Liverpool’s transfer activity this summer was predominantly completed quite early in the window, with Jurgen Klopp preferring to have a settled team heading into pre-season which would click as the campaign started.
In came Darwin Nunez, Calvin Ramsay,and Fabio Carvalho before a deadline day loan move for Juventus midfielder Arthur Melo was agreed as he became Klopp’s fourth summer signing.
Unfortunately, these signings haven’t helped the cause much so far, as Liverpool have only won three times this season in all competitions, and Klopp may need to tinker with team selection to turn things around.
One big summer decision which might be contributing to the Reds’ lacklustre performances so far (save for the 9-0 victory over Bournemouth) is keeping defender Joe Gomez at the club.
Aston Villa were linked with a move for the centre-back in the summer before Julian Ward and FSG performed a transfer U-turn of sorts by giving the player a new £75k-p/w contract.
Despite a rating of 6.99 on WhoScored for his Premier League appearances, Liverpool have only won two out of the five matches that he has started in all competitions, conceding seven goals in the process.
Liverpool’s latest match against Napoli in the Champions League saw them thrashed 4-1 in Italy and represents their biggest loss in the competition since the 3-0 defeat to Barcelona in 2019.
Gomez was particularly bad against the Azzurri, with a SofaScore rating of 6.1 the second lowest on the pitch after James Milner, and he was substituted at half-time. In his 45 minutes on the pitch, the 25-year-old lost possession six times, won only three tackles and made one error leading to a shot, which summed up a bad night at the office for the defender.
Did Liverpool make a mistake keeping Gomez?
Yes
No
Andy Hunter of The Guardian said that Gomez was “out-manoeuvred and out-fought” by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to cross low for Giovanni Simeone to score Napoli’s third goal. Meanwhile, Matt Addison described the performance by the Liverpool centre-back as “woeful”, and it could be a blow to his confidence going forward.
Klopp may live to regret the club’s decision on Gomez, who could face a spell on the sidelines following his meek performance against the Serie A side which suggests that he is holding the manager back.
