Liverpool were diabolical at Anfield last night, succumbing to a richly deserved 3-0 loss against Atalanta.
The Reds headed out for the game as if they were wandering out for a training session on a warm April evening. They got what was coming to them.
It will likely spell the end of Liverpool’s European involvement at Anfield under Jurgen Klopp. And it could hardly have been more different to what came before it in that sense.
Plenty of players were poor on the night. Few were worse than Darwin Nunez, who missed a glorious opportunity to give the Reds a lead early into the tie.
But Nunez wasn’t alone in leaving fans to tear their hair out. And according to Liverpool legend Steve Nicol, even Klopp couldn’t hide his frustration at one of his players.
Jurgen Klopp can’t hide Joe Gomez frustration
First of all, it should be said that Joe Gomez has been absolutely terrific this season. Whether at left-back, centre-back or right-back, the 26-year-old has been back to his best.
However, the Gomez we saw last night looked very much like the player who had appeared finished last season. Uncertain on the ball, poor in his positioning and flimsy in the challenge. Gomez displayed everything he’s been the total opposite of in 2023/24.
One thing he did keep constant though, was his desire to get his first Liverpool goal. We’ve seen Joe shooting a lot more this campaign. That continued last night and the result remained the same. No goal yet.
One shot in particular stood out in its terrible execution. Picking up the ball probably 35 yards out after a Liverpool corner, Gomez absolutely leathered one miles over the bar. You could hear the groans from inside the ground and speaking on ESPN FC, Nicol said that Klopp’s annoyance was visible, too.
“Listen, there’s a reason Joe’s never scored a goal for Liverpool,” began the pundit. “So, when you know that and you know it’s not your forte, get the ball and give it to somebody who’s forte it is to either create or have a strike at goal. That was what frustrated me. And we saw during the game that it frustrated Jurgen Klopp as well.
“Ball coming out from a corner, is the strike on? Yes, the strike is on but you know what, when you’re 0 for a thousand, you’re probably better giving it to someone else.”
How many games has Joe Gomez gone without scoring
Remarkably, Gomez has never scored a goal in his entire career, not just for Liverpool.
As well now 218 games for the Reds, that also encapsulates 24 games for Charlton Athletic and 13 senior England caps. 255 appearances in total.
Even at youth team level, the defender couldn’t find the scoresheet. Gomez played 32 matches for England from U16 to U21 level. He never found the net once.
It has become a feature of Liverpool’s game that their No.2 keeps on trying, though. We’re sure one will fly in eventually and it will be glorious. But Nicol is right, last night this was the last thing we needed.