Time for Gomez to step up and be counted

The news that Virgil Van Dijk is set to miss the rest of the season after suffering anterior cruciate ligament damage in the 2-2 draw with Everton, has hit Liverpool hard. After all, Van Dijk has been the one constant in the team throughout Liverpool’s two impeccable seasons, where they finished runners up with 97 points in 2018-19, and then of course claimed the title with 99 points in the 2019-20 campaign. Van Dijk played every minute of both of those Premier League seasons, and now the team is faced with defending their title without the Dutchman.

Liverpool took a gamble in the summer transfer window by not recruiting another senior centre-back to replace Dejan Lovren, who left to join Zenit Saint Petersburg. But Reds boss Jürgen Klopp was happy with his options, with midfielder Fabinho seen as a fourth option at the centre of defence were injuries to strike. An injury has now struck, and with only three senior options to choose from for centre-half, Klopp has his work cut out to make Liverpool the same kind of winning machine that they were in the last two seasons.

But perhaps injury to Van Dijk gives an opportunity for one Liverpool centre-back to step up and take a more leading role in the back-line. Joe Gomez has long acted as Van Dijk’s deputy, a quieter presence alongside the colossus that is the Dutchman, going about his business with minimal fuss and helping Liverpool become so solid at the back. The Englishmen has himself been susceptible to injury throughout his career, but now he finds himself in a position where he can take on more responsibility and show he has the qualities to be a leading light at the centre of defence.

Gomez has come under criticism at times for Liverpool, and suffered a torrid time in the team’s freak 7-2 defeat at the hands of Aston Villa. But he might just relish the challenge of helping Liverpool restore their status as consistent favourites in the Premier League betting on Betfair Exchange, whether it’s alongside Fabinho or Joël Matip. It could be that Gomez has felt slightly under pressure when playing alongside Van Dijk, a sense that he feels he has to match the supreme ability the Dutchman possesses.

Now there will be no such pressure, and while Liverpool will of course be weaker as a result of Van Dijk’s absence, if the likes of Gomez and Matip can step up and play a greater part in keeping Liverpool defensively solid, then perhaps this crisis is not as significant as it first seems.

At his best, Gomez is a delightful defender to watch. He plays with a graceful air, reading passes, making crucial interceptions, and generally gliding around the pitch as if out for an evening stroll. The problem for Liverpool is that the times where Gomez has played to that supreme level have been outweighed by games in which he has looked vulnerable. If ever Klopp needs him to find that level of consistency he’s been striving for throughout his career, it’s now.

Then again, we forget that Gomez is still incredibly young for a centre-half. To have racked up over 100 appearances for Liverpool at the age of 23 is an impressive achievement, and there’s no reason why he can’t continue to improve and go on to make hundreds more appearances for the Reds. We could look back on this season as the making of Gomez – the season where the young Englishman took the bull by the horns and filled the shoes of the best centre-back in the world.