Matip relieved to finally be on Klopp's side
Joel Matip has history with Jürgen Klopp – and the centre-back admits that it’s a relief to now be playing for, rather than against, the Liverpool boss.
Matip joined the Reds on a free transfer from Schalke this summer and has first-hand experience of what lining up against a Klopp team entails from his time in the Bundesliga.
Klopp was, of course, the manager of Schalke’s arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund for seven years prior to his arrival at Anfield.
In an exclusive interview with the official Liverpool FC Magazine, Matip explains why those Rühr derby clashes were not always enjoyable from his perspective, while also speaking of his excitement about working with the boss.
“Jürgen Klopp is a great coach. He was the coach of Dortmund when I was at Schalke but now I have the possibility to play for him at Liverpool,” the Cameroon international, who turned 25 on Monday, says.
“It was a very easy decision to play for him at Liverpool. It was a very easy decision to play for him too because he can make every player better.
“Schalke versus Dortmund is the biggest derby in German football. They were hard games because his team was so good and we had some very close results.
“Those results were not always good for us, though!”
To read the full interview with Matip, as well as an exclusive chat with Klopp, you can buy the new edition of the official Liverpool FC Magazine now.
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