Joe Gomez is now Liverpool’s longest-serving senior player, but the club’s lifelong utility defender has found himself having to prove himself time and time again over the past decade.
Gomez, who joined as an 18-year-old from Charlton in 2015, arrived with a blossoming reputation and a £3.5m price tag that suggested he would be immediately considered for the first team.
The brakes have not been intentionally applied for almost a decade. But the bigger problem, as he learned again on Sunday, is when it’s enforced.
Gomez made his eighth successive start in the 2024 away win at West Ham, which ended in a 5-0 win, but failed to complete the first half after pulling a hamstring in a challenge with Max Kilman and requiring a substitution.
Jarell Quansah took his place, and after the game Arne Slot accepted that his number two would be out “for quite some time” as medical staff organize scans earlier this week.
The extent of Gomez’s injury is unclear, but the timing could not have been worse for the player himself, who was visibly frustrated as he left the pitch with club doctor Amit Pannu at his side.
With Ibrahima Konate confirmed to be out after Real Madrid striker Endrik’s outrageous tackle, Slot had two options to represent the Frenchman.
With Conor Bradley and Kostas Tsimikas also missing and Trent Alexander-Arnold needing a painkilling injection to play, it was initially unclear whether the manager would choose Gomez or Quança at centre-back.
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Gomez’s versatility suggested he could rotate as a full-back rather than centrally alongside Virgil van Dijk, but Slot defied that logic and placed him in the heart of the defence.
This was a wise decision, especially given Quansah’s inconsistency this season, which has reunited Liverpool with success over the past four years by providing much-needed stability and assurance.
It may have taken Gomez a while to find his footing again, but it wasn’t long before he resumed the partnership with Van Dijk that made him a key player under Jurgen Klopp, with an understanding of using Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson as full-backs. I did it. .
Gomez’s form in Konate’s absence (particularly against Manchester City, Tottenham and against Fulham with 10 men) could lead to a debate as to whether the No. 5 should immediately regain a starting spot when he is fit.
Gomez certainly felt that way. But now, as a matter of urgency, Slot’s decision to wait for Konate’s return has become much simpler.
It’s a familiar scenario for Gomez, who has often gained and lost favor due to his devastating injury misfortune at Liverpool.
Van Dijk has been Liverpool’s only regular centre-back, with Gomez, Konate, Joel Matip and, for a time, Dejan Lovren serving as the Dutchman’s regular partners.
Gomez may be burdened with the ‘injury prone’ label, but it’s unfair to describe him that way despite missing 226 games for club and country due to cruciate ligament, heel and patellar tendon injuries and a broken leg. .
Instead, he deserves recognition as an exemplary professional and dedicated athlete who overcame devastating setbacks that would have ended the top-level careers of many others, with the mental fortitude to remain competitive at a club like Liverpool. .
“I know how blessed I am to be here and it will be 10 years in the summer. I don’t take it for granted.” He spoke after seeing his £45 million summer move to Newcastle fall through in early December.
“In my eyes, they are the best club in the world and it was an example of them adapting quickly and adapting to the situation. [after it was clear I would stay]. It was perfect to lay on the bed.
“It’s soccer. Even if you live for 10 years, if you don’t have any blemishes, it won’t look natural.”
But he added about his role as a reliable member of the squad: “It’s tricky because you never know when the opportunity will come, in what situation, in what position, etc.
“But I can only control what I can focus on, and that’s being the best professional I can be.”
It stands to reason that Gomez will resume the position once he returns from his hamstring injury. At that point, Konate will likely regain his place alongside Van Dijk and hopefully find his world-class form again.
Of course, Slot would have phased Konate back regardless. But Gomez being sidelined with a muscle injury – almost certainly caused by the overload of a period of significant inactivity beforehand – is more of a mental blow than anything else.
Nonetheless, as his manager admits, Liverpool’s renaissance man has proven once again that he is more than just a valuable back-up.
You can count on Joe Gomez anytime, anywhere.
