Vitor Matos
Nationality: Portuguese
Job: Elite development coach
Vitor Matos is one of the newer members of Jürgen Klopp's backroom staff, joining the team behind the team in October 2019. The Portuguese coach was appointed to fill the job previously held by Pep Lijnders – developing young players while bridging the gap between first-team and Academy level.
“My primary goal is to develop players,” he said. “We can do this in different ways, but what is most important is that we understand that football is a collective game, so we need to develop players in a way they will interact with each other. It's very important that we create and have an identity, and this identity of the player and the way we play is worked on in all training sessions.
“The first-team have an amazing way of playing and this way of playing supports the individual development, so my role is to enable the players to understand the principles and major ideas of how the first team plays, and use this to aid the individual development.
“We know what the player's identity is and we will addresses weaknesses in order to get him closer to the first-team, and at the same time refine simple details that will help him as a player. So the major idea is to create this big development of the player and to link the Academy with the first-team, so the gap from between the Academy and the first-team will in time get smaller.”
Matos was working as assistant coach of FC Porto's B-Team, who play in the second tier of Portuguese football, before arriving at Liverpool FC. A UEFA Elite Youth A Licence holder, he had previously worked at different levels from U10s to U19s with FC Porto until moving to China in 2016 to take the positions of youth technical coordinator and U16s head coach for Shandong Luneng Taishan FC.
Liverpool FC manager Klopp describes Matos as “smart, a great guy, an outstanding coach and young and experienced,” while assistant manager Lijnders called the Portuguese “our best signing of the season,” and nicknamed him “the connector.” Vitor is happy to be working alongside both of them.
“Working with Jürgen, it's like having a masterclass. I am really pleased with the opportunity to work with the best, not only because it's Jürgen – but the way he looks at the football game, the way he understands the player, the way he understands a youth player and the way he looks at life.
“Pep is more than a friend, he is someone who is a source of inspiration, especially for me. His passion for the job and his professionalism is really inspiring.
“When I receive a compliment like that [being Liverpool FC's best signing of the season], for me it is amazing. But I know it also puts a big expectation on me and this is what I really like. I just want to work and show people I belong here.”
The progress made by young players such as Curtis Jones, Neco Williams and Harvey Elliott since Matos has been at Liverpool FC suggests that is already happening.
