Lee Dixon reacts live on-air to ‘Disappointing’ Liverpool incident v Plymouth
Lee Dixon couldn’t believe what he saw after a “disappointing” Joe Gomez incident for Liverpool in the first half against Plymouth Argyle.
The 27-year-old was an injury concern for Liverpool heading into the FA Cup fourth-round tie on Sunday (9 February) but was chosen to captain the side at Home Park.
Gomez lasted 37 minutes in his last appearance for the Reds, in the 5-0 win against West Ham United in the Premier League on 29 December.
As expected, Arne Slot named a youthful side for the match, with one eye on the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park on Wednesday (12 February), but it was the Reds’ most senior player who stole the headlines in the first half.
Joe Gomez had a “disappointing” ending to his afternoon
After eight minutes of action against the Championship outfit, Gomez went down outside of his penalty area and looked in some discomfort.
He remained on the ground for several minutes while the physio team monitored the issue but Slot took no risks and handed Isaac Mabaya his first team debut at Gomez’s expense.
Former Premier League defender Dixon was not impressed with the injury live on ITV 1 (9 February, 3:08pm), after Gomez halted his run to allow Plymouth an attack on goal moments before he pulled up on the pitch.
“Gomez is done. Slot is doing the signal for a substitution, that’s a really disappointing eight minutes [for Gomez].”
The England international had not long returned to first team training for the Reds and now could be set for another considerable period on the sidelines.
Arne Slot has a big decision to make on Joe Gomez at Liverpool
Gomez has hardly been the most reliable player at Anfield, but this year, the defender has fallen to the back of the pecking order.
He has featured regularly this year, with Ibrahima Konate struggling with fitness concerns, but he has since failed to take full advantage of his opportunities.
With Virgil van Dijk set to leave Anfield at the end of the season upon the expiry of his contract, regardless of whether the Dutchman extends, the backline must be addressed in the summer transfer window.
Jarell Quansah has looked a shadow of the player who burst onto the scene under Jurgen Klopp, and Gomez’s poor fitness track record could see the defender placed on the chopping block in a squad rebuild.
Last summer, it looked as if Gomez had played his final game for the Reds, with Aston Villa eyeing a move after a deal with Newcastle United involving Anthony Gordon going the other way collapsed in June.
Nevertheless, his evident quality is tainted by his inability to stay fit for a prolonged period of the season for Liverpool.
And should the results of this latest setback see Gomez miss a large portion of the remaining matches this season, it will be hard to justify avoiding a sale.
Even more so if his absence in the side against Plymouth ends with Liverpool suffering a shock FA Cup exit at the hands of the Championship strugglers.