‘We have hope…’ – Arne Slot teases good news on injury front for Liverpool ahead of Man City
Arne Slot is hopeful that Liverpool could have Joe Gomez available for the Premier League showdown against Manchester City on Sunday.
The 28-year-old was forced off with injury after an accidental collision with Alisson Becker in the recent 3-2 defeat at Bournemouth and missed the subsequent wins over Qarabag and Newcastle.
With Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley already sidelined for the long-term, and Jeremie Frimpong joining the casualty list in the opening stages of the 6-0 rout of the Azerbaijani champions, the head coach has been compelled to redeploy Ryan Gravenberch, Wataru Endo and Dominik Szoboszlai in defence of late.
Slot hopeful of Gomez return v Man City
However, in his press conference on Thursday morning ahead of the Man City game, Slot indicated that Gomez might have a chance of being cleared for selection at Anfield this coming weekend.
The head coach said (via Liverpool Echo): “Jeremie Frimpong is not available for the weekend. We have hope that Joe Gomez can train on Saturday and may be available to help in the game because we don’t have many defenders left.”
Gomez return for Sunday would be most welcome
Such is Liverpool’s defensive injury crisis right now that Slot has had to take from his midfield options to fill the gaps at the back, so the news of a potential Gomez return for Sunday is most welcome.
The update does come with the caveat that the 28-year-old isn’t a certainty to be fit to play against Man City, and a ‘proceed with caution’ approach may be necessary given his history with injuries, but even having him on the bench at Anfield would be a timely boost.
The Reds’ first free midweek since Christmas has given the squad some room to breathe and recover after a hectic January, although they now face into a seven-day period with three fixtures, another intense burst where squad depth could be tested to the full.
For all the recent external narrative that Pep Guardiola’s side aren’t the force of old, they still possess a lethal attack with options like Erling Haaland, Omar Marmoush, Antoine Semenyo and Jeremy Doku, and the latter could find himself up against a Liverpool right-back who’s either being played out of position (most likely Szoboszlai) or has just returned from injury (if Gomez starts).
That’s perhaps the main selection dilemma for Slot to ponder between now and Sunday, but if our long-serving number 2 is deemed fit enough to play, it’d provide a much-needed antidote to the defensive squad depth problems which have plagued the Reds for a big chunk of this season.
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