Yeah, I’m every bit as frustrated as you are. Matip looks physically done but we knew he wouldn’t attract any interest, so keeping him for one final year of his contract always looked like the expected scenario.
Gomez… I can’t even put it into words. Sometimes he’s top class. Sometimes he’s sloppy, even with the simple stuff like trapping the ball or playing a quick short pass. At times I’m just happy that he’s fit. He can’t play Trent’s new role, that’s for sure.
Yes far better 2nd hslf when he actually changed to a conventional RB with what looked like a double pivot in midfield, rather than the inverted tole that Trent normally plays
The next two central defenders we buy should be a Matip replacement and then a Van Dijk replacement, both due to age. Hopefully Virg has a while longer though, and I’m not pegging his remaining time to Matip’s.
If Gomez keeps playing at the level we’ve seen so far this season, he’s fine as a back up. If we replaced Gomez with someone else, in the same place in the pecking order, then to my mind the list of players who are better, who would be content to be a back up, is very small indeed. I can’t think of any, though I’m not a scout.
If we go for the best defender we can get, to go higher up the pecking order and perhaps straight into the team, then I’m fine with that philosophy, as the team gets stronger.
So Robbo probably out until new year.
Guess Gomez will be backup for Trent and Kostas.
Hope Bajcetic returns soon so he can fill in at RB here and there.
Very important to secure top spot in the EL group by winning the next two matches.
Would give the chance to rest key players.
We’re an injury to Tsimikas away from disaster.
Missed a trick from Pep, should have had back ups for the back ups in the RB and LB positions. 
In fairness, we have three back up right backs. Unfortunately, two of them are injured.
Someone who can cover VVD and LB would be ideal.
Play 3 at the back and Trent in midfield.
Hincapie in the jan window
The problem is we are always an injury away to at least 1 player from disaster.
Klopp and FSG have no clue about building a squad. #FSGOUT
Er, isnt that what we have been doing? Even though it doesn’t look that way on paper?
I thought we were way beyond names on a team sheet pointing towards a formation. We use several depending on the situation, even down to the level of when we have the ball and when we dont.
I hope/wish we sign a CB during this window.
Matip is out for the season and that leaves us with VVD, Konate, Quansah, and Gomez. Gomez will be needed as backup for Trent and Robertson/Tsimikas. Quansah, while he has performed admirably, is too young to be burdened with too many games and we have entered a stage where there will not be anymore weak opponents.
We will need a CB next season anyway since I feel it’s the swansong season for Matip.
Agreed, a central defender is needed. The emergence of Quansah lessens the need, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t sign one until summer, but I think we still need one now.
What do people make of Foyth? Did anyone rate him at all at Spurs, did Spurs let him go to soon? Seems to have done relatively well since leaving.
Potentially an option there for cover at CB/RB at a decent fee.
Robertson and Tsimikas are both slated to return quickly. With the emergence of Bradley , we will find less of a need for Gomez at RB which should leave Gomez plenty of games in CB.
That said , we are definitely light this season atleast in CB with Matip out injured. It would make sense for Liverpool to move in for a CB if the right player does become available. But who ?
The problem is that any CB who is going to be brought in is going to face an uphill challenge establishing himself in this Liverpool defensive unit. And he would need to be better than Konate / Quansah / Gomez to start ahead of them.
I think if we can see off this season with the current lot , we might gauge how Chambers is progressing on loan and get him into the first team irregardless of whether Matip stays or goes. It would make more prudent sense from a financial perspective. Unless ofcourse there’s a generational talent coming in to be the next VVD.
Don’t really want to see Gomez get “plenty of games at CB”.
I think Klopp was pretty honest, unless there’s another big injury like Matip’s, we probably won’t do any business in January.
Next summer, it’s almost sure that we will sign a or a few defenders.
We’ll also get some answers maybe over Trent’s situation (for now I do see him remaining in this hybrid role).
Quansah is a very pleasant surprise this season, if he continues like this and improves, I’d be alright having him as part of 4 CB’s next season.
The part where we do need both new quality and better availability is in the partner to Virgil part. So that means getting a proper CB to replace Matip and get into battle with Konate.
Robbo is now expected early Feb, but the date keeps being put off. Tsimikas has just had surgery and there is no return date, but it won’t be until late in the season.
Still think there may be a place for Van den Berg in our first team. Is a nailed on starter for Mainz, and playing quite well in a crap side. Just got his first goal of the season to equalize against BVB just before the break.
Read an article about him a few days ago that had him in the top 10 in the league in a few statistical categories, and said he had been clocked at 34 km/hr in a sprint this year. Would be quite nice to have two academy graduates come good at CB. Nice fund savings.
