Jurgen Klopp furious with 25-year-old Liverpool star in forgetful Nottingham Forest defeat: Reports
Liverpool were handed a shock 1-0 Premier League defeat away to Nottingham Forest when the two sides met at the City Ground on Saturday (October 22).
Manager Jurgen Klopp was reportedly furious with Joe Gomez for not being aggressive enough when Forest were launching a counterattack in the second half.
The Tricky Trees were 1-0 up at that point and were in the last quarter of the game trying to defend their slender lead. Gomez hesitated when trying to stop the attack and barely managed to volley the ball out for a throw-in.
According to journalist James Pearce, this infuriated the German tactician. His frustration may have been building up from what the Reds were experiencing against the Tricky Trees before Gomez's awkward clearance.
Klopp furious with Gomez there for not being more aggressive. Backed off.
Not only did the Reds miss some gilt-edged chances themselves throughout the game, they allowed the home side to take the lead against the run of play.
Gomez was too slow to play the ball out from the back, which led to former Liverpool striker Taiwo Awoniyi dispossessing him off the ball.
Gomez was then left with no option but to commit an intentional foul and get booked for stopping the striker from running in behind acres of space. The resulting free-kick was then bundled into goal by Awoniyi himself in the 55th minute.
What fans saw for the remainder of the game was a toothless Liverpool side failing to break down a resolute defense, a common theme for them this season. It could have been a different story had Gomez been aware of the danger and not conceded a needless foul.
It remains to be seen if the English centre-back will still be in Klopp's team when Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate return from their respective injuries.
Jurgen Klopp needs to do something about Liverpool's midfield
Defeat. https://t.co/9ihPiJsyet
Liverpool's midfield once again failed to impress on the day. Harvey Elliott was their only saving grace who tried to make things happen, but even he was guilty of playing a lot of aimless passes.
Jordan Henderson was uninspiring when he came on in the second half, while Fabinho Tavares had a poor game. The Brazil international has been in bad form recently and was utterly poor in his team's 1-0 win against West Ham United on October 19.
Thiago Alcantara missed the match against manager Steve Cooper's side due to an ear infection. Without the Spain international, the Reds looked utterly bland and below-par in midfield, especially in possession.
An aging and injury-prone midfield is more than half the reason why the Reds find themselves seventh on the table after 11 games. It is important that they spend handsomly next year and sign a young, world-class midfielder with a good injury record.