Liverpool’s involvement in the Europa League this season isn’t ideal, with fixture congestion a challenge for players.
Joel Matip has spoken out about the fatigue caused by playing on a Thursday, then again at the weekend, as the Reds compete for both Europa League and Premier League.
“Playing on Thursday night and Sunday afternoons is not the best combination, but a lot of teams do it and so should we,” said the Liverpool defender. “We are used to playing in midweek so this is not new for us, but of course it means there are always just two days in between whenever we play in the Europa League.
“There’s not a lot of time to prepare for the weekend game as there will always be more time needed on recovery. But we all want to play European football and therefore we are ready to give it our all.
“Points-wise our start to the season is not too bad, but performance-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. As a defender, though, I hope that we can keep some clean sheets and still win the games.
“Last season was not our best but we have tried to improve. We tried to work harder directly from the beginning of pre-season to have a good start and the base for a good and successful season. Everybody has to play their part. Everybody has to be hungry and has to stay hungry. You have to work hard in every metre of the pitch to get a result.”
