Joe Gomez impressed in his first league game at Anfield since February as Liverpool beat Aston Villa.
It has been a promising start to the season for many Liverpool players this season. The Reds travel to Wolves after the international break having won three and played one of their first four matches.
But even since his first clean sheet of the season, Jürgen Klopp’s backline may have been unexpectedly positive.
Because Joe Gomez is back in the conversation after a good defensive performance against Aston Villa before the international break.
Injuries and bad luck really saw Gomez step into the gap, producing an admirable 10-man effort first against Newcastle and then at Anfield in the win against Villa.
With Ibrahima Konate injured and captain Virgil van Dijk sidelined, Jurgen Klopp named the 26-year-old in the center of defence. The issue arose at a time when debate among Liverpool fans often revolved around the need to make a last-minute defensive addition after focusing on midfield in the transfer window.
And the dressing room received another member of the Liverpool squad when Trent Alexander-Arnold was sent off with an apparent hamstring problem after his first appearance as captain at Anfield against Villa.
It proved to be a pleasant afternoon for the Reds’ backline as they enjoyed a strong defensive display against a hapless Aston Villa side. Alisson Becker was called upon on a number of occasions but was largely unperturbed as their Midlands opponents were bored by Liverpool’s dominance.
With a successful Liverpool career full of Champions League and Premier League wins, Gomez’s time on Merseyside was put on hold. Indeed, he suffered a terrible injury setback, first suffering a cruciate ligament injury, then an Achilles problem and ankle surgery – after being sent off against Burnley in 2018 – before suffering a serious knee injury on international duty with England.
It was a tough road back to the first team for Gomez and due to his setbacks and team struggles he was a consistent member that the German head coach trusted.
Against Aston Villa, he produced one of his best performances in a red shirt at a major event, surpassing 200 senior appearances.
The outstanding performance comes at the right time for Liverpool as they look to stake a claim for a regular starting spot in Klopp’s side.
In the absence of Van Dijk and Konate, the previous question marks about the reliability of lower options in the ranks would disappear. And if Gomez can revive his Liverpool career at the age of 26 and, above all, stay fit, he could ease Liverpool’s defensive concerns both in the long and short term.
A confidence-boosting display from Gomez, but Alexander-Arnold’s subsequent injury is another.​​​​​He joins Conor Bradley on the treatment table – after the Northern Ireland international was sidelined for three months with a stress fracture.
Liverpool are sweating over the severity of their newly appointed vice-captain’s injury. But the defensive woes don’t end there, with Van Dijk’s one-match ban threatened by his reaction to his dismissal against Newcastle, as well as news of Konate’s departure from the France squad.
