OPINION
Before Liverpool defender Joe Gomez was injured, Dejan Lovren remained on the backburner for Jurgen Klopp. At that point in time, nothing was going to convince him to break up his formidable duo in the centre of defence.
However, it was when Gomez got seriously injured that he had to turn to Lovren. Then when Lovren got injured, he had to turn to third choice Joel Matip. Who, by the way, does not deserve to be third choice after his recent impressive performances.
In fact, you could say that he is miles better than Lovren. The Croatian has not got Gomez sweating with his performances alongside Virgil Van Dijk, and this is simply not good enough. If he is trying to increase his first team chances, he is not going the right way about it, is he?
This is why Klopp must give the £100,000-a-week [Spotrac] enforcer the cold shoulder in favour of Matip. Matip has shown his teammate how it is done recently, and he more than deserves to be ahead of him in the pecking order at Anfield. Who knows where that will lead him?
Gomez is not guaranteed his spot back when he comes back from injury, that is for sure. If anything, it has seriously dented his chances of getting back into the starting XI. He will not be as sharp as he was before the injury, and this is something that will no doubt play against him.
That being said, that is why Matip should be favoured on a regular basis compared to Lovren. His performance in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Bayern Munich was effortless. That is quite something – especially against a top team – and it shows that he has stepped it up a level recently.
Lovren must be pushed down the pecking order, as it is clear that Matip is better after the way he has turned heads lately.
