Liverpool’s Joe Gomez Makes A Case For England Selection

Joe Gomez put in another impressive display during Liverpool’s 1-0 victory at Newcastle United, drawing praise from his manager and his teammates after the game and raising the possibility of him once again becoming a key part of the England setup.

“Joe Gomez, what a game,” said Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, while left-back Andy Robertson also singled Gomez out for praise in his post-match interview.

After some time on the sidelines this season—not through injury or poor performance, but simply because the Liverpool squad is so strong—Gomez has managed to impress having been given the chance to deputise for Trent-Alexander Arnold in a handful of Premier League games in 2022.

If England manager Gareth Southgate is going to continue using a back three, Gomez playing right-back in the manner he did against Newcastle should mean he’s ideal for the right centre-back slot. You need some attacking intent from that position if this formation is going to trouble teams in attack, rather than it just being a defensive setup.

Though his recent league outings have been at right-back, Gomez captained Liverpool from centre-back in the early rounds of this season’s EFL Cup, contributing to clean sheets against Preston North End and Norwich City.

He’s also appeared in the FA Cup and the Champions League on occasions this season, making seven starts in total across the three cup competitions.

Liverpool went on to win the EFL Cup, are in the final of the FA Cup, and hold a 2-0 advantage going into the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Villarreal, with Gomez playing a part in each of these cup runs.

His Premier League appearances have been sporadic, making just three starts and getting barely any minutes off the bench in his four substitute appearances.

Those three starts have all come in the second half of the season, though, as he’s allowed Klopp to give some much-needed rest to star right-back and chief creator Alexander-Arnold.

There aren’t really any right-backs in the world like Alexander-Arnold, and it could be argued there hasn’t been a player as creative from the position in the history of the game, so any deputy for the 23-year-old Scouser will struggle to live up to those standards.

On top of this, Gomez would normally be considered a more defensive option in the position. He’s a centre-back by trade, albeit one who has filled in regularly on the right.

Gomez’s performances in his three appearances during these last few months, however, have demonstrated his own ability to get forward down the flank, create chances, cross into dangerous areas, and contribute to the team’s build-up play in midfield.

He’s done a very good Alexander-Arnold impression, and Klopp now knows he can trust him to provide more than adequate backup in the position.

The bit-part played by Gomez for Liverpool has affected his chances of being picked by Southgate for England squads.

On the face of it, playing right-back recently may also lower his chances of selection given England are well stocked in this area—so much so that Alexander-Arnold himself has trouble getting into the team.

But Gomez has shown during his recent appearances that he is a good enough defender to play in the middle of the defence in a back four, while also demonstrating that he could be ideal for the right-sided centre-back position if Southgate continues to use three at the back, thanks to his ability to contribute to build-up play and get forward when needed.

Perhaps the outstanding English defender this season has been John Stones, who has enjoyed a successful season for Manchester City in rotation with the likes of Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte, and Nathan Ake.

That Stones and Gomez don’t play every minute of every game for their clubs, but are impressive when asked to step into the lineup, might be ideal for England as they will be fresher than other players (including many opposition attackers) by the time the World Cup comes around in November.

Stones and Gomez in the middle of a back four seems like the obvious choice judging on performances by English players this season. An argument could also be made for Fikayo Tomori, the AC Milan centre-back whose team are top of Serie A and favourites to win the title in Italy this season.

But despite the form and obvious quality of these players, Southgate seems to like others in the role, including Manchester United’s Harry Maguire and Tyrone Mings of Aston Villa, who haven’t been convincing, either in form or quality, for their clubs this season.

Southgate could also easily pick a core of players from Liverpool and Manchester City who are the two best teams in the world at this moment in time. Many successful international sides are built on successful club teams, and with this in mind Stones and Gomez seem even more like obvious choices.

Though Gomez has not featured as much as he would have liked for Liverpool this season, his performances when called upon have shown he still has the quality to be considered one of the best defenders England have, whether on the right or in the middle. As Southgate watched from the stands at St James’ Park, he must surely agree.