Joe Gomez: An Incredible Resurgence in His Liverpool Career
Whilst the likes of Alisson Becker, Virgil Van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah will take most of the plaudits behind Liverpool’s incredible season so far, Joe Gomez deserves huge credit for his contribution this season. Whether it be at the heart of the defence, at left-back, at right-back, or even in midfield, he has been absolutely phenomenal.
His fantastic performances this season have seemingly caught the attention of other football fans, too. Many have started to suggest that the 26-year-old should be in contention for a spot in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the upcoming Euros.
Gomez: ‘Perfect for England’
Highly respected journalist, Paul Joyce, recently addressed the speculation surrounding Gomez and also gave his thoughts on the matter. Joyce stated, “Whether at left-back, centre back, right-back, or even latterly as a midfielder, Gomez has been exemplary for Liverpool this season.”
Joyce continued, “He’s four players in one. He’s perfect for England.” Such high praise is only right to be given to Gomez after his performances this season. Especially in the midst of an injury crisis that saw the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joel Matip, Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas all sidelined at the same time.
Injury Concerns in the Past
As well as his incredible performances on the pitch, Gomez has also made a huge leap in his own fitness. By the age of just 23, the defender had suffered three separate long-term injuries which had seemingly seriously stunted his growth on the pitch over recent years.
However, since the end of the 2020/21 season, Gomez has missed just six games of football for Liverpool. Five of those came last season with a minor muscle injury, whilst he has only missed one game through illness this season.
This has led to him receiving a much improved total of minutes this season – racking up 37 appearances across all competitions already this season. His 23 Premier League appearances this season is already the largest amount of games played since the title-winning 19/20 season. Gomez made 28 appearances in that season and will definitely back himself to surpass that number before the end of the current season.
Fitting Into Southgate’s Plans
It’s easy to forget that Gomez has represented England on a number of occasions in the past, with 11 caps to his name. It was only because of a bust-up with Raheem Sterling that he originally fell out of favour at England.
If there’s one thing that Southgate loves in his defenders, then its versatility and Gomez is the most versatile of them all. He’s more than capable of partnering John Stones in place of the likes of Harry Maguire and Tyrone Mings but could also provide great depth to the full-back positions with the likes of Reece James and Luke Shaw facing further injury issues.
His mature ball-playing style of play would suit England’s strategy perfectly and he of course has the experience of winning trophies that some players in that England squad lack.