Liverpool fans are living in fear once again, and this time the nightmare is coming from a place they hoped would never hurt them. The heart of the defence, the place where stability is supposed to live, has been struck with another cruel blow. Giovanni Leoni, the young Italian defender signed with so much hope and promise from Parma, has gone down with one of the worst injuries any footballer can face. A ruptured ACL. Just a few weeks into his Liverpool career, when fans were only beginning to whisper his name with admiration after his brilliant debut against Southampton in the Carabao Cup, everything has been snatched away. The stretcher, the silence around Anfield, and the look on his face told the full story. Now, instead of building a future at the heart of Arne Slot’s defence, Leoni will spend the next year in rehabilitation. A dream turned into heartbreak in one moment of mistimed contact.
This is exactly what Liverpool fans feared all summer. The moment Marc Guehi’s proposed move from Crystal Palace collapsed, people were worried. Guehi was supposed to be the reinforcement, the extra security, the reliable presence who could support Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate. Without him, Liverpool walked into the new season knowing they were short in central defence. Yes, Van Dijk is still a colossus. Yes, Konate has shown when fit he is one of the best defenders in Europe. But below that world-class pairing, the waters were always shaky. Joe Gomez, though talented and capable, has been fighting injury after injury for years, never quite able to stay consistent for long periods. And then there was Leoni, barely 20 senior games under his belt before Anfield, full of potential but clearly not yet the finished article. Slot wanted to mould him slowly, but football has its own cruel timing.
Now Leoni is out for almost a year, and Liverpool’s defensive depth looks thinner than ever. For Slot, this is not just about losing one player. It is about entering a long, demanding season fighting on four fronts, with only three recognized centre-backs he can truly trust. Slot knows one more injury to Van Dijk or Konate would leave his plans in ruins. He may smile in his press conferences, but in private, he is already worrying about what comes next.
The irony in all of this is almost too much. The next game for Liverpool is against Crystal Palace, the very club captained by Guehi. The very player who could have been walking out at Anfield in red had negotiations not collapsed. Instead, Guehi will lead Palace while Liverpool look at their thin bench and pray that fate spares them another defensive disaster. Football loves to mock its victims, and Liverpool find themselves as the target this time.
Arne Slot has spoken about possible solutions. He has mentioned Wataru Endo, the Japanese midfielder, as a temporary option to slot into defence if needed. He has also considered Andy Robertson, the Scottish left-back, who has played in the middle before when Liverpool were struck by injuries during Jürgen Klopp’s reign. But the truth is simple: neither Endo nor Robertson are natural centre-backs. They can fill gaps, yes, but when the Champions League nights arrive, when Manchester City or Real Madrid stand on the other side of the pitch, makeshift defenders are not enough. Liverpool fans know it. Slot knows it.
That is why, in desperation and in nostalgia, some fans have turned their eyes back to an old hero. Joel Matip. The Cameroonian defender who walked into Anfield in 2016 as a free signing from Schalke and walked out years later as a cult hero, a champion, and a legend. For value, Liverpool have rarely made a better signing. He gave the club years of top-level service. He stood firm in the Champions League final against Tottenham in 2019, lifting the trophy that restored Liverpool to the top of Europe. He stood side by side with Van Dijk in the glorious season when Liverpool finally lifted the Premier League after thirty years of pain. Matip was not just a player. He was a warrior. He was a giant. He was a presence Liverpool fans trusted with their lives.
But his story ended in tragedy. December 2023, one cruel night, one serious knee injury in the final year of his contract. Liverpool kept him around with respect, but by the end of the campaign, his contract ran out. There were whispers of West Ham. There were whispers of Bayer Leverkusen. But instead of a new adventure, Matip shocked everyone. At just 33, he announced his retirement. For fans, it was too soon. For teammates, it was too painful. For Matip, it was the reality of a body that had suffered too much.
Since then, Matip has disappeared into silence. No interviews. No social media. No spotlight. The only sighting came in April at a Schalke game, sitting quietly among the crowd, far away from the glamour of the Premier League. A man who once stood under the lights of Anfield, now hidden in the shadows. And yet, to this day, Liverpool fans have never stopped loving him.
So when Leoni went down, and the defence looked thin, the dreamers emerged. On social media, on fan forums, in pubs across Merseyside, voices rose: “Bring back Matip. Send the SOS. Let him reunite with Van Dijk. Let him stand in the Kop one last time.” It was fantasy. It was hope. It was longing for a love that has already ended. But in football, hope never truly dies.
The reality, however, is different. Matip retired because of his body. Because injuries robbed him of the ability to play at the highest level. Even if his heart wanted it, his body would betray him. He has not played a professional game in almost two years. He is 34 now, and the Premier League is no place for half-fit veterans. To add to the heartbreak, even if Liverpool wanted to bring him back, the rules would block them. Premier League squads can only include 17 non-homegrown players. Liverpool already have their full quota. Matip, being non-homegrown, would not even fit in. The door is closed by regulations, by time, by fate.
And so the dream stays a dream. Joel Matip will not return to Anfield as a savior. He will stay in retirement, living quietly, his legacy untouched, his name sung forever. Fans will remember him as the man who came for free and gave them everything. They will remember his awkward running style, his calmness on the ball, his battles with the best strikers in Europe. They will remember the night in Madrid when he stood tall and lifted the Champions League. They will remember him as one of their own.
But memories do not fix the present. Liverpool still stand with a defensive crisis. Slot must make do with Van Dijk, Konate, and Gomez, hoping the gods of football show mercy until January. Perhaps then, reinforcements will come. Perhaps then, Guehi or another target will walk through the door. Until then, every game will feel like a gamble. Every tackle will carry the fear of another injury. Every minute without Van Dijk or Konate will feel like walking on thin ice.
Liverpool’s history is filled with drama, with glory, with pain. This chapter is another test. The fans will sing louder. The players will fight harder. And somewhere in the background, Joel Matip will smile quietly, knowing he gave them his all, knowing he is still loved, even in retirement. The defence may be weak, but the spirit of Liverpool remains unbroken.
