Talk ahead of Gareth Southgate announcing his preliminary England World Cup squad has been dominated by Trent Alexander-Arnold. Should the focus have been on his teammate?
Trent Alexander-Arnold was an unused substitute against Italy and missed out on the squad entirely as England drew against Germany last month.
The aftermath of that saw Southgate claim Kieran Trippier was a better all-rounder while social media was filled with debates over whether or not he should make the squad.
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Injuries to Reece James and Kyle Walker appeared to strengthen the Liverpool right-back’s cause. James has been ruled out for eight weeks while Walker it is touch and go over whether Walker will be fit following surgery on a groin injury.
This situation has created an opportunity, but it might not be for Alexander-Arnold. Joe Gomez could be the man to benefit from the current chaos.
Injuries to Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate and Joel Matip have seen the 25-year-old start the last two outings for the Reds - a 1-0 win over Manchester City and a 7-1 triumph over Rangers - while he also played an entire half of football against Arsenal.
It is the second time this season that he has appeared in three consecutive games and goes some way to suggest the injury issues of yesteryear are perhaps now behind him.
Southgate tends to favour versatile players and Gomez ticks that box. He started life for the Reds as a left-back, played as a centre-back as Liverpool ended their wait for a Premier League title and has filled in as a right-back on multiple occasions.
Named as the Man of the Match in the win over Man City on Sunday after playing a starring role in blunting the most rampant side in the league, it could well be the perfect storm for the former Charlton youngster.
Though both James and Walker are primarily right-backs, they have been deployed on the right side of a back three for England. Southgate likes a player in that role who has recovery pace, is comfortable in wide areas and can play out from the back.
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While Alexander-Arnold may be one of the best in the world at what he does, he does not have much experience as a centre-back and his strengths don’t necessarily align with the profile the England manager has drawn up for that role.
Ben White could be in with a shout but he lacks the recovery pace that is essential in this system. Gomez might actually be the only player currently fit who can do what Southgate wants.
The Liverpool defender has not featured for the Three Lions since 2020 and he did suffer a career-threatening injury while on international duty after rupturing his left knee patellar tendon.
Remember at the time he was a starter for the Premier League champions and he looked to be a shoo-in for the England squad at the Euros.
Fast forward two years and he’s once again starting for Liverpool while the Three Lions are still using a similar system. If he was good enough then, he is good enough now.
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Gomez is one of the most assured defenders in possession and Southgate appears to value that in his philosophy as a manager. The sample size may not be the largest - just 729 minutes - but he has found a teammate with 87% of his passes this term across all competitions. He played one of the passes of the match against Man City, too.
With the ball heading towards him, Gomez scans to build up a picture of what is ahead of him so that he is able to speed up his use of the ball in a bid to exploit space against Pep Guardiola’s fairly aggressive press.
He takes a touch before pinging a left-footed pass into the space behind the left wing-back for Harvey Elliott to run onto. He played the pass with his weaker foot and weighted it perfectly.
Having the ability to play confidently with either foot allows the team to escape tricky situations when fronted up by a high press. It also helps spring counter-attacks. These two things will no doubt be on Southgate’s mind with England usually opting to sit a little deeper to create space further forward.
Gomez also has a final ball. His last two assists for Liverpool have arrived after he’s gone on a marauding run down the right when being utilised as a full-back. He has then passed the ball into the area for a forward to score. Against Rangers, Roberto Firmino finished it off. Against Watford earlier this year, Diogo Jota nodded home.
The Liverpool No. 2 has the ability to impact the game at both ends. He is a bit of a wildcard in the circumstances but maybe that is what England need.
Even if Walker was fit, Southgate should find a place in his squad for Gomez. If the Man City man isn’t fit, Southgate needs to make Gomez a starter.
