Regrouping from a devastating 5-2 defeat at Anfield in the Champions League at the hands of a major European rival is no easy task for a squad and manager.
Certainly not when it appears a team has injuries to also contend with heading back into English top-flight football after Liverpool’s Joe Gomez was spotted exiting the field of play ‘clutching the back of his hamstring’ by the Echo’s Theo Squires on Twitter.
Joe Gomez is injured. Has gone straight down the tunnel clutching the back of his hamstring.#LFC #LIVRMA https://t.co/i8xjwErQfE
— Theo Squires (@TheoSquiresECHO) February 21, 2023
The Merseysiders are set to next take on Crystal Palace in the league this coming weekend with many a fan no doubt hoping that the club’s latest European heartbreak doesn’t undo the work of the prior two fixtures.
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Excuses can be made for the backline in terms of the lack of protection they’ve received this term as part of a team that both defended from the front and possessed supreme grit and work rate in the middle of the park.
Still, we’d be massively surprised if question marks aren’t raised over the likes of Joel Matip and Joe Gomez come the end of the season based on the quality of their outings this term.
The latter may still have a future at the club owing to his comparative youth, the systemic issues facing the squad and the potential limitations of our budget for the summer.
There’s still hope that our No.2 can have a future at Anfield, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that the midfield alone may not be the only department in need of a revamp at the next available opportunity.