Matip: It Feels Like Kloppomania in Liverpool

Have we gotten past the whole winning-our-sixth-Champions-League yet? Based on Twitter and random conversations with other Liverpool fans, the answer is ‘definitely not’ and ‘allez, allez, allez’. You can’t blame them, and you can’t blame the players for still being over the moon with the win either. You definitely can’t blame them for being utterly enamoured with the man that got them there: Jürgen Klopp.

“Everyone in Liverpool has worked very hard for this,” Joel Matip told Bild am Sonntag. “But Klopp is the decisive factor. He has put the team together and led it to where it is now. No question: Klopp is the mastermind of this title.

“He is a ‘human catcher’ who conquered the whole city of Liverpool — or maybe even whole England — with his enthusiasm. The club, the city, the team, everyone is straight behind him, unconditionally.

“It’s something like Kloppomania here! Because he is how he is. Genuine and real — simply Kloppo.”

Matip’s position on the winning team was solidified in the latter half of the season, when he was called on to replace the injured Joe Gomez. He’s built an incredibly solid partnership with Virgil van Dijk, and showed the brilliance of his incisive passing during the final minutes of the game when he found Divock Origi, who calmly slotted home the Reds’ second goal.

After a shaky start to his time at Liverpool, and several problems with injuries that he seems to have worked through, it’s good to see Matip enjoy the moment, the celebrations, and the city.

“After some problems and injuries at the beginning meanwhile I feel very comfortable here,” he added. “And I’ve been more mature as a player and as a person here in England.”

“In football nothing is impossible. At the moment, I still have two years remaining in my contract here at Liverpool.”

Matip is due to receive a new and improved contract from Liverpool this summer, alongside James Milner.