Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp began his first-team restructuring back in February by snapping up the services of Schalke defender Joel Matip. The Cameroon international officially joined the Reds on July 1 following the conclusion of his contract with the German club.
Speaking about Matip, former Borussia Dortmund manager Klopp was quick to heap praise on the defender prior to his move to Anfield:
“He is a top-class centre-half, very young but experienced. You don’t have that too often. To be honest, when I had my break I thought for the next club, I should think about Joel, if there was a need. He’s a real centre-half. He is physically strong, a really tall boy. He’s quick, he’s flexible in his movements and good in technical things. He has played in different systems, with four or three defenders. He scores goals, four or five per season minimum. He is good in the one-on-one and quick. It’s a package.”
THE HISTORY
Born in Bochum to a German mother and a Cameroonian father, Matip began his youth career at SC Weitmar 45, before being scouted by VfL Bochum. He then caught the attention of Schalke, and signed up with the German giants in 2000.
Nine years after joining the club as a youngster, Matip was handed his professional debut against 1. FC Saarbrucken, before making his Bundesliga debut weeks later in November 2009 against Bayern Munich, scoring in a 1-1 draw, and subsequently being named man of the match. He went on to make 20 league appearances during 2009/10, scoring three goals, often playing as a defensive midfielder.
The versatile Matip chalked up a further 26 appearances the following year, and was utilised in a variety of positions, including full-back and centre-half, but it was during the 2011/12 campaign that he established himself in the heart of defence, playing alongside German international Benedikt Howedes.
He featured in 194 league matches for Schalke, producing 17 goals and 12 assists, and also has plenty of European experience, having bagged four goals and two assists over 46 matches in both the Champions League and Europa League.
The 24-year-old made his Cameroon debut against Italy in 2010, and featured in both the 2010 and 2014 World Cup campaigns, scoring against the hosts Brazil two summers ago.
THE PROSPECTS
Matip was immediately handed his debut alongside Dejan Lovren in the Reds’ 1-0 friendly win over Tranmere last week. The new boy turned in a somewhat patchy performance, though Klopp was quick to explain this was down to a lack of fitness as a result of a minor operation:
“..he had a little surgery in the break. He had a screw in his ankle and they had to take it out because of an older injury, so a little bit of infection and only two weeks in training. You could see in the first half that he couldn’t jump, which is actually his big strength. He lost one or two headed challenges. You see in preseason, that’s okay, that’s not okay and you work on it or you ignore it, whatever.”
Certainly, the six-foot-four centre-half will add an aerial presence to the Reds’ defence next season. Matip won 118 headers for Schalke last year – over 40 more than any Reds backline option – and his arrival should help improve a defence that led the way for errors (32) in 2015/16.
In terms of the Liverpool pecking order, Uefa’s decision to overturn Mamadou Sakho’s suspension last week allows the Frenchman to resume training and battle it out with Lovren and Matip for a place in Klopp’s back-four.
Delving into the defensive data, Matip (5.4) was behind both Lovren (6.6) and Sakho (6.4) for clearances per appearance last year. On the upside, his average of 1.0 blocks was level with Sakho and more than Lovren (0.6), whilst an average of 3.1 interceptions per outing was almost the combined total of Sakho (1.7) and Lovren (1.5).
Although Liverpool only managed to keep eight clean sheets in 30 league matches under Klopp last season, conceding 40 times, the underlying statistics are far more impressive.
During Klopp’s time in charge, they rank second for the fewest number of shots conceded from inside the box, big chances against and minutes per shot conceded. It’s worth remembering the German boss played a weakened team in many matches during the final weeks of the season though, with their Europa League campaign taking priority, which does skew the numbers slightly.
Looking ahead to next season, the likely upside of Liverpool’s total of 50 goals against over the entirety of 2015/16 is that none of their defenders will be expected to come in at more than 5.5 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL). A lack of European competition next season should also afford Klopp time to roll out a settled side and see far less of the rotation that blighted the final few months.
The acquisition of new keeper Loris Karius from Mainz could also boost our opinion of the Reds’ clean sheet prospects. The 22-year-old saved 74% of shots faced last season, compared to Simon Mignolet’s 63%, which suggests he could quickly oust the Belgian as the new number one.
Should Klopp – as expected – also look to also address the left-back position and replace Alberto Moreno, we could see significant improvement in the Reds defence next term. While Nathaniel Clyne will offer something of a proven commodity to Fantasy managers, Matip’s consistency of attacking output – he’s scored three times in five of the last six seasons – ensures he’ll be one to watch if he can nail down a regular role.
Liverpool’s dire opening schedule may well temper initial investment, though. With work still ongoing on the main stand at Anfield, the Reds have switched their clash against Burnley in Gameweek 2 to Turf Moor – essentially handing them four away matches in the first five fixtures.
Given that three of those trips are to Arsenal, Spurs and Chelsea, and their one home match is against champions Leicester, many will steer clear to start with, allowing us to assess Klopp’s defensive regulars before the fixtures take a turn for the better in Gameweek 6.
