17 October 2023 , 16:54
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Joel Matip believes Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool 2.0 has evolved into a different style - but the old mentality remains as massive as ever.
The defender, who became Klopp's second signing at Anfield when he agreed a pre-contract eight years ago, believes their character - which is the manager's trademark - can deliver trophies once more. The Reds haven't won a major trophy since the 2022 FA Cup.
Speaking about the new look Liverpool after a complete reboot in midfield during the summer, the veteran centre-half said: "This is my eighth season (at Anfield) and the manager has tried to adapt our style during my time here.
"It's not the same football we played six or seven years ago, so he's adapting. But he's still trying to do it his way and I think this is working quite well. All of the new players have settled in well. Points-wise, our start to the season is not too bad.
"But performances-wise over the 90-plus minutes we've not been completely where we want to be. At the end we have often turned it around and it's good to know that we still have the quality to do that."
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For Matip, the new look football as Liverpool evolve their passing style under Klopp, has already impressed. He said of new signings Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister: "Dom and Macca have played almost the whole time and they have done it brilliantly.
"You can see that both playing with the ball and also against the ball their adaptation has been great - they have never looked like they're really new here."
Joel Matip is excited about Liverpool's future (Getty Images)Do you think Liverpool can win silverware this season? Let us know in the comments below!
The defender also believes that Klopp’s other summer midfield signings Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch have already shown promising signs, despite being signed late in the transfer window with little time to adapt.
"Wataru and Ryan came in later but have already shown that they can help us too," he told the club’s official website. "All the new players have done brilliantly so far and I am really looking forward to seeing them playing."
And he believes there is a real chance of honours this season, with Liverpool showing signs of fight on four fronts already - including keeping pace with champions Manchester City in the title race. "We have four competitions ahead of us and we want to be as successful as possible in all of them," he explained.
"We want to go for everything but what it will be at the end, nobody knows. Our focus is just on our next game and working hard to do as well as possible in it. This is my eighth season at Liverpool and I have always tried to be the best that I could be for the team. If I'm needed, I want to be there and I want to show my quality."