If last season was Joel Matip’s best in a Liverpool shirt, then this campaign has arguably been his worst.
The Cameroonian was in the form of his life last year as the Reds chased down an unprecedented quadruple. Recording 43 appearances in all competitions, he even stayed injury-free for the majority as he not only registered his most outings in a solitary season for Liverpool, but also his most for a decade as he broke the 35-game barrier for the first time at Anfield.
Yet his 2021/22 season ended in disappointment as a possible quadruple ended up as a domestic cup double, while he was benched for the Champions League final in favour of Ibrahima Konate. Since then, his fortunes have not improved.
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This season, as Jurgen Klopp's side’s campaign goes from bad to worse, he has missed 12 games through injury and made only 15 appearances. Nine have come in the Premier League, with only seven from the start.
And while Matip was so consistent last season, this time around he looks horribly unreliable as demonstrated by a nightmare showing in the Reds’ 3-0 loss to Brighton before scoring an own goal in their 3-0 defeat to Wolves. In truth, he is only back in the starting XI because Konate is injured with a hamstring injury.
While Virgil van Dijk returned to training this week, Klopp suggested the Dutchman is not yet ready to return to match action. As a result, Matip could keep his place in Monday’s Merseyside derby at home to Everton.
But if he doesn’t buck up his ideas, that starting shirt won’t be his for long. As much as Liverpool desperately need a win, the defender desperately needs to recover his top form.
Set to turn 32 at the start of next season, Matip is out of contract in 2024 with recent reports suggesting he could leave the Reds in the summer. Anfield sources would dismiss such speculation, insisting it’s ‘business as usual’ for the defender, but given that this unrecognisable, out-of-form and low on confidence Liverpool boast an ageing squad stuck in transition, it’s easy to suggest that the former Cameroon international’s time at the club is slowly coming to an end.
The Reds have spent the past 12 months revamping their attack, with midfield next on the agenda for the summer. Beyond that, defence is the logical next step, and while their full-back options are young enough to not require an overhaul, Van Dijk and Matip’s place on the wrong side of 30, along with Nat Phillips’ likely exit, makes change inevitable.
Liverpool could at least have their next centre-back pairing in place. After all, when alongside Konate and Joe Gomez during the club’s virtual Alder Hey Christmas visits in 2021, Van Dijk told a young fan: “These two are going to take my place at one point though.”
Critics will dispute such a claim given Gomez's inconsistent form, but he still signed a new long-term contract last summer. Aged 25, with Konate aged 23, Van Dijk’s claim could still be proven right.
Liverpool continue to be linked with new centre-backs, though, with links to the likes of Bayern Leverkusen’s Jonathan Tah and Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite emerging this week. Throw in continuing speculation regarding the Reds’ interest in RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol and it would seem they are considering their defensive future.
Admittedly, it would be a surprise if Van Dijk left anytime soon. While the Dutchman will turn 32 in July, the expectation is that, like was the case with Mohamed Salah, he is the ageing centre-back Klopp will want to keep around. Having waved off the wantaway Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich last summer as Liverpool’s offensive overhaul got underway, could Matip now follow a similar path?
Klopp has been accused of being too loyal to his ageing players, with the Reds needing to be ruthless to make room for the next generation. The German would of course dismiss such claims, but recently suggested that some of his players might be coming to the end of their Anfield stories.
“You have a good player who did a lot of good stuff in the past and then maybe, in your mind, you think: 'that's it now for him',” he admitted last month, alluding that a squad overhaul could be on the horizon in response to his ageing squad’s loss of form. "So if you can then go out and bring in another player to replace him that makes sense from both sides [to say]: 'Come on, it was a great time, see you later'.”
Time will tell if such an admission was made with Matip in mind. But either way, no such decision will be made before the summer.
As a result, if Liverpool are to recover in this wretched season, they need so many of their squad to step up and return to top form. Matip is one such player, with there no greater ‘cometh the hour’ moment than Monday’s Merseyside derby.
Matip hasn’t been the only player struggling for the Reds this season, not by a long way. But by nature of his position in defence, his woes prove to be the most costly. Whether he is playing for his future or just counting down the Anfield clock, he needs a statement performance against Everton..
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