‘Outstanding’ star shows Liverpool on brink of collapse

Liverpool are dangerously close to collapse and one 'outstanding' star shows it better than anyone. The club simply must act.

Liverpool saw out a 3-0 away win at Marseille on Wednesday evening in what was arguably the best they've played all season. It was a routine win, a clean-sheet and the Reds simply performed their gameplan to perfection.

That hasn't happened often this season. Possibly at all, in fact.

Arne Slot will be thrilled with what he saw - a Liverpool team that went to a difficult European ground and won comfortably. It's the exact kind of performance he's been crying out for and a proof of concept for the rest of the season.

But that's not to say that Liverpool can come away from that one feeling entirely comfortable. The win actually shone a bright light on one particular problem that could collapse everything.

Joe Gomez was brilliant

Joe Gomez stepped in at centre-back in Marseille and was fantastic. He's rightfully earned all the plaudits for his display as he helped guide Liverpool towards their brilliant win.

Virgil van Dijk was among those labelling him 'fantastic' after the game.

“I thought he was outstanding," said the Liverpool captain. "The third goal, he was the one that started it off.

“Pleased for him, but pleased for the whole team. Everybody put a shift in. That’s how it should be, especially if you play for Liverpool.”

But we've got to remember why Gomez has caught some off guard with this display. His fitness record isn't exactly exemplary and that's the sole reason he hasn't nailed down that spot next to Van Dijk.

Liverpool needed him around, though. Ibrahima Konate was unable to play due to personal reasons, while Giovanni Leoni is out for the campaign.

If Gomez hadn't been fit, and there was a good chance he wouldn't have been, Liverpool would not have been able to play like they did on Wednesday. And that's a situation that could get out of hand.

Konate may leave at the end of the season as his contract expires. There's no guarantee that Liverpool can replace him with the kind of quality they'd like.

Failing to do so would leave them light and probably dependent on Gomez, if he's still around. That's a dangerous situation to be in and one that looks even worse given Van Dijk will only have one year remaining on his own deal.

Signing a centre-back this month felt like a necessity after Leoni's injury. Liverpool are now just an injury away or two from the entire defence collapsing around Van Dijk and Gomez's performance was a reminder of just how important good squad depth is.

The squad does not have that at centre-back right now, not with Gomez's injury record. Finding someone before the deadline seems unlikely but it also seems like the only way to avoid a massive risk for the rest of the season.

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