Liverpool registered an outstanding 3-1 victory against Wolves on Sunday however, the performance of defender Joel Matip is raising concerns.
The Merseysiders made an awe-inspiring comeback against Wolves in the first PL fixture after the international break on Sunday.
The Reds had a slow start to the game and as a result, they conceded an early goal in the seventh minute.
Wolves winger Hwang Hee-chan netted the ball from Pedro Neto’s cross which put the Wanderers in the driving seat.
They dominated most of the first half but the Anfield giants gained some motion with the equaliser from Cody Gakpo on 55th minute.
And LFC got the lead from the late goal of Andy Robertson in the 85th minute. And to finish things off, Harvey Elliot’s shot deflected off of Hugo Bueno and turned into an own goal, making it 3-1 for the Merseyside giants.
Joel Matip against Wolves: Concern for Liverpool
Even though the Reds were able to turn things around with sheer brilliance, the team again looked weak at the back.
Joel Matip started the game as center-back alongside Jarell Quansah amid the absence of Virgil Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.
And the experienced defender looked pretty vulnerable in the Liverpool back-line as the team conceded an early goal. Throughout the first half, the defense got exposed due to his incompetence.
The Cameroonian international had a 7.04 match rating as he put 1 tackle and 2 interceptions with 90.8 passing accuracy (stats via Whoscored). LFC journalist James Pearce even said that his performance was “miles off it”.
The game was monumental for the Merseysiders for several reasons. Robertson led the side in his 200th Reds appearance in the absence of captain Van Dijk and vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold.
So his decisive goal was obviously very special. Mohamed Salah became the second Liverpool player to reach 200 goal contributions (139 goals, 62 assists) after Steven Gerrard (120 goals, 92 assists). He also got the match ball for the two assists in the game.
And LFC prodigy Jarell Quansah had his first start for the club. He even looked better than Matip who was supposed to lead the defense.
However, the growing concern regarding the defense should be worrying enough for the club. The owners and Klopp must think about solving the issue in the winter transfer window.
An ardent football fan and a proud Red. I take immense pleasure in analyzing the intricacies of the game.
