PARTNERSHIPS have always been central to successful teams and at Liverpool it’s been no different. The goal-getters always come to mind first – Kevin Keegan and John Toshack, Ian Rush and Kenny Dalglish, Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres or Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge.
But goal-stoppers deserve their plaudits, too – and Liverpool also has a rich history of mean defensive duos that provided a platform for success, from Ron Yeats and Tommy Smith, to Alan Hansen and Mark Lawrenson, through to Sami Hyypia and Stephane Henchoz. Jamie Carragher’s partnership with Hyypia is also well worthy of note. Now, though, as Liverpool kick off New Year as 1/20 favourites to win the title, there is another partnership that could soon take a place on the list of best evers.
Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren have both performed admirably at centre half alongside Virgil van Dijk, with Matip in particular taking a place in history for his contribution to the sixth European Cup. There has however always been an argument, now again growing legs, that the most convincing of pairings in defence has been Van Dijk alongside Joe Gomez.
Gomez and Van Dijk together this season
6 games
6 clean sheets pic.twitter.com/Vl2aY52h8r— x (@kotfxo90) December 29, 2019
Gomez has referred to the towering Dutchman as a “big brother” in the past, and it was telling that during the unnecessary focus on the Liverpool man following a spat with Raheem Sterling, Van Dijk stepped in to publicly urge everyone to back off from his buddy. That row and the tabloid-fuelled furore around it, coupled with issues around fitness and form and the performances of Matip and Lovren, have disrupted Gomez’s season so far.
But when it mattered most – with Nathaniel Phillips’ loan spell with Stuttgart even coming to an end because of the lack of options at centre half – Gomez has stepped up. And then some. In a spell last season, Gomez and Van Dijk were part of a Liverpool team that conceded only six goals in 1,373 minutes. There was a clear bond between the two on and off the pitch, and Gomez was being showered in praise by plaudits and players alike.
This season has not gone how the £6million signing from Charlton Athletic would have wished with only 14 starts to his name so far – and six of those coming in December. But after being forced to watch on in frustration, Gomez has now picked up where he left off. Watching the “other” centre half perform alongside van Dijk, it’s easy to too often credit the former Southampton defender with everything good about the Liverpool defence. The eye is naturally drawn to Van Dijk because of his dominance, his style of play and his sheer presence.
Yet even he would surely credit Gomez for how the pair perform together. The man who is still only 22 years old and has clocked up only 87 appearances for Liverpool – amazingly only tasting defeat 11 times – appears to have the perfect skillset to complement Van Dijk’s. Key in that, is his pace. Coupled with his anticipation of danger, on the rare occasions Van Dijk makes a mistake, Gomez will more often than not be there to sweep up the mess.
Such are the levels he has already reached, he has outshined the man six years his senior and pipped to the Ballon d'Or by Lionel Messi on several occasions in a red shirt. He was at it again in the Anfield match against Wolves. Gomez has now started six of the last seven games, and in that time Liverpool have kept six clean sheets and conceded just once. It’s also the first time The Reds have clocked up four or more shut-outs on the spin in the league since March.
Things that are really difficult to do in football:
– win at Anfield
– dislike Jurgen Klopp
– beat Joe Gomez in a foot race— The Tactical Times (@Tactical_Times) December 29, 2019
Previous to this run, Liverpool had failed to keep a clean sheet in 13 games – a fact being presented in some quarters as a possible chink in the Liverpool armour and a glimmer of hope for the Reds’ rivals. Some also worried Gomez would need to acclimatise to the rarified air of a title challenge on his return. Yet after an easy afternoon away to struggling Bournemouth, Gomez showed exactly where he was at on a tougher assignment against a rejuvenated Watford, complete with the testing presence of Troy Deeney.
When you consider it was only the England international's second Premier League start at centre-back in a year having spent five months on the sidelines with a fractured ankle, it’s another remarkable performance in a remarkable season from a remarkable squad.
Now, the sights shift once more and the dynamic changes for different members of that squad. Gomez will fight to keep his place – and he will be desperate to prove he belongs at this level week in, week out. He will also want to claim some glory of his own. After tasting only a few moments of the Champions League triumph in Madrid in June, he will want to make sure he is front and centre of what looks increasingly likely to be a history-making season for Liverpool.
Van Dijk will always be first-choice when fit but Matip and Lovren will keep Gomez honest on their return to fitness. But if the duo continue to hit the heights of recent weeks, Gomez will be tough to shift and Liverpool will be tough to beat.
Come May, if there is a title in tow, it would rightly be regarded as a pairing among the very best that Anfield has seen. Given the names that have come before, that’s some accolade.
