Having not played a competitive game all season, Nathaniel Clyne is finally back in training and 26-year-old is expected to be back fit to play the next few months and thereforem he could still play a role this season, having been included in Liverpool’s Champions League squad.
If this injury happened last season then Liverpool could have been in some serious trouble. Joe Gomez was still recovering from long term injuries while Trent Alexander-Arnold didn’t have much first team experience at that point.
However, this season, the two youngsters have stepped up in Clyne’s absence and have excelled. They have shown the maturity of players who have played in the league for years and they are the reason why Clyne has been some want a forgotten man at Anfield.
Both Gomez and Alexander-Arnold have earned their place as Liverpool’s top right backs. Both have slotted in seamlessly and have made Clyne’s absence quite bearable. But with Clyne coming back, that leaves Liverpool with three players all capable of being the starting at right back. So what happens now?
I think once Clyne gets fully fit and regains match sharpness, Jürgen Klopp inserts him straight into the team. Clyne consistently gives you a 7/10 performance every week. Comfortable in both defence and attack, Clyne was a mainstay in Klopp’s team before his injury, playing nearly every game under the German since he arrived at Anfield.
Alexander-Arnold would be his understudy. The 19-year-old has had a breakthrough season so far. Whether it’s in the league or in Europe, Alexander-Arnold looks beyond his years in terms of experience and ability. He’s been solid in defence, but his strengths are in attack. He is a consistent threat on the right-hand side, always causing the opposition trouble. Alexander-Arnold has an insane amount of potential so he should be in and out of the team next season just like this one, the only difference being he is now rotating with Clyne.
The big change that Clyne’s return could bring is for Gomez. After a stop-start first few years to begin his Liverpool career, Gomez has finally put his injury problems behind him and has kicked on this season. He has been preferred a bit more to Alexander-Arnold, with the 20-year-old bringing more defensive solidarity to the side, but this could finally be the time to play Gomez in his prefered position, centre back.
With Clyne back, that leaves him and Alexander-Arnold for the right back spot, while Andy Robertson and Alberto Moreno fight it out at left back, finally leaving Gomez free to play in the centre. He hasn’t really featured there for Liverpool since joining the club in the summer 2015, but if you want to see what he is capable of in that position, look no further than his Man of the Match performance for England, on his debut, against Brazil.
Earning a surprise call up in November, Gomez played just one game, at centre back in a back three. He showed why manager Gareth Southgate had faith in him to throw him straight in against one of the world’s best international sides and d he thrived in that position, keeping a clean sheet.
Gomez looked comfortable and at home, showing just how good he can be at centre back and with Klopp continuing rotating Joël Matip and Dejan Lovren to partner Virgil van Dijk, it seems like he is unsure of what his best partnership is.
That man to fill the role next to the Dutchman could be Gomez. It won’t happen his season with Clyne still having to get match fit but next season, we could see a wonderful partnership develop between Gomez and van Dijk.
The spell at right-back has allowed Gomez to develop and make mistakes as he continues to learn. Once he irons out the occasional mistake here and there, in an area of the pitch where they aren’t as vital, he could be ready to play in the centre with a cool, experienced head like van Dijk to guide him through it.
Clyne’s return could signal the start of Gomez’s career at centre back and lead to Liverpool having a stable defensive duo for years to come.
