Joe Gomez was selected to start at right-back for Liverpool in last night’s 1-1 draw at home to Napoli in the Champions League, with regular first choice Trent Alexander-Arnold named among the substitutes.
The 22-year-old ex-Charlton defender has chiefly played at centre-back whenever he has featured this season, although this was the third time he had played on the right during the 2019/20 campaign. [via TransferMarkt]
However, Gomez was substituted by Jurgen Klopp in the 57th minute with Liverpool a goal down and The Athletic reporter James Pearce tweeted that the defender looked “short of confidence”. [via @JamesPearceLFC]
Not Joe Gomez's night. Looks short of confidence. He'll be back.
— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) November 27, 2019
Gomez did not find a team-mate with any of the five crosses that he attempted in the game against Napoli, while his performance drew unforgiving assessments from several reporters.
James Nalton of This Is Anfield wrote that he “didn’t look at all comfortable in the position” of right-back and “offered little in attack”, while Sky Sports‘ Nick Wright felt that he did not offer as effective an attacking threat as Alexander-Arnold and said that he “did not provide defensive stability either, showing a lack of focus on several occasions”.
These Liverpool fans on Twitter believe that Klopp got it wrong by picking Gomez in a right-back role:
Again poor from Klopp to play him at RB.
— Michael (@LiverpoolRising) November 27, 2019
What confidence? He’s played Right Back! Klopp’s fault.
— Salman (@Sak_LFC) November 27, 2019
Gomez should never play right back ever again. Idk what Klopp was thinking when he dropped Trent, who’s so much better attacking-wise and is only SLIGHTLY worse defensively.
— Lam Bo Xian (@_boxiannn) November 27, 2019
He’s isn’t a right back, it’s like me taking a lamborghini off-roading and then complaining that it did a bad job.
— Mentality_GIANTS (@Mental1tyG1ANTS) November 27, 2019
Poor coaching to try and use him at right back in the TAA role. Who thought that was going to work?
— GerrardGerrard 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 (@GerrardGerrard7) November 27, 2019
He looks lost every time he plays in RB position and I don’t know why Klopp likes to pick him over TAA especially in big games
— Sthe Zondi (@Engilithandayo1) November 27, 2019
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