Topic: Liverpools CBs

[Wingman]

I presumed it was a pisstake 

1 game into the season, and we’ve got too many good central defenders to know what to do with!

It is a pisstake thread isn’t it? Now, I’m not sure …

[deFacto please, you bastards]

You're reading too much into my comment, I'm just winding you up. 

Elmo go join the new draft 

[jooneyisdagod]

Both Gomez and Matip are quite injury-prone. For that reason alone, I'm delighted that this is the problem we have as opposed to what we had last season!

[VVM]

So what's the pecking order? Something like:

1. Van Dijk
2. Matip
3. Gomez
4. Konate
5. Fabinho
6. Phillips
7. Williams

[scatman]

^probably though I reckon Klopp trusts Phillips and Williams more now so Fab will stay in midfield.

[Phil M]

So what's the pecking order? Something like:

1. Van Dijk
2. Matip
3. Gomez
4. Konate
5. Fabinho
6. Phillips
7. Williams

1. Nat
2. Nat
3. Nat
4. Virgil
5. Matip
6. Gomez
7. Konate

[Redman78]

So what's the pecking order? Something like:

1. Van Dijk
2. Matip
3. Gomez
4. Konate
5. Fabinho
6. Phillips
7. Williams

Just take Fab out and that looks reasonable.

[CornerFlag]

Can't we let them skip training and bump the happiness level up a bit? Or am I showing my age and footie games don't have that feature any more?

Haha, physio recommending 1-3 weeks holiday these days, got back into FM 2020 a while back when I began working from home.

You do see when a top player isn't getting game time that they get disgruntled a bit though.  Look at how Salah, Lukaka and De Bruyne did at Chelsea, or Zieler, Pogba or Pique at a team like United.  Thauvin at Newcastle maybe.  Anyway, something to keep an eye on in the middle distance maybe.

[redtel]

Take yourself back to January 31st this year and if we had too many CB’s it would look bloody amazing.

Still looks great to me now!

[RainbowFlick]

Three injury prone CBs (Konate, Gomez, Matip). I think they'll all have their part to play. Maybe a three at the back might be useful sometimes too.

[Tony19:6]

So what's the pecking order? Something like:

1. Van Dijk
2. Matip
3. Gomez
4. Konate
5. Fabinho
6. Phillips
7. Williams

Where's Hendo

[deFacto please, you bastards]

Three injury prone CBs (Konate, Gomez, Matip). I think they'll all have their part to play. Maybe a three at the back might be useful sometimes too.

Considering we've never played it and haven't worked on it in pre-season, it's very unlikely.

[Jookie]

Three injury prone CBs (Konate, Gomez, Matip). I think they'll all have their part to play. Maybe a three at the back might be useful sometimes too.

I don't think Klopp or Ljinders like a system with 3 at the back. I don't think we can counter press in the same way with 3 at the back compared with a flat back 4. Given counter pressing is a key part of our philosophy then I just can't see us playing 3 at the back unless it's the very odd game.

[exiledintheUSA]

Sell Virg, he'll be 35 in 2026. Get rid.

[newterp]

Apart from Matip - are the other 3 that injury prone?

I would argue that Joe's have been freakish.

And Konate had a couple but all related - and now maybe it's been resolved.

I know it's hard to parse it that way - but last year was the freakiest situation you will likely ever see.

[deFacto please, you bastards]

Apart from Matip - are the other 3 that injury prone?

I would argue that Joe's have been freakish.

And Konate had a couple but all related - and now maybe it's been resolved.

I know it's hard to parse it that way - but last year was the freakiest situation you will likely ever see.

Joe has only had one season without missing any games due to injury. So I'd say he's prone to injuries, although they've all been freakish.

[newterp]

Joe has only had one season without missing any games due to injury. So I'd say he's prone to injuries, although they've all been freakish.

That was my thought on Gomez too - some crazy/freaky injuries.

[farawayred]

That was my thought on Gomez too - some crazy/freaky injuries.

Gomez is an amazing player when fit, but I don't think he can stay fit consistently enough (agreeing with the two posts above). I also don't know if he has fully recovered, or even if he has a chance to fully recover from his last major injury. The odds are pretty high that, unfortunately, we've seen the best of him... Shame, because on top of his CB skills he was so fast...

[jckliew]

We still have Nat and Rhys. LOL

[NarutoReds]

We still have Nat and Rhys. LOL

Joe Gomez is fine for me. Love him. Hope he stays for the next season.

[Draex]

Joe Gomez is fine for me. Love him. Hope he stays for the next season.

I like Gomez but he certainly needs to start improving or by next summer he’ll be moved on.

He’s making some pretty basic errors which isn’t down to not playing much and my concern is a lot of it is due to the injures sustained.

You can imagine if we sign another center back and Matip leaves (seems the most likely scenario), Gomez will be 4th choice again so he might want to move on himself.

Center back must be improved this summer, Konate whilst a rolls Royce has constant niggles and my concern is the more he gets overplayed the worst that gets.

[Too early for flapjacks?]

Since coming back from a horrific knee injury, much worse than van Djik's, Gomez just hasn't had a proper run of games to get his confidence and rhythm back. van Djik, Konate, and Matip, were available for pretty much all of last season so Gomez spent most of the season on the bench. He played a bit more in the first half of this season when the team was really crap and even van Djik was looking pretty bad so it's a bit harsh to judge him on that or being dropped into a meaningless game at the end of the season in a disjointed team. For his own good he might want to seek a perm move or a loan where he'll get the chance to start every week. Otherwise I think it's a case of him starting every midweek game from September through December to give him a chance to get his rhythm back.

[UntouchableLuis]

I'm a bit worried - VVD is too good not to start and I hope if we sign some good midfielders he can recapture his best form as he'll have a bit more help back there.

Konate seems his most likely partner - with a bit more polish he should be our first choice centre back for years to come.

Matip is 31 so I'd be inclined to get rid and bring a younger back up in in the coming season or two.

Gomez is 26 so should be coming into the peak years now. I'd definitely keep but if he has another injury riddled season we could leave ourselves short.

[mrantarctica]

I think Joe Gomez is very much the deputy defender.  He hasn't played well enough to warrant being the first choice CB for us, and to be fair, in more recent performances he hasn't looked nearly good enough in my opinion. He is versatile in that can cover both CB roles, and also the RB role, has been at the club for a while and understands our systems. I doubt he'd be on massive wages either. So overall, I think he's a player that I would keep around for now, but sooner or later we are going to find a younger, and better understudy.

I genuinely don't think our problems are at CB. We have 4 'good enough' CBs. Admittedly, they've all struggled with form, consistency and injuries this season. I do think that if collectively the team does better with our pressing, shape and defensive capabilities, then our CBs will look better too. I'm sure that when it comes time to renew contracts, then we will be thinking carefully about whether there are alternatives to VVD and Matip out there.

[RedSince86]

Van De Ven, I reckon our crazy bastard Sporting Director will nab him from his old club.

Looks perfect for Klopp, tall, physical and super quick.

[Aldo1988]

I'd only have him as a rb in our team, too much of a liability in the middle.

[ToneLa]

Konate is our future

Wouldn't mind moving Gomez on. Matip maybe though CBs can have a few more years in them than other positions

Virge #2 is hard to find. I don't think we have such the player already.

Might actually be Konate

[newterp]

We need another top CB (or one that has the hallmarks of top level)

[ToneLa]

Wouldn't say no

Lose Gomez and we need a new player
Ditto Matip. Who has been great tbf