Liverpool’s current position appears to have gone beyond what Joel Matip expected from his team at the beginning of the season.
Competing for a Champions League place was a realistic expectation for most affiliated with the club yet it seems the defender didn’t quite share the same stance.
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s trip to face West Brom, Matip told Sky Sports: “”Before the season I did not expect something like this, I just wanted to concentrate on the games and I did not have a target,”
“But now we are in this position, we want to try and keep it and get more and more.”
“A club like Liverpool belongs in the Champions League, so we will fight to stay or get there. With all its trophies and history, it is one of the biggest clubs, everybody knows this. Big history, big club.”
“Everybody knows something about Liverpool, it speaks for itself, this is Liverpool. It is such a great club with this history.”
“I want to play in the Champions League because then you play against the biggest teams and the biggest players and everybody will enjoy this.”
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If it wasn’t for injuries to so many key players, we would probably be in an even more favourable position in the Premier League.
There was even a point during the first few months of the season where it looked as though we were capable of challenging for the title which, looking back on now, posed as a preview of what we could achieve if we had greater strength in depth. An issue that promises to be resolved this summer. The irony that comes with doing so is that the offer of Champions League football could prove to be a deciding factor when it comes luring in top players.
Liverpool need to be competing with Europe’s elite once again.