Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy is dreading the prospect of Joel Matip going head-to-head with Jeremy Doku during Saturday’s crunch Premier League clash with champions Manchester City.
Imagine an F1 car going up against a stately old Mercedes. In terms of pure pace, there’s only going to be one winner. While Joel Matip certainly has his talents, at the age of 32, speed really isn’t one of them.
Of course, it could be a different story entirely if Ibrahima Konate – a younger and much faster man – is passed fit to start against Manchester City.
But if Konate cannot return quickly enough, and with Trent Alexander-Arnold likely to push up and leave Matip one-v-one against one of the fastest footballers around, Murphy may find himself watching on from behind the sofa come Saturday lunchtime.
Liverpool take on Manchester City at Etihad
“I think if Liverpool go there and win, it certainly cements their position as a contender again, for sure. It’s a fascinating game because of the quality on show,” Murphy, who played nearly 250 games for the Reds between 1997 and 2004, tells talkSPORT (22 November, 12.40pm.
“You’ve got Liverpool releasing Trent into midfield from right-back. And if Doku plays, with his amazing pace and directness, that’s going to cause Liverpool problems because Konate has been injured.
“If Matip plays there and has to cover Trent, (you’ve got) a lack of athleticism against Doku.”
Murphy is quick to point out, however, that Manchester City could find themselves in a similarly perilous position if they are not at their most diligent, Liverpool’s own rapid-fire frontline licking their lips at the space Pep Guardiola’s side tend to leave in behind.
Two superb attacks go head-to-head
“It’s an intriguing game. What City have been doing recently is releasing one of the centre-halves into midfield, whether that be (Manuel) Akanji or (John) Stones,” Murphy adds.
“I think we saw at Chelsea (in that 4-4 draw), if you’ve got pace and a bit of space to run into, if Liverpool have got Luis Diaz and Mo Salah and Darwin Nunez up top…
“There’s no one better equipped to utilise teams in behind than those three.”
Interestingly, Doku could have been lining up in red rather than sky blue this weekend. Liverpool missed out on the Belgium international despite giving him a guided tour around their training ground during his formative years at Anderlecht.
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