Joel Matip makes fatigue admission over Liverpool's participation in Europa League
- Liverpool are in the Europa League for the first time since 2015/16
- Reds will deal with schedule filled with Thursday and Sunday games
- Matip says his side must be 'ready to give it our all'
Joel Matip has admitted Liverpool's participation in the Europa League is "not the best combination" as they chase Premier League title glory.
The Reds' finish of fifth last term saw Jurgen Klopp's side drop out of the Champions League and into Europe's secondary club competition for the first time since 2015/16.
Liverpool have started the season in sound form, sitting only three points behind Tottenham and Arsenal at the top of the English top flight. Klopp's side have been tipped to challenge for the title after a number of impressive comeback victories.
Playing in the Europa League presents its own challenges but Matip has admitted the Reds must embrace those obstacles to enjoy a strong 2023/24 campaign.
He said: "Playing on Thursday night and Sunday afternoons is not the best combination, but a lot of teams do it and so should we. 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."
Liverpool have beaten LASK and Union Saint-Gilloise to take six points from their first two Group E games so far and return to the competition to face Toulouse after the Merseyside derby once the international break ends.
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