Liverpool lost their first game of the season against Watford on Saturday evening, as Jurgen Klopp’s previously undefeated side were humbled 3-0 by the Hornets. After the game, defender Dejan Lovren, who appeared particularly rusty, said the result was a “wake up call”, whilst his manager expressed that sometimes a little knock is important.
As Liverpool attempt to bounce back against Chelsea in the FA Cup this evening, former Reds defender Mark Lawrenson revealed that he would start Lovren again for the clash with the Blues, but Klopp should ignore his advice.
In Lovren’s place, Joel Matip should be reintroduced to the Liverpool starting XI. The Cameroon international centre back has formed an assured partnership with Virgil van Dijk in the past, and they must be reunited once more.
This season, Matip has averaged 1.5 tackles per game, 0.1 more than Lovren, along with 1.5 interceptions to the Croats 1.0, while also making 4.6 clearances per match (0.2 more than Lovren’s average), as per WhoScored. The statistics show that even though there is not much between the two defenders, Matip has put in the more assured performances this season and is worthy of a return to the starting line-up against Chelsea.
Joe Gomez has featured most prominently alongside van Djik this season, making 13 Premier League starts for Liverpool, however, he has the lowest average match rating of any of the four centre backs, who have been used most frequently (6.89) as per WhoScored. His last two games have seen the Reds concede three goals, 1-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid along with a narrow 3-2 victory over West Ham, and as he has struggled at the back of late, he should be rested for this crucial fixture.
One of the reasons Klopp may have preferred Gomez over Matip this term is that the Englishman plays a higher number of average passes (63.7) than the 28-year-old’s 61.5 and with greater accuracy – 88.6 percent to Matip’s 83.1 percent, as per WhoScored.
But for a one-off fixture that should not matter, especially when the Reds will likely be sharing possession more than they are used to in the Premier League as the two sides are behind only Manchester City concerning their average possession percentage per match. Matip is the most defensively solid option available to Klopp and Lovren should make way for him after the Watford defeat.
