Joe Gomez is in his ninth year at Liverpool and is the sole survivor of the Brendan Rodgers era. Photo: Michael Regan/Getty Images
Joe Gomez may seem an unlikely symbol of why Liverpool have risen from sixth place to become title contenders in the space of 12 months, but few players better represent that transformation.
Jurgen Klopp can point to more compelling reasons why, in his own words, “Liverpool are kind of back”; Virgil van Dijk's return to form, midfield revamp, Trent Alexander-Arnold's reinvention and Mohamed Salah's continued performance have had a deeper and more profound impact on this year's race.
But an overlooked feature of Liverpool's rebuild is the emergence restored reliability of Klopp's backups, none of whom are superior to Gomez.
While many of those clubs who entered this campaign with similar aspirations pulled out due to a lack of depth – not least New Year's rivals Newcastle United – Liverpool's failures did not derail their Kop title bid. This is in stark contrast to last season.
Liverpool's Klopp-era stalwarts have taken the brunt of criticism for mediocrity in the 2022/23 season. While they toiled, the onus fell on those on the periphery – Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and the less visible Arthur Melo among them – to step up and carry most of the burden. The bench looked as tired as the first team, and their minor contributions left Liverpool as vulnerable as Jordan Henderson and Fabinho running out of gas.
Compare this with a series of stellar contributions from the reserves. copies” this year. Liverpool's substitutes have already scored a total of 12 goals or assists (up from 16 in all of last season), Kostas Tsimikas was improving as Andy Robertson's deputy before his recent injury, and Gomez is enjoying his best form in three years.
The quality of Gomez, Harvey Elliott, Curtis Jones and youngster Jarell Quansah means that while Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle cite their numerous absences as the main reason for their instability, Liverpool's injury list is barely mentioned outside Klopp's press conferences.
Diogo Jota, Andy Robertson, Thiago Alcantara and Joel Matip are the most prominent senior players to be out for long periods, while Luis Diaz was missing for some time due to a family injury in Colombia. Youngster Stefan Bajcetic – last season's most consistent midfielder and destined to play a prominent role this season before growing pains halted his progress – played just 72 minutes. Tsimikas now faces a lengthy rehabilitation and Klopp will not have enough cover.
This prompted Klopp to turn to another defender in January, especially given Matip's serious knee injury.
Gomez is chief among the reasons why the club intends to resist. “He didn’t have a great year last year, but he’s back in better form,” agreed Klopp. “He’s still a young man – it’s crazy to think about it. He's just a super important player for us. He can play in all positions in defense and that is very important.”
Gomez is the only survivor from the Brendan Rodgers era. He enters his ninth year at the club and looks like the kind of defender England manager Gareth Southgate once considered the ideal ball-playing centre-back.
Despite his many setbacks due to injury and frustration – as well as constant transfer links – he signed a new five-year contract at Anfield in 2022, a testament to his low-maintenance professionalism.
Gomez signed a new five-year contract in July 2022, to the delight of Jurgen Klopp. Photo: Andrew Powell/Getty Images
“He never came to my office and asked, 'Can I go?' No, never,” Klopp said. “Everything was always sorted before it got to this point. We agreed on a new contract, he wanted to sign and wanted to stay. I think he and his wife really feel that he is Liverpool through and through, and that is the reason more than anything else.
“I think Joe is absolutely at home here, so that’s the number one reason. Joe had a problem with too many injuries during his time here – I'm not sure exactly how many, but he's been here for nine-plus years if I'm right – and the number of games he's played with such quality there is nothing in common. deal with me or Brendan – he was playing quite a lot when I arrived.
“He knows that in his time when he got injured, if you go somewhere and get injured, you're just a different player, but here he is still our boy and we will get through it and you have all the time to come back and that is a positive thing.” And also.”
How Eddie Howe must have wished he had a player of similar pedigree to turn to in the absence of starters. Newcastle arrived at Anfield having proven they could beat the best in Europe. Their evolution will depend on rotating as often and successfully as Klopp, without sacrificing consistency.
Howe can take inspiration from Liverpool's example of how quickly fortunes can change, as Klopp is encouraged by how open the title race will be this year and identifying the ability to renew your squad is crucial.
Villa have improved a lot, Tottenham are back, Arsenal have improved a lot, we're sort of back, and City is City,” Klopp said in his summary. mid-season.
Will he call up his team as they prepare for the second half of the campaign? “I don’t usually cook things like this,” he said. “Fresh legs and a good idea of what we need to do, and then: take action.”
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