Pundit praises Joel Matip for performance against Burnley.
Liverpool were held to a draw with Burnley at the weekend but had it not been for Joel Matip it could have been a defeat.
The Cameroon international cleared an effort off the line, preventing a certain goal.
His performance prompted pundit Garth Crooks to select him in his ‘Team of the Week’ for BBC Sport.
Crooks lauded Matip’s contribution, and urged the Reds to start building their defence around the 26-year-old centre-back.
He said: “Liverpool fans can continue to argue all they want about their goals-against record at Anfield but that is totally misleading. I will say this: Matip is an honest competitor capable of producing excellent performances on his day.
“But for goodness sake, he needs a defence around him.”
Crooks added that he felt Liverpool were ‘desperately lucky’ to avoid defeat.
Liverpool sit in eighth position with eight points from five games.
The Reds were coming off a heavy defeat to Manchester City, and a loss against Burnley would have been a major blow.
The defence is certainly their weak point, but as Crooks points out, Matip may not be the problem. If Liverpool can add some better players around him then it will be easier to get a proper gauge on his talent.
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