Jurgen Klopp has shown to the Liverpool official that Joel Matip has stayed at home and will not play Ajax tonight.
Matip has not been Liverpool’s top trusted defender.
And it turns out Klopp simply didn’t need to threaten the Champions League Central Defender, even after Virgil van Dijk’s injury.
“We have a lot of players here, but some don’t and Joel is one of the players we don’t have here,” Klopp said.
So it was transparent after the story I had that it’s unlikely he’ll do it again after 90 minutes at Everton. Now we’ve left him at home, but there’s a smart chance he’s worried this weekend. “
Matip’s absence is a blow to Liverpool, as they have limited central defensive features, Van Dijk.
Joe Gomez and Fabinho seem almost certain to be the Reds headquarters tonight, now that Matip is no longer available.
With Matip and Van Dijk absent, Liverpool’s lack of features in centre-back has been revealed: Klopp can only call teenagers like Gomez or Fabinho as a backman.
And their new defensive look is likely to be tested tonight, as Ajax have posed a genuine risk in an offensive sense in the Champions League in recent years.
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