Joe Gomez is about for his seventh beginning look at Nottingham Forest on Sunday, with Jurgen Klopp acknowledging the powerful activity of competing with Liverpool’s three different centre backs.
The 24-year-old has featured 14 instances for the Reds this season for a complete of solely 620 minutes, with Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate forward within the pecking order.
On his return from a severe knee damage, there has additionally been a spot of dangerous luck with a false optimistic Covid take a look at robbing him of a sure begin towards Shrewsbury within the FA Cup.
However with one other cup tie on Sunday, after a run of 5 video games within the house of 14 days, Gomez appears to be like set to have one other shot within the XI on the eve of the worldwide break.
Klopp hinted at a fifteenth look of the season as he praised Gomez and acknowledged what’s, little question, to be a irritating interval for the younger centre-back.
“Joe is excellent – an impressive centre-half and a fair higher boy,” Klopp advised reporters on Friday.
“He’s good, however after all, it’s not the state of affairs he would have wished for [so far this season].
“He was injured for a extremely very long time after which he comes again and thinks, ‘Okay, I’m prepared, let’s go’ after which we now have the state of affairs the place the three others may begin earlier, may achieve rhythm and stuff like this, recreation after recreation.
“He was a bit unfortunate within the FA Cup spherical [against Shrewsbury] when Joey was not optimistic [for COVID-19] in that second, nevertheless it was a false optimistic take a look at so he couldn’t play. He was unfortunate on prime of that.
“He’s a top-class participant, he’s not an inch worse than all the opposite three who’re enjoying however the different three have rhythm, that’s why they play extra typically.
“That’s a bit of bit the issue we now have, however at a membership with our goals and ambitions, it may occur. It won’t final ceaselessly, however up to now it occurred like this.
“The following recreation can be a great alternative, that’s true.”
There’s definitely the prospect of that “alternative” coming at right-back ought to the supervisor decide to maintain Van Dijk within the XI and with Trent Alexander-Arnold out injured.
But when Conor Bradley is given the nod at Nottingham Forest, a place in his favoured centre-back position subsequent to Ibrahima Konate is probably going from the beginning for under the third time.
