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Matip’s temporary form papered over the cracks – Liverpool need Gomez back
Liverpool stuttered in the Premier League again on Monday – this time against West Ham United.
The Reds dropped points for the second match in a row, and were lucky to come away with a point at the London Stadium.
The teams played out a 1-1 draw, with the hosts having the better of the chances.
Liverpool remain top of the pile but the gap is now down to just three points after Manchester City beat Arsenal 3-1 on Sunday. Tottenham Hotspur are also back in the picture two points further back after they edged past Newcastle United 1-0 at Wembley.
It is the first significant wobble Liverpool have had so far this season, and it seems to have coincided with one major injury absentee.
Liverpool need Gomez back
Joel Matip came back into the starting XI recently after recovering from a fractured collarbone.
Before that, he had filled in for the injured Joe Gomez to relative success. The German seemed assured alongside Virgil van Dijk, but he has not been sparkling since coming back into the side.
Against the Hammers Matip was shaky, and that will not be reassuring to the fans who learned earlier in the day that Gomez had undergone surgery on his leg ().
The Reds really need their youngster back. With Gomez in the starting XI and completing 90 minutes in the league this season (12 times), Liverpool have conceded just four goals. Without him (13 games), they’ve shipped 11.
A lot of praise has gone the way of the irrepressible van Dijk, but pacy Gomez had been a huge reason for the team’s impressive defensive stability.