Joe Gomez has backed goalkeeper Alisson to continue playing confidently with the ball at his feet and has spoken on his current run in the team.
With Ragnar Klavan leaving this summer and both Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren dealing with injuries across pre-season, it left Gomez as the only fit alternative to partner Virgil van Dijk at the heart of Liverpool’s defence.
While some fans have been patiently waiting for the young Englishman to be given a chance in his most natural role, it’s understandable that more experienced options were leading that battle beforehand.
With four successive starts next to Van Dijk, however, Gomez has impressed immensely and will surely be kept in place having earned the right to start.
The versatile performer has shown good physicality and reading of the game, along with his great patience and comfort in possession, even under pressure.
Gomez isn’t taking anything for granted though and just wants to take each opportunity to impress, report Goal.
“All I can do is play. I don’t think it’s down to me to declare or say anything. Obviously, in the past I have said I want to play there eventually but whether I’m doing well or not is not for me to decide.
“I’ve just got to stay focused and try to keep going. I’ve got great people around me like Virgil and the whole team to learn from and keep developing.
“For me and Trent [Alexander-Arnold], we’re at a great club with a top manager. We’re both grateful for that and he puts faith in us to perform.
We’re obviously still quite young but I think it’s about trying to prove we’re capable and can communicate as a unit. Hopefully we can carry on taking our chances and keep progressing.”
Meanwhile, Gomez has backed new signing Alisson to carry on being confident with the ball at his feet, despite an error against Leicester.
Gifting a goal to the Foxes was the first the Reds had conceded this season, but aside from that, the Brazilian has looked assured and reliable.
“That is his style of play and I think everyone wants him to continue doing that,” the defender said.
“All the time he gives us that confidence that we can play and it relieves a lot of pressure for us.
“Everyone has their style of play and we don’t want him to change. I think he’s confident and will continue to do so.”
On the Reds’ run so far, which has left them top of the Premier League with a 100 per cent record, Gomez says the improvement from last term is evident—but more is required.
“The main thing is that we’ve come away with 12 points.
“I’m happy we’ve had a good run so far but it’s about continuing it now. Every game is different, we’ve had different challenges over the four games so far and it’s about adapting.
“I think there were times last season when we might not have seen games out and we want to try to correct that this year. These could be valuable points come the end of the season.
“As a team we play for clean sheets, that is important and it’s the foundation for you because if they don’t score you can’t lose.
“It’s going to happen though, we’re bound to concede goals but the main thing is the reaction. We didn’t drop our heads and we knew we could withstand the pressure and that is the main thing. We’ll take the three points over the clean sheet.”
Now off on international duty with England, Gomez faces a wait to discover whether he has done enough to keep his place with Lovren back to fitness.
On merit, though, he certainly deserves his extended run in the side—and the opportunity to forge a long-term partnership with the Reds’ record signing Van Dijk.
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