Liverpool defender Joe Gomez is not a top-class player and should be sold in the near future.
That’s the opinion of outspoken Peterborough United chairman Darragh MacAnthony. Speaking on his The Hard Truth podcast MacAnthony, who supports Liverpool, said the Reds should ‘move on’ from Gomez.
“They need to move on from some players. Gomez for me, he’s not a top-class centre-half,” he claimed. “Brilliant against Man City, but mistake against Forest and mistake the other night [against Leeds]. It’s cost you in two games against two teams in the bottom three. Liverpool of old don’t lose games like that.”
Gomez was rightly dropped for last night’s win over Napoli. The fact Liverpool looked much more solid with Ibrahima Konate alongside Virgil Van Dijk didn’t do his cause any good at all.
Having recently signed a new contract, he may not be sold. But it wouldn’t be a surprise if Gomez now had to settle for an extended spell on the bench.
Gomez misses opportunity for regular starting spot
Injuries to Konate and Joel Matip handed Gomez the unexpected opportunity to nail down a starting place this season.
After a stunning Man of the Match display against Manchester City, he looked prime to take that. But since then, the 25-year-old has been desperately poor.
The malaise began with a sloppy penalty concession against West Ham United. Luckily, Alisson Becker bailed him out on that occasion.
There was to be no such reprieve for Gomez in the following two games, though. First, his hesitancy on the ball led to the free kick from which Nottingham Forest scored the winning goal from.
Then, against Leeds United, the centre-back’s no-look pass to Alisson turned into an assist for Rodrigo to put Leeds ahead inside five minutes.
These mistakes shouldn’t have cost Liverpool in the long run. They should be beating teams like Forest and Leeds with or without such moments of madness. But the fact is that the mistakes decided these games.
Gomez had faced calls for inclusion in the England World Cup squad. After a series of high-profile errors, it would be a major surprise to see him there now.
You can’t rule out the former Charlton man turning things around at Liverpool. For now, though, Konate is definitely the best partner for Van Dijk.
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