OPINION
Liverpool defender Joe Gomez was one of the outstanding players in the first half of the season for Jurgen Klopp’s side. However, injuries have ravaged his progress since then.
The England international has now missed 17 games in all competitions having undergone ankle surgery. It’s unknown whether he’ll return during this campaign, but what is certain is that he will face a titanic battle for his first team spot once he does eventually return.
That’s because the stock of his teammate Joel Matip has positively soared while the 21-year-old has been out. Gomez will always have the advantage in Klopp’s eyes because of his youth, but it would be difficult for the German to drop Matip when he’s playing at this sterling level.
The Cameroon international still has his hairy moments at times, but on the most part he has been absolutely stellar. He has formed a strong partnership with Virgil van Dijk, as everyone does, at the heart of the Reds defence and is now one of the first names on the team sheet for his manager.
Most people are likely in agreement that Gomez is the superior player, but when someone is in form it’s hard to dispose of them, and that’s certainly the case with Matip.
It will be interesting to see what Klopp does once the Englishman returns. He will likely take a cautious approach with his recovery, but he is only able to do that because of how well Matip has been playing. If the former Schalke man wasn’t playing as well as he is then Gomez’s comeback would potentially need to be rushed.
Now, though, Klopp has the luxury of taking it easy with Gomez. He has a solid partnership in place at the moment and it’s going to take a lot for Gomez to break it up.
He will likely do just that eventually, but he must be under no illusions that it’s going to be difficult and that he’s going to need to be patient before he can reclaim his first team status.
