3 reasons why Joe Gomez is the future of Liverpool's defence

#2. Pace

Crvena Zvezda v Liverpool - UEFA Champions League Group C

In the yesteryears of football, full-backs were considered as only defenders who did not venture out of their own half much. However, things changed and full-backs were considered an attacking outlet, epitomised by the rise of the likes of Dani Alves, Marcelo, etc.

Today, in many teams, a great deal of attacking output flows via the full-backs with the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson, Kyle Walker and Jordi Alba, regularly bombing up the pitch and spending a lion's share of the game time in the opposition half.

Similarly and in some part, due to the change in the roles of full-backs, the role of centre-backs has also changed over the years. In the modern game, centre-halves are not just required to be big and strong to force attackers off the ball, but are needed to be quick off the mark and have good recovery pace.

This is so because many teams prefer to hold a high defensive line and with the full-backs going forwards, the centre-backs are required to defend the wide areas of the pitch as well.

In the Liverpool team, van Dijk is lightning quick and also clocked the highest sprint speed of the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League against Barcelona. Undoubtedly, Gomez possesses blistering pace and has shown it in many occasions, especially in the Champions League match against Red Star Belgrade last season.

Ain’t nobody, like Joe Gomez. pic.twitter.com/1K6qMZsc2h

— Tom (@_TomLfc) October 25, 2018

With Gomez possessing such pace, he becomes a frightening prospect for opposition attackers.