Joe Gomez is now Liverpool’s longest-serving senior participant, however the membership’s tenured utility defender has discovered himself having to show himself time and time once more during the last 10 years.
Having arrived as an 18-year-old from Charlton in 2015, Gomez joined with a blossoming popularity and a £3.5 million price ticket that steered he could be instantly thought of for the primary group.
The brakes had been by no means intentionally utilized within the near-decade since, although as he realized once more on Sunday, the larger challenge is when they’re forcibly finished so.
Gomez made his eighth consecutive begin within the journey to West Ham that ended 2024 with a 5-0 win, however was unable to complete the primary half as he pulled his hamstring in a problem with Max Kilman and known as for a substitution.
Jarell Quansah took his place and, talking after the sport, Arne Slot accepted that his No. 2 could be out for “fairly a bit” as medical employees organised scans to happen in the beginning of the week.
The extent of Gomez’s damage is unclear, however its timing arguably couldn’t have been worse for the participant himself, who was visibly pissed off as he walked off the pitch with membership physician Amit Pannu.
When Ibrahima Konate‘s absence was confirmed following a ridiculous sort out from Actual Madrid striker Endrick, Slot had the selection of two choices because the Frenchman’s stand-in.
Given Conor Bradley and Kostas Tsimikas had been additionally sidelined and Trent Alexander-Arnold had required painkilling injections to get by video games, it was unclear at first whether or not the pinnacle coach would go for Gomez or Quansah at centre-back.
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Gomez’s versatility steered he might be stored for rotation at full-back, slightly than alongside Virgil van Dijk within the centre, however Slot defied that logic and deployed him on the coronary heart of defence.
It was a smart move, significantly given Quansah’s inconsistency when known as upon this season, with the reunion of Liverpool’s profitable again 4 of years passed by offering the soundness and assurance wanted.
Whereas it could have taken Gomez a interval to search out his toes once more, earlier than lengthy he had rekindled the partnership with Van Dijk that made him such a key participant underneath Jurgen Klopp, furnished by their understanding with Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson as full-backs.
Such was Gomez’s type within the absence of Konate – significantly in opposition to Man Metropolis, Tottenham and with 10 males in opposition to Fulham – that there may have been a debate over whether or not the No. 5 ought to instantly reclaim his beginning spot when match.
Gomez will definitely have felt that manner, however now the choice is way less complicated for Slot, who will now await the return of Konate as a matter of urgency.
It’s a acquainted situation for Gomez, who has discovered himself out and in of favour throughout his time at Liverpool usually resulting from his exceptional misfortune in terms of accidents.
Van Dijk has been Liverpool’s solely actual fixed at centre-back, with Gomez, Konate, Joel Matip and, for a time, Dejan Lovren cycled by because the Dutchman’s common companions.
Although he could also be burdened with the ‘damage susceptible’ label, it might be unfair to explain Gomez as such regardless of lacking 226 video games for membership and nation with cruciate ligament, heel and patellar tendon accidents in addition to a damaged leg.
As a substitute, he deserves to be recognised as a mannequin skilled and a devoted athlete who has managed to beat freak setbacks that may finish the top-level careers of many others, with a psychological fortitude to remain related at a membership like Liverpool.
“I understand how blessed I’m to be right here and it is going to be 10 years in the summertime. I don’t take that as a right,” he stated earlier in December, having seen a £45 million transfer to Newcastle break down over the summer season.
“It’s the greatest membership on the planet in my eyes and it was rapidly a case of adapting and stepping into the swing of issues [after it was clear I would stay]. It was good to place it to mattress.
“It’s soccer. To be someplace 10 years and never have any blips wouldn’t be pure.”
On his position as a dependable squad participant, nonetheless, he did add: “It’s tough since you don’t know when the prospect will come or underneath what circumstances, what place and so forth and so forth.
“However I can solely management what I can deal with, and that’s being the very best skilled I might be.”
It stands to cause that Gomez will resume that place when he returns from his hamstring damage, by which level Konate is prone to have reclaimed the spot alongside Van Dijk and, hopefully, discovered world-class type once more.
In fact, Slot would possible have phased Konate again in regardless, however that Gomez has misplaced his spot by a muscle damage – nearly actually attributable to an overload of minutes having been largely inactive beforehand – is a psychological blow greater than something.
Nonetheless, as his head coach will acknowledge, Liverpool’s renaissance man has proved as soon as once more that he’s greater than only a precious backup.
Joe Gomez might be relied upon every time and wherever.
