Jamie Redknapp claimed it was a massive blow for Liverpool to be without defender Joe Gomez as he was a level above teammate Joel Matip ahead of the Reds facing Bournemouth.
The Sky Sports pundit shared that Gomez was now the established centre-back at Anfield alongside Virgil van Dijk and that with him injured, Jurgen Klopp’s side were going to miss him.
Redknapp added that Matip is obviously a good option but that he is not at the same level as Gomez due to not having the same pace in his locker.
“It is a massive blow as you’ve got a central partnership that is as good as anywhere, as I think they complement each other very well, Van Dijk has been amazing and you got Joe Gomez who has now become the established centre-back in the team,” said Redknapp on Sky Sports’ Premier League (Saturday December 8, 11:41am).
“So when you take him out, you are going to miss him, Matip is obviously a good accomplished centre-back but he is not at the same level as Joe Gomez as he hasn’t got that same pace and obviously I think they’re going to miss them.”
OPINION
Redknapp is right to suggest the Reds will miss Gomez while he is stuck on the sidelines, but there’s not much Klopp can do. Matip, who earns £70,000-a-week (Source: Spotrac), is a good player who gets an unnecessary amount of criticism but the Sky Sports pundit is right to say that Gomez is a level above him. Klopp is lucky to have the 27-year-old centre-back as cover but if he was to regularly feature you feel the Reds will be weaker at the back for it. However given that Gomez is set to miss a few games, Matip has an opportunity to show exactly what he is capable of. You feel the centre-back will be determined to prove his talents due to not rarely being called upon and this could see him excel. Hopefully this is the case as the Reds can’t afford to drop points or suffer set-backs in cup competitions due to not having Gomez at the back.
