Joe Gomez suffers injury setback as Jurgen Klopp states he would never take pleasure from slip-ups of a rival
Liverpool’s defensive problems are piling up as Joe Gomez has suffered a setback in his recovery and Dejan Lovren has a hamstring problem.
Gomez was expected to recover from a broken leg this month, but that is now unlikely and there are fears he will need further surgery.
Jurgen Klopp, the manager, hinted at Gomez’s problem when confirming he would be unavailable for the visit of Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Feb 19.
“It is not exactly going how we want,” said Klopp. “He needs more time. There were different moments we thought we could do this or that. It will take time. We cannot say more.”
Asked if he could rule out another procedure, Klopp said: “I don’t know. We will see. It is possible, probably.”
Gomez suffered the leg fracture against Burnley on Dec 5. Lovren is a doubt for Monday’s trip to West Ham United with a recurrence of an old injury.
Klopp, meanwhile, said he would never take pleasure from the slip-ups of a rival after Kyle Walker used social media to mock Liverpool’s failure to beat Leicester.
The Manchester City defender posted a picture of a Harry Maguire accompanied by a gag about Liverpool’s 1-1 draw in midweek.
Liverpool moved five points clear, Walker pointing out the club missed the chance to go seven ahead. The tweet was swiftly deleted, and while Klopp understands the eagerness of rival fans to take pleasure in any hint of Kop title nerves, he feels it is different where professionals are concerned.
“I cannot help that. I’m not sure what that says about us, it says a bit more about the other person,” said Klopp.
“I never celebrated another team dropping points or losing a game. For me that’s not allowed. It’s sport, you have to do your own thing and try to show your best performance.
“I don’t understand it. For supporters it’s a bit different, for people involved I don’t understand it. But how can I criticise if I don’t understand it?”
Having been accused of gamesmanship when only the penalty area Liverpool attacked was cleared of snow at half-time against Leicester, Klopp also sought to clarify the Anfield ground staff’s actions.
“I never ask anybody to clear one side of the pitch and leave the other,” he said.
