some would choose him over Joe Gomez for. They crucially break the opposition press and instantly get Liverpool going. And when he steps further out with the ball, he singlehandedly breaks the first line before passing through the defensive block. It may sound strange, but, offensively, Joel Matip is an important part of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool machine.
Joel Matip.
— CF Comps (@CF_Comps9) August 16, 2021
pic.twitter.com/NtJw8mL33j https://t.co/zOay3Ru0pg
It is worth remembering that Liverpool have lost just once in the last 44 games with Joel Matip at the back. When he was still fit as the only remaining central defender last season, the Reds were top of the Premier League by five points. As soon as he caught the injury bug, which, admittedly, his immune system should be used to dealing with by now, the aforementioned title charge fell into a panicked top-four scramble with Jurgen Klopp forced to place square pegs in round holes for the majority of the campaign.
The fact is, as much as we love him for the content he provides to No Context Joel Matip, the Cameroonian, and his Go Go Gadget legs, rarely put a foot wrong in a Liverpool shirt, and he should be recognised for that.
Tom Cunningham (@TomCunningham75)
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