• You may have to login or register before you can post and view our exclusive members only forums.
    To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Gomez

Status
Not open for further replies.

Brizzle

Match thread starter
Member
What do we think? He was always decent but not exceptional when we were introducing him to the PL at right back. He then excelled when we put him at CB, made himself a starter for England but then lost his place to Matip.

With Clyne injured it looks like we are trying to make him back up RB rather than starting CB again. Feels strange to me.

Given a fresh start to the season I would have Gomez over Matip. Whilst Joel was v good at the end of the season, I think we are forgetting how good Gomez was at the start. I think he has the potential to become the leader of our back line but I'm worried we are making him 3rd choice and risk losing his interest.

Thoughts.
 
Watching Napoli’s first goal makes me want him as the 1st choice to partner Virgil. Matip had a great end of season but I think Gomez is going to be better.
 
I don't actually think Gomez was always decent at RB. Too often I thought he was fairly poor - he's got the pace but not the judgment or positional sense for that role IMO. Strangely perhaps, he was a lot better at LB when he first got into the side and I wouldn't be averse to him being a back-up option there.

On the overall question whether Gomez should get back into the side at CB, which is undoubtedly his best position, I'd say it depends on how he and Matip go in training. I agree that Gomez at his best is probably the better player, but for me that doesn't and shouldn't give him a free ride back into the team. Matip's improvement in the latter part of last season was spectacular and he's currently the guy in possession. Gomez should have to earn his place back IMO.
 
CB, he can fill in on the odd occasion at RB if Trent needs it, but i'd like to see Trent starting as many games as possible on the right, he's too important for our attacking play.
 
Gomez should have to earn his place back IMO.

Agree with this sentiment but it doesnt appear that we are giving him the chance to. Unless i've missed it (haven't watched most of pre season) we have deployed him at RB not CB so far?
 
I don't rate him as a full back in the current system. Milner is better.

We changed our style last year, where our FBs are key to some of our attacking play. He's not got the quality service of a Trent or Robbo. He needs to be kept at CB.

And if he's fit, I would play him as the first choice "2nd CB", where he plays most games, especially against the quick teams like Arsenal, United and Leicester. Whereas Matip should be playing against the aerially dominant teams who playing with target men like Brighton and Wolves. Lovren should be drafted in for FA cup and League cup games.
 
Agree with this sentiment but it doesnt appear that we are giving him the chance to. Unless i've missed it (haven't watched most of pre season) we have deployed him at RB not CB so far?

True, and for reasons already set out I wouldn't play him at RB except perhaps in dire emergency. What I meant was that he should have to earn a CB place back by outshining Matip in training and forcing himself back in that way. I wouldn't be in favour of giving Gomez a CB spot back on potential alone.
 
I don't rate him as a full back in the current system. Milner is better.

We changed our style last year, where our FBs are key to some of our attacking play. He's not got the quality service of a Trent or Robbo. He needs to be kept at CB.

And if he's fit, I would play him as the first choice "2nd CB", where he plays most games, especially against the quick teams like Arsenal, United and Leicester. Whereas Matip should be playing against the aerially dominant teams who playing with target men like Brighton and Wolves. Lovren should be drafted in for FA cup and League cup games.

Interesting post but I wouldn't make that distinction. If we eventually return to VvD and Gomez as our first choice CB combo I'd be fine with playing them against all comers - Virgil's more than capable of dealing with any target man we come up against.
 
Klopp won't give Gomez CB unless Matip has a bad couple of games.

He works on meritocracy, quite beligerently so, which has the benefit of making all the squad players up their game, as obviously they know that almost any position (it's arguable the front three places aren't always as at a risk obv) is up for grabs, as such Matips performances last season mean at the moment that it's his position to lose, rather than Gomez position that he can simply reclaim by getting fit again.
 
Klopp won't give Gomez CB unless Matip has a bad couple of games.

He works on meritocracy, quite beligerently so, which has the benefit of making all the squad players up their game, as obviously they know that almost any position (it's arguable the front three places aren't always as at a risk obv) is up for grabs, as such Matips performances last season mean at the moment that it's his position to lose, rather than Gomez position that he can simply reclaim by getting fit again.
I think Klopp resets the meritocracy each pre-season, so what happened at the end of last season has only a minor bearing. If Matip is in ahead of Gomez it will be down to his pre-season work (not just matches, the training sessions as well) over his form in the last part of last season
 
I don't actually think Gomez was always decent at RB. Too often I thought he was fairly poor - he's got the pace but not the judgment or positional sense for that role IMO. Strangely perhaps, he was a lot better at LB when he first got into the side and I wouldn't be averse to him being a back-up option there.

On the overall question whether Gomez should get back into the side at CB, which is undoubtedly his best position, I'd say it depends on how he and Matip go in training. I agree that Gomez at his best is probably the better player, but for me that doesn't and shouldn't give him a free ride back into the team. Matip's improvement in the latter part of last season was spectacular and he's currently the guy in possession. Gomez should have to earn his place back IMO.
It's not possible to earn it back if you're not in the team .. unless you've proven it in training and on that we'll just have to trust Klopp. Whether he chooses Matip or Gomez we should assume that's because they have shown Klopp they deserve the start based on their performances on the training pitch.
 
It's not possible to earn it back if you're not in the team .. unless you've proven it in training and on that we'll just have to trust Klopp. Whether he chooses Matip or Gomez we should assume that's because they have shown Klopp they deserve the start based on their performances on the training pitch.

The other thing is we have a massive load of matches coming thick and fast, so Klopp will also be thinking about managing the minutes each player gets. We may even see different combos through the season at certain times.
 
I reckon he'll be 3rd choice CB with potential to be rotated and win back his number 2 slot by Christmas.

The boy Hoever will be RB back up.
 
I'm sure it won't be long before Matip gets injured and then it becomes Matips problem. Until Gomez gets injured.

And so on.
 
I agree with most on here, liking Gomez at CB, he and Virgil were an outstanding pairing at the start of the season.

Remember he only started at CB because of Lovren's injury in the World Cup, so it stands to reason that if and when Matip gets hurt this year, Gomez will take that spot over once again.

He should be a third choice RB at most, behind Trent and Milner.
 
At cb yes. At rb, no, he's dreadful there. Strangely so.

As good as he is at cb could be irrelevant if he can't stay fit, though.
 
At cb yes. At rb, no, he's dreadful there. Strangely so.

As good as he is at cb could be irrelevant if he can't stay fit, though.

I feel he'd be ok at RB in any other club or system except ours where TAA is such a don offensively and we try and make any replacement wingback mimic that. It isn't Joe's style and you can tell he doesn't feel comfortable or natural trying to play in an advanced position when we are attacking or boxing the oppo into the box. Love the guy though, and can't complain too much if Joel is keeping out through performances because that just means the bar is set high and we are actually benefitting from competition for places.
 
It's not just the attacking that suffers with Gomez there, though. He turns into a retard who can't judge the flight of a ball when he's at right back, which is strange and doesn't make any sense. There's been a few times when we've been punished with a simple ball floated over his head when he's playing at full back.
 
I feel he'd be ok at RB in any other club or system except ours where TAA is such a don offensively and we try and make any replacement wingback mimic that. It isn't Joe's style and you can tell he doesn't feel comfortable or natural trying to play in an advanced position when we are attacking or boxing the oppo into the box. Love the guy though, and can't complain too much if Joel is keeping out through performances because that just means the bar is set high and we are actually benefitting from competition for places.
He’s also shite at defending when playing rb. I’ve lost count of the number of times he’s misjudged high diagonal balls and let the runner behind him right through. It’s why I thought he’d be shite at CB but for some reason he’s rock solid when playing in the middle.
 
Gomez and Matip at their best bring different qualities to the team, which is what makes it an interesting dilemma. For example, Gomez has got that raw athleticism and Matip can be pretty handy in contributing to our attacking play.

I think Matip is going to remain first choice (I don't think there is a reset necessarily) and Gomez will have to wait for his chance whilst filling in at fullback, a position that doesn't really do him or us justice.

I hope Hoever gets given the nod in the league cup. Last year he very much looked like a kid out of his depth when he got his shot. Not now though. I'm looking forward to seeing if he's ready.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom