Time for Joe Gomez to be the man in red
By Alex Buzby
Is Joe Gomez the answer to Liverpool’s defensive problems? Rush The Kop contributer Alex Buzby seeks to answer that question.
After Liverpool were run out of London, blame is accurately being placed on the
defense and Dejan Lovren in particular. Lovren had an afternoon to forget in only 30 minutes of game time before Jurgen Klopp spared the traveling fans of any more misery and substituted for the Croatian.
Two mind-boggling errors gifted Spurs goals, and they never turned back. In Lovren’s defense, his
fellow center-half partner, Joel Matip, was almost equally as bad.
After Mohammad Salah notched one back, Matip’s failed clearance gifted Dele Alli an easy one with the last kick of the first half. Even from the United States, I could tell anyone in Red at Wembley had conceded victory at that point.
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Once Lovren was replaced, England Under 21 international Joe Gomez stepped into the center of defense. Center-half is considered Gomez’s natural position on the pitch, and he saw the rest of the game out in relatively decent fashion.
Gomez has been deployed primarily as a right back during this campaign and has impressed on multiple occasions. With fellow England Under 21 international Trent Alexander-Arnold also impressing from the right back position this term, Klopp must consider pairing Gomez with Matip at center half.
Gomez, who experienced a horrible run of injury luck prior to this season, would surely be
itching for the opportunity to lead the defense of one of Europe’s biggest clubs. Not to mention, with the World Cup approaching, performing well could put himself on the radar for England manager Gareth Southgate heading into Russia.
A World Cup roster spot could be a pipe dream, but leading the back line for one of England’s historic clubs would certainly not hurt the London-born Gomez’s chances.
The former Charleton Athletic man has shown that he is comfortable with the ball at his feet, and has the build (6’ 2”) to compete with the Premier League’s best athletes. Many scouts would say those are the two most attractive attributes for the “modern day” center half.
The question for Klopp remains: Why not?
Ragnar Klavan has proven he does not have the quality to consistently start in the Premier League, and Lovren might need a few weeks on the bench to mend a broken confidence. Because of Klopp’s failure to sign a center-half this summer, he might not have another choice before January.
Should Klopp choose to slot Gomez in for Lovren, he does not have much to lose. If Gomez succeeds, he could have found the anchor of his defense for the next decade. If Gomez under-performs, he can move the 19-year-old back to full back and quietly re-introduce Lovren or Klavan back into the starting mix.
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No Liverpool fan will blame Klopp for trying something new, especially after the embarrassment in the National Stadium. If Klopp chooses to remain stubborn in his ways, we may be talking about replacing another man at Anfield sooner rather than later.