Jurgen Klopp sees Joe Gomez and Joel Matip as more or less equal in the battle to start alongside Virgil van Dijk – and believes both can contribute plenty.
Many Liverpool fans were surprised to see the Cameroonian start v Everton, as Gomez had been doing so well before the lockdown, but according to James Pearce, Klopp is likely to rotate the pair when we have to play two matches in a short period of time.
“I was surprised that Matip started but then listening to Klopp it was clear that he intended to rotate between the Everton/Palace games. I’d expect Gomez and VVD to be the combination v Palace,” he wrote in the comments section of one of his Athletic articles.
We’d say that long-term, we think Gomez is maybe the better bet, due to his incredible pace but also his ability to improve further given his age.
But Matip is a fine option to have, especially given his dribbling ability and the manner in which he fizzes balls into the feet of attackers.
We’re not sure Dejan Lovren is a viable centre-back for Liverpool anymore. He makes far, far too many mistakes and it’s best if the he moves on this summer, however.