Joe Gomez could now have a bright future at Liverpool after Jürgen Klopp made a bold decision at Anfield.
The England international has stagnated on Merseyside since he was Virgil van Dijk’s undisputed partner at the heart of Liverpool’s backline.
Gomez has only made 14 Premier League starts this season and has been replaced by Ibrahima Konate in Klopp’s best XI.
Now – however – the Liverpool No.2 has been given a lifeline.
What’s the story?
Well, Klopp has now switched to a new shape which sees Trent Alexander-Arnold slot into a central midfield position, with Andy Robertson tucking in to help Van Dijk and Konate.
It has worked out for Alexander-Arnold as he registered six assists in six Premier League appearances throughout April.
However, Robertson has arguably been limited by the change, as he finds himself playing more centrally – in particular, the Liverpool No.26 looked very shaky against Tottenham on Sunday.
That is why we think Gomez now has another opportunity to become a key cog under Klopp.
The 25-year-old started his Liverpool career as a left-back under Brendan Rodgers after arriving in a £3.5m deal from Charlton back in 2015.
Gomez showed defensive strength and impressive ability on the ball in that position before eventually moving to the centre of the backline.
Therefore, we believe he would be a good fit for this new inverted left-back role Klopp has given to Robertson.
Joe Gomez option makes Liverpool unpredictable
Now, we aren’t suggesting that Robertson should waste away on the bench with Gomez taking his role instead.
To put it simply, this formation change gives Klopp options to alter Liverpool’s style depending on the opposition.
For an opponent who leaves plenty of space down the flanks, Klopp should go with Robertson in his old system, as the Scotland international is arguably the best attacking full-back in the Premier League.
However, for the more compact games, Gomez offers a nice option for the inverted left-back role, which frees up Alexander-Arnold to break teams down from the centre.
Hopefully, Gomez’s Liverpool career does not continue to fizzle out, as he still has many years left of his prime at the age of 25.
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