His sense of awareness seems to have deserted him completely.
3 Likes
100% itās multiple times per game he simply loses the flight of the ball. His concentration is so poor.
In a system where we play with such high risk approach i.e. 1 v 1 defending you simply canāt carry a player who makes basic errors over and over in a game.
2 Likes
You are absolutely right. I wonder what happened to him mentally!
1 Like
If Klopp is going to persist with him, then he should probably give him more games at right back until Ramsay proves heās good enough. Heās a liability at centre back - yes, his injury history is horrendous but lesser players have picked themselves up. He plays like these absences have affected his concentration, rather than his ability. Man City at home aside, heās been so poor this season, those lapses in concentration have become a trend, heās slowly turning into another Lovren.
2 Likes
Even when he was at his best, his weak points were obvious. Thatās okay, everyone has them. But his best or good periods are becoming rare. And for mostly a backup defender these days, we need better quality from him when he comes in. Heās just not a very good defender, gives far too much room to his opponents. Especially for someone who is branded as agile, mobile, fast, modern, etc. Get closer (not Lovrenesque) to people, if you have the pace to correct some errors.
I remember a goal Callum Wilson scored for Bournemouth at Anfield against us a few years ago (think it might have been the last game before the lockdown kicked off). He was too far from him during the whole action. Multiple examples of him not being positionally correct enough, not judging where he stands and how he acts. You can be aggressive in a good or worse way, you can be calm in a good and worse way as well. He is more the latter very often, just stays off attackers and letās the action become more and more dangerous for us.
1 Like
Didnt get to see the game as a whole, but the defending on the Halaand goal was awful. Cityās strength is in probing and moving the ball until the spot a failure to adjust and then hit that spot before the defense can react. That leads to them scoring goals like this all the time, but that wasnt the case here. Sure, they got the ball into a dangerous crossing position, but defensively we were well set. Strikers just should not get such a clear connection on the ball from that defensive position. Gomez was in the right position to defend the cross and simply didnāt react. At this level you should not be able to get such a clear chance by doing so little to create it.
3 Likes
Or is it just that heās not had a good run in the team when the team as a whole is playing well?
I think Gomez is more than competent when the teamās at full strength, but without Virgil next to him, and once upon a time a fit and firing CM combo of Fab, Hendo, Gini, or Milner, he ends up making error after error. This is where Matip and Konate appear to be superior. So not so much what happened mentally, but just that things arenāt as rosy in the team as they once were, when he was playing well.
I for one am glad that Matip is back fit and Ibouās come through the WC unscathed. I like Gomez, but donāt think he will become a leader at the back that we once thought he might become. Obviously still a very good CB and one Iād like to see stick around - but at the same time Iād like to see the club bring in another younger CB in the next year or two as Virgil and Joel arenāt getting any younger. Not sold on Sepp or Billy the Kid as yet.
No point in being sentimental. He is just not good enough. Time for him to move on and get regular playing time. We need a better option.
2 Likes
Itās the rules. There has to be one.
Joe Gomez was the least of the problems on the pitch last night.
1 Like
GĆ³mez was poor at CB did much better at RB. Even then heās caught in 2 minds. Not decisive enough. Looks to me like a confidence issue.
Thereās always one who comes to the rescue playing superhero but Iām afraid your defending the indefensible here. The guy was along with Elliott and Milner the worst on the pitch.
He was shite.
Itās baffling how so many people think heās behind Phillips in preference. Phillips is only still at the club because we turned down offers because we had injuries by the end of the transfer window that we needed cover for.
2 Likes
The reason Gomez hasnāt developed is because heās suffered multiple devastating, season-ending injuries. Heās missed a lot of time and it shows.
That said, he has to be doing so much better when he gets the chance especially since he has shown that he can perform at a much higher level.
2 Likes
The idea he is behind Nat Phillips is laughable, and I rate Nat a lot more than most.
2 Likes
In very poor form gets caught waiting for the ball to arrive instead of going to meet it and clear it, first city goal is a prime example of this.
Thatās how bad Joe has been in his recent outings
Or maybe itās just the shiny new toy syndrome?
No, itās no idea about football syndrome. GĆ³mez has been poor, heās still better than Nat though.
Itās not that Iām picking him out of that bunch today, but my wordā¦
He gets 20 minutes and just look at that ādefendingā. Running away from people, turning his back on them, not knowing how to bloody stand, make the distance shorter, etc.