Matip frustrated by the lack of playing time

The last decade has not been favorable to Liverpool with respect to the cohesion of the rear lines. There were of course some outstanding defenders at that time: Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher for one, Danish Prince Daniel Agger for another. But overall, recent history has shown that the Reds were terribly inclined to miss out on their goals.

This disturbing trend has been slowly but surely reversed since manager Jürgen Klopp arrived at Anfield. This season, with the addition of Virgil van Dijk and the emergence of Joe Gomez – not to mention a few stellar backs – Liverpool conceded just five goals in his first 13 league games.

It's great for the Reds fans, but for Joel Matip, one of Klopp's first additions to the team, it means a lot more competition for spots and a lot less playing time. nothing helped Liverpool withdraw from the League Cup early, where Matip would probably have won a few minutes.

Even the World Cup finalist and best central defender in the world, Dejan Lovren, finds limited playing time against the collective dominance of van Dijk and Gomez.

While Matip admitted he was frustrated, he seems to be optimistic, saying he was eager to try to get back into Klopp's plans.

"It's always a challenge to get a permanent spot in the starting lineup – it's all part of football," he said. "You have to work hard and sometimes it means waiting for your luck. It's a long season and there are a lot of games to do. We are in a good position and we must do our best to stay where we are. "

I am old enough to remember the arrival of Paul Konchesky in Liverpool against Manchester United. Seeing Van Dijk, Lovren, Gomez and Matip struggling to seize the opportunity to get on the field for Liverpool is good news, although it might not be the case for Matip.