At the age of only 21, Joe Gomez should be a huge source of excitement for everyone involved with Liverpool Football Club, and his performances this season could be an integral part if the club were to add some silverware to their trophy cabinet.
Gomez caught the attention of many England fans on Sunday, not for his strong defending that has been so pleasing on the eye this season, but rather for the long throw he took that gave England their first goal in a 2-1 win over Croatia.
The throw-in showed exactly the exciting potential Jurgen Klopp has to his availability for Liverpool. Gomez has formed a significant partnership with Virgil van Dijk this season that has given Liverpool one of their most stable defensive structures in years.
The former Charlton Athletic man has gone from an unsettled right-back last season to one of the best centre-backs in the league this season.
Organised and strong are probably the two words that sum up Gomez’s season the best so far, while his reading of an opposition attack has been spot on, making a number of crucial interceptions and putting pressure on centre-forwards by being on their backs all the time.
At 6 foot 1, the England international has become a very strong figure in stature that lets his physicality be felt on opponents by being in their face and tracking for the very last inch before committing in a challenge.
Although Klopp still recognises Dejan Lovren as an important figure of the Liverpool squad, Gomez has proven to be much calmer and has no doubt be learning a lot from Van Dijk.
His last attempted block on a James Maddison shot when Liverpool faced Leicester City in September, indicated the massive strides he’s made in terms of commitment, while his tracking of numerous Eden Hazard runs at Stamford Bridge a few weeks later also showed just how good he can read the game.
His consistency is, therefore, a major plus for Klopp’s setup that might have gone unnoticed by many who have witnessed Gomez’s improvement this season. But his consistency in the pairing with Van Dijk, in particular, could very well reap more rewards at the end of the season apart from just the hands-on defending he does game in and game out.
Indeed, while Liverpool have certainly moved on from the days of Brendan Rodgers, one of his last signings at Anfield has been proved a welcome surprise for Jurgen Klopp.
