OPINION
Liverpool wrapped up an impressive pre-season campaign with a comfortable 3-1 win over Torino at Anfield on Tuesday, but boss Jurgen Klopp was only able to play one senior centre-back in the victory.
A minor injury suffered by Joe Gomez saw academy player Nat Philips deployed alongside Virgil van Dijk, and while the youngster put in a solid display, there are clear concerns for Klopp ahead of the season opener v West Ham, despite the fact he may deny it.
As quoted by Sky Sports, Klopp said: “I think (Joe Gomez) is OK. It is nothing serious but it was not possible tonight as he played on Saturday. Dejan (Lovren) is in but he’s not had a long holiday [after the World Cup final].
“For Raggy (Klavan) and Joel it is probably not good enough as they are not fit for the weekend but we don’t need 12 centre-halves.”
Liverpool’s defence has been a point of contention this summer, with many fans believing that the club need to bring in another centre-back to really challenge for the title.
Klopp has been of a different mindset, willing to place his faith in his current options, including youngster Gomez, and that is admirable from the German mastermind.
However, Gomez’s injury problems over the past year raise questions about his ability to play a whole season, and his latest setback brings that into focus again.
While his current problem may just be minor as Klopp says, it is still a worry that he was unable to play against Torino, and that concern will only increase if he ends up missing the West Ham game.
With Lovren yet to be ready for a return following his late start to pre-season, and the other two also injured, Klopp is already having to deal with a situation that is far from ideal.
And, his decision to not bring in another centre-back may therefore come under fire very early into the season, and he will have some questions to answer should it negatively impact their early performances.
