Liverpool roared back to winning ways on Wednesday, defeating Ajax 3-0 to seal progression to the Champions League knockout rounds.
Goals from Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott were enough for the Reds to seal all three points and put last weekend’s defeat to Nottingham Forest behind them.
Jurgen Klopp saw much-improved performances from his players, and with out-of-sorts Leeds United the visitors to Anfield tonight, the German shouldn’t need to alter his team too much.
Joe Gomez was excellent at centre-back against the Dutch champions in midweek, and the 55-year-old must keep faith in the English defender.
Gomez received a rating of 7.4/10 from SofaScore against Ajax, winning three of his five duels while taking 85 touches, showing his willingness to constantly get on the ball. The defender also made three clearances, three interceptions, one block and one tackle against the Eredivisie side, and he was Klopp’s rock at the heart of the Liverpool defence.
The performance and clean sheet will boost his confidence, but the £85k-per-week Englishman has enjoyed a solid campaign so far.
Seven Premier League starts for Gomez have resulted in the Reds keeping four clean sheets, and he ranks among the top three in the Liverpool squad for clearances (2.3), interceptions (1.3) and tackles (two) per match, displaying a high level of consistency in his game as he has deputised well for the recently injured Ibrahima Konate.
Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown thinks that the 25-year-old has had a solid season, dubbing him “outstanding” while even calling for Gareth Southgate to call him up for England for the World Cup next month, saying: “Can we really turn out back on Joe Gomez for the World Cup squad?”
Despite Gomez’s excellent performances, a seat on the plane to Qatar might be out of the question, but this can only benefit Klopp and Liverpool, as the defender will be fresh upon the resumption of the Premier League after Christmas Day.
For now, the 25-year-old must start against Leeds tonight, and after his defensive solidity could be the game-changer which allows the home side to claim all three points at Anfield.
from FootballFanCast.com https://ift.tt/Ruek1Sb
via IFTTT