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– If Liverpool win the series with Gomez and Van Dijk out due to injuries, it will be a huge achievement. It will be a much bigger achievement than winning the series last year, says Brede Hangeland, TV 2’s soccer expert.
Jurgen Klopp barely had time to relax during the national team break after Gomez injured his knee during England training on Wednesday.
On Thursday afternoon, Liverpool confirmed on their website that the midfielder had successfully undergone a tendon rupture operation on the left wing. Also, they write that they cannot come up with a date for when Gomez returns, but that he will likely miss most of this season.
In this way, Liverpool have been without their two favorite midfielders for a long time.
Liverpool defender’s injury confirmed
Virgil van Dijk was injured for a long time after being injured by Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and will not return until April 2021 at the earliest.
It also doesn’t help that Joël Matip has a troubled injury history.
In addition to the blocks, right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold will also be out for four weeks.
– This is the worst thing that could happen to Liverpool. Van Dijk and Gomez are by far the best blocks in the club. When they’re at their best, they are perhaps the best couple in the league and close to the best in the world. Needless to say, this is critical. They couldn’t have been much more unlucky than this. That’s the worst thing that could have happened to them, says TV 2 soccer expert Simen Stamsø-Møller.
You think it will be wrong to blame Klopp
Liverpool opted to sell Dejan Lovren in the transfer window, which meant they were only left with Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joël Matip as pure midfielders.
Nathaniel (23) was named best player on the field in his debut: – Wow
In retrospect, Fabinho has impressed as a substitute, while Rhys Williams (19) and Nathaniel Phillips (23) have been promoted from the reserve team.
Last year, TV 2 pundits criticized Pep Guardiola for not replacing Vincent Kompany.
TV 2 pundits still think it would be a mistake to blame Jürgen Klopp’s choice to enter the season without replacing Dejan Lovren, who was sold to Zenit.
– It is very easy to be wise afterwards and say that you can thank each other. At the same time, how often do you hear of a team losing both midfielders to long-term injuries? I don’t remember what happened before. Van Dijk had never had a problem with injuries before. I think it’s hard to be critical of Klopp for the election, says Hangeland.
He is supported by Simen Stamsø-Møller.
– I’m pretty sure they would have strengthened the midfielder position if they had the money for it this summer. They have had the utmost bad luck and it is foolish to point the finger at someone after something like this has happened. The problem is probably that you have Matip who is very injured, it is inconceivable that he can play every game. It’s risky to go into a season with few blocks, but at the same time it’s almost inconceivable that he could have such bad luck, says Stamsø-Møller.
Check out Van Dijk, Gomez and Matip’s injury history in the data box below!
The case continues after the fact chart.
The injury history of Van Dijk, Gomez and Matip
Here is Matip’s injury history at Liverpool:
Joël Matip has suffered injuries since joining Liverpool. In total, the midfielder has missed 60 games due to various injury problems.
The injury history also shows that there is no specific injury that prevented you from playing. Ankles, hips, hamstrings, knees, and collarbones are body parts that have put Matip out of commission.
Ankle injury 2016: November 26 and 5. December (lost three games)
Ankle injury 2016/2017: December 11 to 8. January (lost seven games)
Hip injury: 2017: Nov 15 – Nov 25 (lost three games)
2017 muscle injury: November 29 – December 26 (lost eight games)
Hamstringskade 2018: March 31 – July 1 (lost twelve games)
Collarbone Injury 2018/2019: December 12 – January 12. (lost seven games)
Kneskade 2019/2020: October 26 – January 18. (lost 20 games)
In total, these injuries have kept Matip on the injured bench for 281 days and 60 games.
Here is Van Dijk’s injury history at Liverpool:
The Dutch giant has suffered exceptionally few injuries. After the transfer from Southampton, he has not had to stop a single game, save for a few at the beginning when he arrived at Liverpool with a minor injury.
After being tackled badly by Jordan Pickford this season, it became clear that the rest of the season was probably over after Van Dijk suffered a ligament injury to his knee.
Rib trauma 2018: from October 15 to October 18. October (did not lose matches)
Knee Ligament Injury 2020/2021: Oct 18 – Uncertain (probably loses rest of season)
This is Gomez’s injury history at Liverpool:
The talented midfielder suffered several serious injuries early in his Liverpool career. The last three times injuries have kept Gomez out of action, it was his ankle that was the problem.
Gomez suffered a knee injury while training during his tenure with the England national team earlier this week. It is not known how long he will be out, but the English media write that it is probably the end of the season.
Cruciate ligament tear 2015/2016: October 12 – June 2. (lost 52 games)
Achilles Injury 2016: July 15 – November 20. (lost 15 games)
Ankle injury 2018: March 23-20. April (lost five games)
Ankle injury 2018: May 8 to 1. Julio (lost two games)
Ankle injury 2018/2019: December 5 to 5. April (lost 23 games)
2020 Knee Injury: Nov 12 – Uncertain (possibly loses remainder of season)
In total, these injuries have kept Gomez on the injury bench for 565 days and 97 games (it must be said, it was not relevant for Team A when he suffered the injuries in 2015/2016).
Figures taken from Transfermarkt.com
These are the stops Liverpool should go to
This summer, Jürgen Klopp stated that the coronavirus meant that they did not have the means to amplify themselves as they wanted. The red shirts ended up signing Diogo Jota and Thiago, but without defenses.
Both Hangeland and Stamsø-Møller believe Liverpool should open their portfolios in January, otherwise it could cost them dearly.
– If both Van Dijk and Gomez are out for the rest of the season and can’t get a premium midfielder, then I think it could be the difference between the league title and second place. It can also cost them promotion in the Champions League, says Stamsø-Møller.
Successful operation for Van Dijk
Brede Hangeland also believes that the consequences could cost the club this season’s goals.
– The consequence I think will be that they do not win the League. They are missing the top two blocks, and it will likely weaken them so much that other clubs should be favorites to run away with the league title.
Stamsø-Møller believes that more funds will be released for the next transition window than was intended before the damage occurred. He is also clear about who he wants to see in the red suit.
-I am very weak for the Sevilla player Jules Koundé, he thinks it would have been very good. The only problem is that it will probably be expensive, but at the same time it is an investment for the future, he says.
– There may be many to choose from, but just the position of the plug is a difficult place to choose the right player. A little bit has been written about Conor Coady, I think it could have been a pretty natural transition, says Brede Hangeland.
Here’s how the experts would set up eleven
Trent-Alexander will be out for about four weeks, which means Andy Robertson is the only alternative to Klopp’s favorite students.
Rhys (19) from level six replaces van Dijk in six months
TV 2 experts agree on how they would configure the eleven in the future.
James Milner – Joël Matip – Fabinho – Andy Robertson.
– Suddenly Milner is an important player again, he is a super substitute. Fabinho was a right-back in his youth, he has also shown that he can occupy midfield, says Stamsø-Møller.
– If they manage to play with this four back, then it’s a good four. The problem is that they are very fine, extremely fine. If they’re going to play every Wednesday and Sunday for seven or eight months like this, it probably won’t work out, Hangeland says.
