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Fan rant of the day: Joe Gomez is proving he is the next big thing at Anfield

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By Drew Griffin

Joe Gomez Liverpool

Three goals conceded in nine Premier League games, that is phenomenal stuff from Liverpool this season.

The Reds are known for having a porous defence but Jurgen Klopp has turned things around at this end of the team.

The signing of Alisson was a statement proving we are ready to pay the big bucks for a goalkeeper, however, credit for the tightening of the defence goes to a couple of players.

Virgil van Dijk has been a colossus since joining from Southampton. The Dutch defender has marshalled the back five really well and they play like one single entity.

Virgil van Dijk & Joe Gomez

Moving around the pitch, covering for each other and ensuring Alisson doesn’t have to do a lot of work.

It has been a bit of a surprise seeing us defend well but another player that deserves a lot of praise is Joe Gomez.

The 21-year-old was fighting with Trent Alexander-Arnold last season for the right-back spot. This season, Gomez has been excellent alongside Van Dijk, and the Englishman seems to get better with each game.

The youngster has started all of our Premier League games, barring the 3-0 win over Southampton, and has barely put a foot wrong.

The former Charlton defender has come a long way since his time under Brendan Rodgers. The Englishman was initially played as a left-back but injuries cut short his time during the first Klopp season.

The defender has come back stronger since the end of last season. Gomez underwent ankle surgery at the end of last season, which cost him a place in the England World Cup squad and the Champions League final.

His time off in the summer certainly has helped him clinch a spot in the first-team and with Dejan Lovren returning with an injury, Gomez has taken the place of the Croatian.

Klopp could have played with Joel Matip partnering Van Dijk but the Englishman has proved the German right by putting in a number of quality performances.

Salah Gomez Alisson Liverpool Firmino

During my time of watching the Reds, only the Sami Hyypia-Jamie Carragher defensive pairing looked world class. Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel were great as a pair too, but the Dane suffered from numerous injuries which cut short his playing time.

The great aspect of having a Van Dijk-Gomez partnership is that the pair are young. Van Dijk is 27 and is just nearing his prime while Gomez has a number of years to possibly get even better.

Read more: “It was also something new” – Liverpool star reveals what Klopp instructed him to do against Huddersfield

We have seen a number of quality defenders wear the Red of Liverpool, and we might have one of the best defenders developing at Anfield.