Jurgen Klopp screamed at Joe Gomez for one piece of defending late on as Liverpool lost to Nottingham Forest, according to reports. The centre-back didn’t have a good day.
This comes from the Liverpool Echo. They claim Jurgen Klopp lost his temper with Joe Gomez as Liverpool fell to a 1-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest yesterday.
The Reds had an awful game, struggling to control Forest and create decent chances from open play. They did force a couple, of course, but failed to take them – usually through some bizarre choice at the final moment.
It all left them incredibly vulnerable on the counter-attack. Ex-Red Taiwo Awoniyi found a way to goal to put the hosts 1-0 up, which only increased the dangers on the counter.
And that’s where Gomez came in. Late on, the centre-back opted not to push out and instead retreated towards his goal as Forest ran at him. The passive decision infuriated Klopp at a time when Liverpool needed to be on the front foot and show aggression.
Joe Gomez criticised for his defending
This is a bit of a pattern with Gomez. Once things aren’t going his way, he retreats into his shell and loses all of his aggression. At his best, he’s one of the Premier League’s top defenders. When he’s not confident, he can be a liability.
That wasn’t the only time Gomez looked passive in his defending, after all. There was a moment on the opposite flank on 57 minutes where he lost track of the ball and just let Forest have it as he retreated towards his own goal.
Again, it’s just not what Liverpool needed at the time. It was perhaps the way to play against Manchester City where the Reds couldn’t afford risks. Against Nottingham Forest while 1-0 down, though? It’s just poor play and Klopp was sure to let him know.
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