2018/19 Season Report Card - Joe Gomez

Difficult one this because the injury disrupted Joe's season and he only featured sporadically after his return (usually at right back) so he was never able to get back into any kind of groove. It would be unfair to judge him based on that though so instead I’m rating him based on his form pre-injury, which was sensational. 

His partnership with Big Virg (with Alisson behind them) was almost impregnable and it felt like we only conceded about three goals in the first three months. I know that’s not the case, it’s just how it felt to me. They never even really got to play with Fabinho shielding them either. Joel Matip was brilliant in the second half of the season, but the prospect of Gomez again linking up with Van Dijk, and with Fabinho destroying souls in front of them... well it’s mouth watering.

Going into the season I didn’t expect that level of performance from Gomez. I know some probably did, as there have been calls for him to be given a run at centre back for a while. Not from me though. I'll freely admit that I’d have kept Ragnar Klavan (don't really have much of a choice seeing as I wrote it at the time!) as I felt like we were leaving ourselves a little short with just the four centre halves, especially as three of them have a history of missing a lot of games.

As it turned out, I was half right as we did end up in a situation where Van Dijk was our only fit centre back and we had to use Fabinho there. That being said, Fabinho was brilliant when we had to cover there, so allowing Ragnar to go was the right call, especially as it gave Gomez his opportunity.

I’ve always felt that Gomez looks like someone who could go on to be a superstar, but I didn't see it happening this season. You could see it though. Some players just stand out from the rest, and he did. He just looks smooth. He’s quick, strong, good on the ball and right from the very first game he played (at left back) you could see he had that something about him that great players have.

Would I have put as much faith in him this season as Jurgen did? Nope. Two reasons for that. Firstly, the injuries. He’s missed so many games it was difficult to know if he was the same player he was before. Not only that, even if he was the same player he was before, he basically missed two whole seasons of development and gaining experience. So even though he was only 20 going into the season, he was an inexperienced 20 playing a position where experience is one of the main requirements to being successful.

Young centre backs make mistakes. It goes with the job. That’s just a fact. It’s such a difficult position for a manager to put his faith in a young player, which is why they are often loaned out. Let them make those mistakes for someone else, or alternatively play them at full back until they've got enough experience to make the switch.

You can throw a kid in up front and let him run around and freestyle a bit. If he’s talented, he’ll learn on the job while still making a contribution. You can play them in midfield or full back too, as they have enough players around them to help them out and cover for any mistakes. Centre back is a whole different ball game though.

That’s why you rarely see top clubs playing youngsters in that position. Along with goalkeeper, it’s the one position where experience is just as important as talent. Gomez had all the tools and we knew he had massive potential, but I’ll admit, I was worried when we went into the season with Matip and Lovren sidelined, and Gomez as the only option to play alongside Van Dijk.

I couldn’t have been more wrong though. Joe was a revelation. The mistakes that you expect from young defenders were nowhere to be seen. In fact, I don’t actually recall any. I’m sure there must have been one or two, but none jump out at me. That’s credit to Gomez but also to Virgil, who must be the easiest player in the world to play alongside as he’s so calm, so dominant and is always talking. 

Would Gomez have been so accomplished if he’d started the season alongside Lovren or Matip? Doubtful. And I don’t say that to diminish what Joe accomplished. He still has to go out and perform, and he did. Van Dijk makes it easier for the whole team though, which is one of many reasons why he’s the best in the business,

Gomez was lighting it up alongside him though and if Virgil was the best in the league you could make a compelling argument that Joe was number two. Of course I’m biased, but who was better than him? Look around the league. Other than Laporte I don’t think there’s anyone who could say they were performing at the same level as Gomez.

And then he got injured. He was playing right back that day, which directly contributed to the injury as he wouldn't have in that situation had he been playing in the middle. Klopp blasted the challenge from the Burnley lad but it really wasn't anything out of the ordinary. 99 times out of a 100 Gomez would have just walked away from that unscathed, but Joe doesn't seem to have much luck.

The poor lad is cursed isn’t he? Some players are injury prone but Gomez just seems to be incredibly unlucky. It’s not as though he’s constantly picking up muscle injuries like Adam Lallana, or crying off with various different ailments like Dejan Lovren. He’s done his ACL, he’s done ankle ligaments and he’s broken his leg. He’s only 21 and he’s had those three major injuries already. As I say, cursed.

Players who continually suffer from muscle injuries are not really any use and need to be moved on. That’s my definition of injury prone. Gomez has been prone to injuries, but is it fair to say he’s ‘injury prone’? I’m uncomfortable using that label on him based on the nature of the injuries he’s had.

It also hasn’t helped that it appears his injuries have been mis-diagnosed on more than one occasion. It happened last season and cost him a place in the Champions League final as well as the World Cup (rumour has it that it also contributed to Buvac’s departure, as ‘the Brain’ felt that players were being rushed back from injury before they were ready). 

It happened again this year and cost him three months of the season. I don’t know if it was avoidable or if there is any blame to be attached to anyone, but two seasons running Gomez picked up an injury that was said to be one thing and turned out to be something different. The initial timescale for his return ended up being doubled in both instances.

It cost him a starting place in two Champions League finals. He may or may not have played at right back last year, but were it not for the injury suffered at Burnley he would almost certainly have been lining up at centre back in this year’s final. Hopefully there are more to come though.

It’s so tough because any time you lose your place due to a long term injury, it’s going to be heard getting back in when the standard is so high now. Last year he was being rotated with Trent at right back, but his injury opened the door for Trent to play every week and just look at how good he’s become.

This year Joe’s misfortune presented an opportunity for Matip, and he was so good that no-one could get the shirt back off him. That’s how it used to be when we were so dominant, and even though football has changed and it’s much more of a squad game these days, Klopp is still operating a policy of if you’re in possession of the shirt and doing well, you’ll keep it except when you need a rest.

Matip didn’t play every game in the run in. He was rotated with Lovren, but because he’d played so well he was always brought back in for the big games. Gomez was out of the centre back equation because he missed all that time. At least his versatility meant he still got some minutes filling in for Trent and he got on for a few minutes in the final too which was well deserved.

The competition for places is fierce now, especially in midfield and at centre back. Joe deserves better luck next year and if he can stay fit then Klopp really is going to have an embarrassment of riches to choose from. 

Rating 9 /10.

It’s a pre-injury rating. Overall I could have gone lower if I’d factored in the second half of the season, but both Matip and Fabinho were rated on the second half of the season when they played regularly, so applying the same criteria for Gomez how could he be any less than a 9?

Best Moment:

The goal-line clearance in the Anfield derby, or maybe turning on the after burners and delivering a crunching challenge on Lucas Moura against Spurs at Wembley.

Worst Moment: 

Breaking his leg at Burnley.

The future?

As long as the injury curse is lifted this lad is going to be an all time great. I’ve got no doubt about that whatsoever. He’s been around for a while already but still has another 12 years in him before his pace starts to go. Fingers crossed, half of those years should be alongside Van Dijk so yeah, I think we’re looking at someone who could go on to be one of the best ever.