Danny Murphy claims Liverpool star doesn’t look ‘confident’ or ‘even fit’

BBC pundit Danny Murphy insists Joe Gomez does not appear to be in the best shape to be selected for the big Merseyside derby against Everton this weekend.

Jurgen Klopp’s men will be traveling to Goodison Park for the biggest match of the campaign so far as the champions face the current leaders of the Premier League.

The clash with the Toffees will present itself as an opportunity for Klopp to make some necessary changes to his team after the embrassment which occured away to Aston Villa, right before the international break.

As a result, ex-Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy has questioned the starting role of Joe Gomez, whom he believes should be left out of the team.

The English defender featured in the 7-2 humiliation at Villa Park and following that performance, Murphy insists Gomez might just have to be replaced by Fabinho in the Liverpool defence.

“We cannot gloss over the defeat at Villa of course. Joe Gomez, in particular, has struggled in the heart of the defence this season. He does not look as confident, or even fit, compared to his prime and the manager faces a big decision whether to take him out of the firing line.” Murphy wrote in The Daily Mail

“It is always a tricky call. Some players benefit from having a breather, gather their thoughts and come back stronger. I always liked to have that final chance if I was out of form and invariably put in a better performance. For me, rising to the challenge helped, whereas being dropped might have knocked my confidence.

“I do not know Gomez’s character but from the outside, I would say it would be better for Liverpool if Fabinho partnered Virgil van Dijk for the derby, particularly as Klopp should have other strong options in midfield.

“The middle of a back four is such a crucial part of the pitch and particularly so for Liverpool on this occasion, because Everton’s main strength is their front three, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring every time he plays.”