Joe Gomez, a defender for Liverpool, has received recognition for his efforts and adaptability around the backfield for the Reds this season.
Chris Sutton has praised Joe Gomez for rescuing his Liverpool career this year.
The adaptable defender has shown himself to be one of Liverpool’s reliable players during the team’s impressive start to the season. With 26 total appearances, Gomez has helped the Reds win the Premier League, get to the Carabao Cup semifinals, and advance in the FA Cup and Europa League.
After joining from Charlton Athletic as a teenager in 2015, Gomez is currently the club’s longest-serving player. He was an integral member of Liverpool’s championship-winning squad, creating a strong partnership with Virgil van Dijk. But a persistent injury sustained during the 2020–21 season interrupted his growth and cost the 26-year-old his starting spot.
Gomez has had numerous opportunities to shine this season due to injuries and bans. He started off at centre defence before filling in at right back and, more recently, moving to the left side. Gomez’s performances throughout the defence have been praised by former Premier League striker Sutton, who has also praised Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp for his man-management abilities.
On BBC 5 Live’s Monday Night Club, Sutton stated, “I think Joe Gomez as a Liverpool player has been there a long time, largely on the periphery and maybe on the way out.” However, he seizes the chance and has already proven his dependability.
“At Liverpool for nine years, he has yet to start 100 Premier League games. That is a small number of games. Although I am aware that he attended as a young player from Charlton and had numerous injuries, I always felt that his time at Liverpool was running out.
But now that he’s playing left back out of position, he gets his chance and is performing admirably. The fact that so many players appear to be content because they want to start every week speaks more about the management than anything else.
Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas’ injuries suggest that Gomez will be able to keep his left-back position for a little while longer. Even though Gomez struggles to get consistent playing time, Klopp said that the defender has never requested to leave Liverpool as he approaches his 200th game with the team.
“He never asked to leave my office when he came in. Never, indeed. Klopp clarified, “It was always resolved before it could reach that stage. He wanted to sign the new contract that we arranged and he also wanted to stay. I believe that above all things, he and his wife genuinely believe that he is a true Liverpool supporter.
“He knows that in his time with his injuries that if you go somewhere and get injured you are just a different player but here he is still our boy and we will deal with it and you have all time to get back and that is a positive as well.”
