Liverpool's Joel Matip determined to enjoy Champions League final
Wednesday 29 May 2019 07:22, UK
Liverpool centre-half Joel Matip has been of the club's big success stories this season and he's determined to make the most of his opportunity with the Champions League Final looming.
The 26-year-old Cameroon international started the season as Liverpool's fourth-choice centre-half, but injuries to Joe Gomez and Dejan Lovren led to a prolonged run in the team and resulted in his best form since joining from Schalke in 2016.
Matip says the whole team has improved defensively this season: "I think, for sure, Virgil van Dijk made a big impact, with the ball he is so calm and he wins his challenges in the air and on the ground. He gives the whole team much more stability and he did it very well, but as a whole squad we improve a lot.
"It starts in the beginning - Roberto Firmino, for example, is like the first defender. Alisson Becker in the back, he is great against the ball and with the ball he does some amazing things."
As for his own form, he says Jurgen Klopp's faith in him has helped: "I think it's not too bad for the self-confidence, but I always believed in myself.
"Now I have the opportunity to play and I just try to use it. But we have a lot of quality in the team. It doesn't matter who is coming in from the bench, they always want to show - and they showed. It's just a good team and it's really nice to be part of this.
"I feel fine. It's hard to compare to other parts of my career, but I really enjoy the time now."
Liverpool play Tottenham in the Champions League final in Madrid on Saturday and Matip is echoing the thoughts of team-mates Van Dijk and Gini Wijnaldum by saying he is not feeling the pressure: "It's a moment. I'm quite fine. Of course I know it's one of the biggest games, but at the moment I'm fine.
"I just want to enjoy that I have the opportunity. It's the kind of game you want to play as a kid and now you are there, it would be stupid to make more pressure than it is, even one week before.
"It doesn't help. In the game, the tension has to be there. But one week before, doing the training session OK, but not during all the day."
