Joe Gomez got a rare and unplanned night at centre-back for Liverpool, with his performance underlining his value but also the dilemma Arne Slot has to manage.
After only two starts in Liverpool’s first 19 games of the season, Gomez has been in the starting lineup in six of the most recent 13 games as Slot managed injuries at right-back.
He has settled into the role of being the utility cover player, which was the case against Marseille after Ibrahima Konate, sadly, had personal matters to attend to in France.
Ever the professional, Gomez performed admirably and, as per FotMob, finished with a 100 percent pass completion (39/39) and the second-most defensive contributions (10) behind Virgil van Dijk (12).
It earned him unprompted praise from Slot in his post-match press conference, with the head coach saying: “The one I want to take out is Joe Gomez, because he hasn’t played a lot in the last one-and-a-half years.
“He suffered sometimes from injuries, sometimes I didn’t play him when he was fit. A few times when he played were moments in [the] League Cup and FA Cup.
“Tonight he had an outstanding performance with an important role in our 3-0.”
Joe Gomez has merit to be considered a first-choice starter
The trip to Marseille was only the second time this season that Gomez and Van Dijk have started together as the centre-back pairing, with Konate’s clean bill of health making him readily available.
The duo serve as one of the few remaining links to the 2020 title winners, and when paired together they have not lost in nine games since the 5-2 defeat to Real Madrid in February 2023.
It remains to be seen if Gomez will be needed again against Bournemouth, with the club, rightly, to focus on offering Konate any support and time he needs.
But if Gomez is required, Liverpool have an in-form and experienced defender capable of working seamlessly alongside Van Dijk, with his value to the team underlined once more.
Joe Gomez: 2025/26 Key Performance Metrics
Metric
Match / Season
Stat
Pass Completion
vs. Marseille
100% (39/39)
Defensive Contributions
vs. Marseille
10
Appearances (Starts)
All Comps
16 (8)
Starts in Last 13 Games
All Comps
6
Duel Success (Average)
2025/26 League
58%
Data via FotMob & Club performance logs
When in a settled outfit, Gomez is calm and possesses the ability to thread passes to the advantage of his midfielders and attackers, which is one of the qualities Liverpool chased Marc Guehi for.
Gomez has the ability to be a first-choice starter for Liverpool instead of acting as the back-up and rotation option, but his injury record has continually reared its ugly head at the most inopportune time.
The 28-year-old has missed three games with a hamstring injury this season, an issue that plagued him throughout the last campaign and saw him miss a total 24 games.
And that will be weighing on Slot’s mind, with Gomez serving as the insurance policy at centre-back and right-back now that Conor Bradley is out for the season.
Why Arne Slot has to be cautious with his use of Joe Gomez
There will be no shortage of Liverpool supporters calling for Gomez to start ahead of Konate more readily, especially after the win at Marseille, but it, sadly, will not be that simple.
With Bradley sidelined for the rest of the season, Jeremie Frimpong is now the first-choice and automatic starter at right-back, with Gomez then offering depth as and when needed.
Beyond Frimpong and the England international, Slot would need to turn to his midfielders, including Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones, having all but ruled a line through Calvin Ramsay‘s chances.
“He’s with us, but I still think I have better options to play,” Slot bluntly said of the young Scot’s chances at right-back earlier this month.
The stance underlines how Slot would rather play key midfield players out of position over a specialist right-back, adding to the value of keeping Gomez fit to help prevent that.
Liverpool defensive depth chart January 2026: Who is available for each position?
Position
First Choice
Regular Cover
Emergency
Centre-Back (R)
Ibrahima Konate
Joe Gomez
Ryan Gravenberch
Wataru Endo
Wellity Lucky
Centre-Back (L)
Virgil van Dijk
Andy Robertson
Joe Gomez
Amara Nallo
Wataru Endo
Right-Back
Jeremie Frimpong
Joe Gomez
Dominik Szoboszlai
Calvin Ramsay
Curtis Jones
Wataru Endo
Left-Back
Milos Kerkez
Andy Robertson
Joe Gomez
• Starters / Primary
• Regular Cover
• Emergency / Out of Position
Current Defensive Injuries
If Gomez was to play consistently at centre-back, under the proviso Konate is fit, Slot would be running the risk of losing a player who can cover two positions due to his torrid record with injuries.
The 28-year-old is the emergency call line at centre-back and right-back due to the nature of Giovanni Leoni and Bradley’s injuries, not to mention the club’s inability and reluctance to add further depth.
Slot has shown he is not too adverse to risk as he started all three of his top remaining right-back options against League One’s Barnsley (Frimpong, Gomez and Szoboszlai) and Marseille.
There will be times when it cannot be helped, but each time Slot will surely be crossing his fingers they all leave the pitch injury free, lest be forced to compromise his team selection.
It leaves Liverpool with a huge pressure point in defence when it comes to keeping Gomez and Konate fit, as well as Frimpong after his 12-game absence with a hamstring injury.
Liverpool’s No. 2 is, therefore, a big variable for Slot in his defensive planning and stability, which would not be as significant an issue if the club addressed their needs in January.
With Guehi joining Man City, there is little to no expectation that cover will arrive in the winter window, leaving Gomez best-suited to be the carefully managed emergency player, despite the latest example of him underlining his value.
