Slot pressed on Gomez role again as he explains risky selection call | OneFootball

Liverpool’s search for defensive solutions has taken yet another twist after a fresh explanation from Arne Slot about how Joe Gomez was handled against PSV.

Our head coach expanded on the situation by saying: “He could have been involved yesterday as well in terms of minutes… but when we are 2-1 down or 3-1 down I tend to make offensive substitutions.”

The 47-year-old then added that Ibou Konate had “not trained two days before the game” and that he was “a bit of a liability two days before”, admitting it would have been a risk to start both him and Gomez.

Slot concluded: “I decided to keep him there for if Ibou was injured and not to have to make two substitutions because then probably would have ended up with one or two defenders.”

Gomez situation deepens as Liverpool weigh defensive options

(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

This update only heightens a growing theme around the longest-serving player in our squad.

Even before PSV, Slot had said that Gomez had an injection in his knee and was “not able to train every single day last week”, a line that came when discussing how Dominik Szoboszlai ended up filling in at right back.

It also connects naturally with Paul Joyce’s observation that Gomez has “played only 43 minutes in the Premier League this term” and the pointed question asked soon after: “If the manager does not trust him to bolster this defence, at a time of injuries, then what is his role at the club?”

Those comments now feel even more relevant.

With Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong sidelined and Calvin Ramsay still not considered ready, it was telling that the London-born defender was once again viewed as cover rather than a solution.

Why the Gomez dilemma matters before West Ham v Liverpool

(Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

The PSV defeat has only increased the scrutiny on every selection call.

Konate’s form, Virgil van Dijk’s penalty concession and the makeshift right-back plan all contributed to a performance that left us defeated.

Gomez has played at right back throughout his Liverpool career, yet even in a moment of shortage he remains an emergency option rather than a preferred starter.

As we head to West Ham on Sunday, the question that lingers is whether the 28-year-old will finally be trusted – or whether this press conference has confirmed that he is further down the pecking order than ever.

You can watch Slot’s comments on Gomez via Liverpool FC on YouTube:

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