Liverpool fans react on Twitter to Matip omission v Middlesbrough
By Harvey Byrne
Joel Matip has been left out of the 18-man Liverpool matchday squad to face Middlesbrough on Wednedsay – and Reds fans on Twitter are worried.
The 25-year-old travelled with the squad to the north east, but he has been ruled out due to a foot/ankle problem, according to Liverpool Echo reporter James Pearce.
The forced change has led to Jurgen Klopp opting for a centre-back pairing of Dejan Lovren and Ragnar Klavan ahead of returning goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.
Matip is considered the rock of a weak back line by many supporters and fans on social media are now worried about heading into the Riverside clash without their star defender.
Here are a selection of their messages on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/KloppToGlory/status/809108740733632512
Matip has played in 14 fixtures for Liverpool since joining on a free transfer from Schalke in the summer.
His omission will come as a huge loss to a Reds defence which has conceded 20 goals from their 15 league matches.
His replacement Klavan also joined in the summer from Bundeslgia outfit Augsburg in a £4.2million move.
However, he has not had the same affect as Matip, playing in just eight fixtures in all competitions.
The Estonia international will now be hoping to put in a solid performance with second place up for grabs after Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat against Everton on Tuesday.
In other Liverpool news, this is why Jurgen Klopp has made the biggest decision of his Liverpool career.