The total absence of Joe Gomez from the Liverpool squad set to face Leicester City in the Carabao Cup could represent a bad omen for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
More specifically, a worrying indication that Trent Alexander-Arnold may not yet be ready to start for the Reds in their next fixture – a trip to London to face Ange Postecoglu’s high-flying Tottenham side.
“Nights off altogether for Alisson, Joe Gomez, Andy Robertson, and Mohamed Salah,” Theo Squires wrote in the Echo’s live matchday blog.
“When you can still call upon Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz, Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Virgil van Dijk, in reserve, Liverpool should have more than enough to get the job done tonight.
“Gomez’s absence is interesting though. He’s had a great start to the season, but could hint that Trent Alexander-Arnold isn’t necessarily going to be fit to start away at Spurs this weekend.”
It has yet to be confirmed by the club if this theory is anywhere near close to the truth, though it’s also worth bearing in mind that the 26-year-old isn’t the only notable admission from the matchday squad.
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The No.66 had recently returned to training after making progress in his recovery from a hamstring injury sustained in the 3-0 win over Aston Villa.
Another absence ahead of our clash with Spurs at the weekend would be a big blow, especially bearing in mind how tough a game it looks from the outset.
To be completely fair to our backup options, however, Gomez has performed outstandingly well despite the absence of our first-choice right-back and Virgil van Dijk prior to our 3-1 win over West Ham United.
There’s no question we’ll be rejoicing at the potential sight of Trent back in action at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, though no one should be throwing toys out of the pram should our No.2 be asked to slot into the backline once more.