Klopp: VVD-Gomez sensational together

Jurgen Klopp said Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez can play "sensationally well" together amid Liverpool's injuries in defence.

With Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren injured, Van Dijk and Gomez started in the centre of defence in the European champions' 2-0 Premier League win over Watford on Saturday. Gomez, 22, had been a regular alongside Van Dijk before he suffered a fractured leg in December last year. Klopp said he had spoken regularly with Gomez and believes the England international's partnership with Van Dijk can flourish.

"We spoke, we spoke a lot," the Liverpool manager told UK newspapers. "In a very good team, which we obviously are, the train doesn't wait. That means other players showed up, and I don't think anybody thought really we should put Joel on the bench. It is just that the boys are incredibly talented. The boy is still young, that is not the reason – it's just that you keep rhythm and you keep players together. But these two, Joe and Virg, they like each other a lot, and they can play sensationally well together."

Gomez and Van Dijk helped their side hold out Watford as Liverpool moved 10 points clear atop the Premier League.

 

December 14, 2019

Klopp praised his centre-backs for dealing with tricky conditions and the dangerous Troy Deeney.

"It was an especially difficult game – Deeney – and as you can imagine they play the ball in one direction. The balls that came into Virgil were only because of the wind, all the others came to Joe, and Deeney goes up," he said. "But from this outstanding skilled boy who has this kind of improvement in these moments, he showed resilience. They all showed again the resilience. We really showed again we are ready to fight in each game."

Liverpool visit Aston Villa in an EFL Cup quarter-final on Tuesday, while they take on Monterrey at the Club World Cup a day later.