Joe Gomez of Liverpool runs with the ball whilst under pressure from Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Manager Jurgen Klopp has explained why Joe Gomez was substituted in the 5-2 UEFA Champions League loss against Real Madrid last night (21 February).
The 25-year-old Englishman had a horrible night in defence for the Reds. He was arguably too slow in his efforts to block Vinicius Junior’s shot that resulted in Real Madrid’s opening goal.
A questionable backpass led to a huge howler from Alisson Becker in the 36th minute, resulting in Vinicus and Real Madrid’s second goal of the night. This set the tone for Gomez’s performance in the match.
Gomez also completely lost Eder Militao for Los Blancos‘ third goal before deflecting Karim Benzema’s shot into the net for Madrid’s fourth and penultimate goal of the match. He looked nervous, slow, and unaware of the danger that surrounded him.
A terrible display was capped off by a 73rd-minute substitution, which saw Joel Matip enter the field. Speaking after the game, Klopp confirmed that Gomez suffered from a fitness issue and that he will undergo tests to confirm the extent of it.
He said (h/t Liverpool Echo
):“Yeah, we will see. He showed a little bit of a sign so we just made a decision. Now we will see. He will get checked tomorrow.”
Even if he was fit for the upcoming games, not many Liverpool fans would have wanted him to partner Virgil van Dijk on a regular basis at the heart of the team’s defence. Matip and Van Dijk should do for now.
Ibrahima Konate is another option for us once he is completely fit and ready to slot into the backline. Hopefully, Gomez hasn’t suffered anything serious. He can still do a job at the back and is arguably Trent Alexander-Arnold’s only backup right now after Calvin Ramsay’s injury.
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