Breaking Down What Defender Joel Matip Will Bring to Liverpool

Shrouded in the debacle that is Mamadou Sakho's doping violation and UEFA's subsequent on-off investigation into the Frenchman's transgression, it has been easy for Liverpool supporters to forget that, while their best centre-back is facing a possible ban, another is set to arrive in the shape of Joel Matip.

Sakho was initially suspended for 30 days back in April after testing positive for a suspected fat-burning drug, but, as reported by Press Association Sport (h/t This is Anfield) towards the end of May, UEFA decided against extending this spell on the sidelines.

This comes as the European football governing body begins a separate investigation into whether the substance was—or should be—on their banned list, leaving Sakho in limbo as he builds for pre-season.

At this stage, it remains unclear whether Sakho will be banned, but Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp must prepare for the worst as he moulds his squad for his first full campaign in charge on Merseyside—beginning with eight warm-up fixtures in England and the United States.

The German could be without Sakho, Martin Skrtel and Kolo Toure this summer, with the latter duo set to depart the club, according to Goal's Melissa Reddy, and placing heavy onus on the arrival of Matip.

Matip agreed to join the Reds on a free transfer in February, seeing out the remainder of his contract with Schalke 04 before linking up with Klopp's squad ahead of 2016/17—ending a 16-year association with the Bundesliga outfit.

So what will Matip bring to Liverpool for next season and beyond, and where will he fit into Klopp's first-team plans? 

When Liverpool announced the deal to sign Matip, Klopp told the club's official website of his admiration for the Cameroon international, having lined his Borussia Dortmund side up against their league rivals on many occasions during his time with the club:

To be honest, when I had my break [from management] I thought for the next club, I should think about Joel, if there was a need.

He never played for my team, he did the extreme opposite—he played for their biggest opponent! Maybe that says a lot about his quality. Even when he played for the team you cannot love as Dortmund manager, you see his quality. Then that’s real quality.

The chance was there and Joel wanted to do something different. He is and was really close to his club; it’s normal, he played there since he was a youth player.

I think there was no chance for another Bundesliga club in this moment, but Liverpool was the right name and the right club.

In his initial assessment of the deal, Klopp struck upon one of the most important factors in how Matip can boost Liverpool's defensive ranks: their relationship, as the 48-year-old explained, "I know him and he knows me."

As is often the case with managers moving to a new club, initial targets will include players from their former side, and while Matip never turned out for Dortmund, the familiarity remains.

This largely stems from preparing to counter the threat the centre-back posed, though his attempts proved futile during the 145th Revierderby in September 2014.

As Schalke left-back Dennis Aogo stepped up to take a corner in the opening stages at the Veltins-Arena, Matip drifted into space on the edge of the six-yard box before powering a bullet header beyond Roman Weidenfeller to give his side an early lead as they surged towards a 2-1 victory.

"The fans won't forget [this defeat] for a long time," said Dortmund centre-back Neven Subotic after the game, per the Bundesliga's official website, and with Klopp's side suffering a dreadful first half of the 2014/15 campaign—his last at the Westfalenstadion—it was clear the German wouldn't either.

During that Schalke triumph, Matip showcased his burgeoning qualities as a top-level defender, lining up on the right-hand side of the central pairing alongside Roman Neustadter.

Employing his typical, front-footed defensive approach, Matip stepped out of defence with confidence, making four successful tackles to deny the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Shinji Kagawa, providing a more measured option to the positionally erratic Neustadter.

As his headed opener showcased, Matip was also able to impose himself in the air, while his confidence in possession saw him distribute the ball quickly and efficiently towards his midfield counterparts—no centre-back registered a higher passing accuracy (79.3 per cent).

It was a performance characteristic of Matip's progression through the ranks at Schalke, with the lofty, 6'4" centre-back assuming a key role with the club from the age of 18, honing his skills over seven seasons in the first team—culminating in a landmark campaign in 2015/16.

The 24-year-old featured in all 34 of Schalke's Bundesliga outings last season, helping his side to a fifth-placed finish as they missed out on UEFA Champions League qualification by just three points, with the authority and tactical intelligence shown throughout the campaign a marker of his maturation under then-manager Andre Breitenreiter.

With both Matija Nastasic and Benedikt Howedes struggling with injuries throughout 2015/16, Matip was regularly partnered by Neustadter, and while the Russia international proved himself an accomplished defender, it was Matip who shone.

Continuing his assessment of Matip's qualities, Klopp highlighted the centre-back's experience as a key aspect of his game—despite his relative youth at 24: "Everybody who knows him would have been interested. Maybe he’s not the most famous player in England, but he’s 24 and has played about 200 Bundesliga games for Schalke. He is a top-class centre-half, very young but experienced. You don’t have that too often."

With his authority growing alongside the likes of Neudstadter throughout 2015/16, along with his reading of the game as a forward-thinking centre-back, Matip moved up to a level just below the Bundesliga's leading defensive stars, as Sky Sports' German reporter Torben Hoffmann attested on Matip's switch to Liverpool.

"He's not currently at the level of the best defenders in Germany, such as Mats Hummels or Jerome Boateng, Holger Badstuber or Javi Martinez," Hoffmann said, "but after these top guys he's in the next group."

Crucially, Hoffmann added that Matip would "make the next step under Jurgen Klopp."

As the improvement of Dejan Lovren following Klopp's arrival at Anfield in October showcased, the German has the ability to coax the best out of his centre-backs, and with Matip comparing favourably with his competition for 2016/17—Lovren and Sakho—it is likely that Matip vindicates Hoffmann's claims:

(Statistics for tackles, interceptions and aerial duels won based on 2015/16 league averages per 90 minutes.)

Providing an upgrade for the limited Skrtel and Toure, Matip is more in line with the progressive likes of Lovren and Sakho, able to not only quell dangerous attacks with aggression, but also build from the back with confidence and finesse.

Klopp stressed that Matip would be able to "help immediately" on his move to Merseyside this summer, and it is likely that he will be required to—as if Toure and Skrtel depart, and Sakho is sidelined with a UEFA ban, the German could be left with only Lovren, Matip and 19-year-old Joe Gomez as his centre-back options.

It is possible that Matip steps into a key role at the beginning of 2016/17, partnering either Lovren or Sakho at the heart of Klopp's defence, and his lengthy spell in the Bundesliga should aid his transition, given the German top flight's similarities with the Premier League.

He may not be at the level of Klopp's former lieutenant, Mats Hummels, or Germany's world-class star, Jerome Boateng, at this stage, but Matip is poised for a bright future on his move to Liverpool this summer.

A tall, strong centre-back, possessing the on-ball composure, game intelligence and age-defying maturity required to shine under Klopp, Liverpool supporters can anticipate a successful signing in Matip.

Statistics via WhoScored.com.

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