Joe Gomez didn’t play well against RB Salzburg and it showed why Liverpool need more rotation.
The 22-year-old looked shaky as the Reds gave up a 3-0 lead against Salzburg before winning 4-3. It’s poor timing, too, considering this was his first start since the Super Cup win in mid-August.
But then, perhaps that’s the problem?
Joel Matip almost certainly would have started on Wednesday but injury ruled him out. Gomez stepped up to fill in for just his second start of the season in either the Premier League or Champions League.
That’s a far cry from last season, where Gomez started regularly up until his injury in December.
What we saw against Salzburg was a player who is far from sharp. Gomez misjudged the ball, looked awkward positionally, and just wasn’t anywhere near his best.
His fitness was fine, though – there was no doubt that Gomez had his pace or energy. Instead, the problem was match sharpness.
That can only be found through games and continuity. Given that Jurgen Klopp doesn’t like to rotate too much, we may have run into a real problem.
Gomez didn’t look like the player we know he is against Salzburg. That means that when there is an injury to a defender, like with Matip, the player stepping in isn’t quite what he seems.
The only way to fix that properly is with more game time and more rotation. We see how the midfielders – the only area Klopp rotates – benefit from it and how the options are there as a result.
Now it might be time to do the same with the defenders or we’ll have more situations like Wednesday’s.
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