Having taken over as Swansea City manager, former Liverpool coach Vitor Matos has echoed much of Jurgen Klopp‘s philosophy in his first interview.
Matos worked under Klopp for five years at Liverpool, as elite development coach from 2019 until their departure in 2024.
During his time, he acted as a bridge from academy to first team, a passage that became integral to the club’s success, most notably in the Reds’ 2024 Carabao Cup victory.
After leaving Liverpool, Matos worked for six months with Pep Lijnders at Red Bull Salzburg, before moving into his first managerial job at Maritimo in Portugal’s second division.
Now, he has been appointed manager at Swansea and has given an impressive first interview in which he has echoed many of the lines Klopp used to share.
Vitor Matos’ approach is similar to Jurgen Klopp’s
• READ: Vitor Matos reacts to being appointed as Swansea manager
Having only taken charge of 13 Maritimo games, appointing Matos is somewhat of a gamble for Swansea, but if he interviewed in a similar way he spoke to the media, it isn’t hard to see what they were convinced.
“That was part of why I was so excited to come (to Swansea), because of the fanbase,” Matos said.
“Because I think it’s a place where that bond should be strong, the relationship between the fans, the manager and the team.
“When this bond is created, it’s massive. You can compete against everyone, you can win against everyone and that’s what we need.
“So we need to start being this team that no one wants to face and we need to start that by, at home, [it] being a sacred place, and we need to create that for sure.”
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Tuesday, October 1, 2019: Liverpool's manager Jürgen Klopp (L) with new coach Vitor Matos during a training session at Melwood Training Ground ahead of the UEFA Champions League Group E match between Liverpool FC and FC Salzburg. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Where have we heard that before?
Klopp led Liverpool to a club record 68 consecutive home league matches unbeaten and he holds the record for the club’s longest unbeaten league run at Anfield – it lasted three years and 272 days between 2017 and 2021.
Anfield became a fortress and key to that was Liverpool’s style of play.
“It’s clear that we want to be dominant with and without the ball,” Matos continued.
“It’s clear that we want to be aggressive with and without the ball. It’s clear that we need for this league to have control, physicality, speed and we need that.
“So what we can expect is that we will work every day from now on to become this team that we will try to be as dominant as we can.
“We will try to be as pressing as we can and, of course, counter-press should be massive of this, because it’s that that will give us the intensity, the momentum and in the end needs to be something that will identify how we play.”
Vitor Matos’ time at Liverpool was “really special”
LONDON, ENGLAND - Sunday, February 25, 2024: Liverpool's Andreas Kornmayer, Vitor Matos, Jürgen Klopp, Pepijn Lijnders, Jack Robinson celebrate after the Football League Cup Final match between Chelsea FC and Liverpool FC at Wembley Stadium. Liverpool won 1-0 after extra-time. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
As a key member of Klopp’s backroom staff from 2019 until his departure in 2024, Matos enjoyed plenty of memorable moments at Liverpool.
“It was really special,” Matos commented about his time on Merseyside.
“I really hope that this part of my career will be as special as that one, but yeah, it was really important for me in terms of development.
“I was there with a young age as well and the opportunity to work in that environment with that age was massive and I still have and they still are both really close friends.
“Jurgen, as a mentor, as someone where I can always take advice from. You are always learning from him. Pep (Lijnders), the same.
“[We have a] really close friendship. We are like best friends, let’s say it like that!
“Yeah, it was a really important time. More than the titles we won were the relationships we create. I think football should be about that.
“I believe human beings are made of relationships and made of context and what happens during your life and that was massive for me. That was massive.
“And I still today remember the times with real happiness inside of me and I think it was a good time, of course.”