Resilience / Consistency

[Spionkop69]

When discussing great sides of past who had periods of success, you could usually list the back 5 without hesitation and there was little rotation, especially at CB. Defensive stability and naming the same back 5 as much as possible usually went hand in hand.

We saw when Mignolet was in goal that he would often struggle as we changed CBs regularly, mainly due to injuries that seemed to blight our CB's and our full backs at that time.

This season so far you could divide it into 3 sections in terms of CB. We started with VVD and Matip. Then Matip got injured in form of his life and Lovren steps in. Some shaky moments but he got more consistent and then he got injured and Joe has stepped in and is looking as good as he did before last seasons injury.

Add to this the injury to our keeper at the start of the season as well, we've managed throughout these changes at CB to maintain form in terms of results and in my opinion, the defensive performances of the team have improved as the season has progressed. To the point where we now have the best defence in terms of goals conceded.

In a microcosm, I think this shows an area where we have an edge. In seasons gone by, we've had good first XI's but the depth behind was nowhere near good enough. Injuries to a first choice CB, and then their replacement would affect many a team - look at City.

So far we've dealt with it and not broken stride. Of course, the obvious factor that none of the injuries has been to VVD is important and shouldn't be ignored. Stability and confidence at the back creates a platform. We've needed this platform for some time. It's brilliant we are taking advantage of the confidence the squad has in the squad.

 

[The Nomad]

If there was any doubt before.. it should be banished now.

Gomez and Van Dijk are our best duo. Closely followed by Matip and Van Dijk. But Gomez tops it for me.

5 clean sheets on the spin.
Insane goals conceded per game ratio of less than 0.4

 

[Frogfish]

If there was any doubt before.. it should be banished now.

Gomez and Van Dijk are our best duo. Closely followed by Matip and Van Dijk. But Gomez tops it for me.

5 clean sheets on the spin.
Insane goals conceded per game ratio of less than 0.4

And have only conceded 6 shots on target in those 5 games .. insane.

 

[Brizzle]

I want to see Joe getting in the box for corners soon too

 

[Frogfish]

Hendo (Match Day Program)

"Inside the dressing room we have a lot of good leaders, a lot of big characters, who every day are pushing each other on to make sure the level doesn't drop in training, that we're pushing ourselves to improve even further. We look to do that in every single training session, to make sure it's at 100 per cent.
"It wasn't that long ago there was a lot of focus on our lack of clean sheets. I can tell you now that mattered to all of us, not just the defenders. Our expectation of ourselves was to do better in that area and we have seen an improvement. But we don't feel content about it - we want more.
"Set a standard, meet it, then look to exceed it. Never stop focusing on what we can do better. That's our mantra.
"An individual who has embodied that recently for us has been Joe Gomez. The start to his season wasn't straightforward. He had setbacks to contend with and challenges to face.
"We all know what a massive talent Joe is, but at this level it's also about perseverance. It's meant the world to all of us to see how he's stepped up yet again and is playing with such confidence and control.
"Joe isn't someone who is bothered about individual praise and he'll be the first to say that, in terms of contribution to the team, he has even more to give.
"But I think his situation is a great example to any player that hard work and only hard work is the path to achieving something special - be it as a person or a team.

 

[Peatcheo]

If there was any doubt before.. it should be banished now.

Gomez and Van Dijk are our best duo. Closely followed by Matip and Van Dijk. But Gomez tops it for me.

5 clean sheets on the spin.
Insane goals conceded per game ratio of less than 0.4

Trent hinted at that in his interview with BT yesterday, referred to Gomez being in the side at the start of last season, and used words similar to got our groove again.
Think he probably thinks this is our best back 4.

 

[Farkmaster]

Trent hinted at that in his interview with BT yesterday, referred to Gomez being in the side at the start of last season, and used words similar to got our groove again.
Think he probably thinks this is our best back 4.

Yeah, I thought the same and it would have made unhappy watching for Mario, who didn't do much of anything wrong.

 

[HC]

That and the fact VVD is just the best defender I've seen play for this club , he's imperious - as Macca or whoever on BT said any other defender and side in the league and Mousset gets past his man and is through on goal, he's ridiculously good

 

[darkstarexodus]

Hendo (Match Day Program)

"Inside the dressing room we have a lot of good leaders, a lot of big characters, who every day are pushing each other on to make sure the level doesn't drop in training, that we're pushing ourselves to improve even further. We look to do that in every single training session, to make sure it's at 100 per cent.
"It wasn't that long ago there was a lot of focus on our lack of clean sheets. I can tell you now that mattered to all of us, not just the defenders. Our expectation of ourselves was to do better in that area and we have seen an improvement. But we don't feel content about it - we want more.
"Set a standard, meet it, then look to exceed it. Never stop focusing on what we can do better. That's our mantra.
"An individual who has embodied that recently for us has been Joe Gomez. The start to his season wasn't straightforward. He had setbacks to contend with and challenges to face.
"We all know what a massive talent Joe is, but at this level it's also about perseverance. It's meant the world to all of us to see how he's stepped up yet again and is playing with such confidence and control.
"Joe isn't someone who is bothered about individual praise and he'll be the first to say that, in terms of contribution to the team, he has even more to give.
"But I think his situation is a great example to any player that hard work and only hard work is the path to achieving something special - be it as a person or a team.

*swoons*
Oh captain, my captain.

 

[Peatcheo]

Yeah, I thought the same and it would have made unhappy watching for Mario, who didn't do much of anything wrong.

Just unfortunate, same as it was for Gomez last season when he got injured. It is nice that we clearly have 2 CBs who can come in from being second choice and make the position theirs when they need to with solid consistent performances.

 

[Judge Jules]

It's difficult if not impossible to overstate the impact Virgil and (I would say) Alisson have had on the defence and hence on the whole team. As well as being individually brilliant they've improved the performances of every player around and ahead of them. Props to Matip and Lovren for having played so well when they came in (Matip especially was magnificent and I made him MOTM in the CL Final last year) but I suspect even that was partly due to playing with those other two. Ditto for Gomez, whose best form at CB has improved 675% alongside Virgil and, I would agree, puts him in our best CB combo when he's on his game (I still wouldn't play him at RB ever again, but that's another discussion).

 

[tombrown]

I think Gomez hardly played CB before Van Dyke arrived - maybe the odd league cup game, but not consistently. He was a left back under Rodgers and shared the right back slot with Trent under Klopp, only moving to a regular CB spot at the start of last season

 

[Judge Jules]

Not before van Dijk arrived, no, but he had become his regular CB partner before he got injured. He was quite a long way short of that form when he first came back into the side more recently and Matip had deservedly stepped up to first choice as Virgil's partner when he got injured, with Gomez getting some games back out on the right. Once Lovren got crocked as well, Gomez had to return to CB and fortunately for us he seemed to recover his best form at that point.

As far as playing fullback is concerned, Gomez actually looked decent at LB when he first got into the first team reckoning. It wouldn't be the first time we've had a right-footer playing fullback who was better on the left - Carra was the same before he found his form in the middle, where he was dodgy originally. I wouldn't be averse to trying Gomez at LB in case of need. RB's another matter and I wouldn't even consider him for that position now.

 

[The Nomad]

No no no.. he's a CB. He was CB at youth level. He's only played at FB at senior level because we thought he was too young for CB.

He does okay at FB
He excels at CB

 

[moron]

Not before van Dijk arrived, no, but he had become his regular CB partner before he got injured. He was quite a long way short of that form when he first came back into the side more recently and Matip had deservedly stepped up to first choice as Virgil's partner when he got injured, with Gomez getting some games back out on the right. Once Lovren got crocked as well, Gomez had to return to CB and fortunately for us he seemed to recover his best form at that point.

As far as playing fullback is concerned, Gomez actually looked decent at LB when he first got into the first team reckoning. It wouldn't be the first time we've had a right-footer playing fullback who was better on the left - Carra was the same before he found his form in the middle, where he was dodgy originally. I wouldn't be averse to trying Gomez at LB in case of need. RB's another matter and I wouldn't even consider him for that position now.

He gets injured at LB and RB.

 

[Dreambeliever]

I’ve been saying all year we needed Gomez back in at CB to be at our best.
He’s a perfect partner for VVD (the greatest CB we’ve ever had and arguably the greatest CB of all time in terms of ability)

He’ll have to perform at this level for 10 years and win more trophies but he’s got the ability.

 

[tombrown]

I’ve been saying all year we needed Gomez back in at CB to be at our best.
He’s a perfect partner for VVD (the greatest CB we’ve ever had and arguably the greatest CB of all time in terms of ability)

He’ll have to perform at this level for 10 years and win more trophies but he’s got the ability.

I'm sure Ive seen you post that we cant call Trent the best right back ever until he has done it year in year out for many seasons. So why do you give a bye to Virgil on that front?

Not that I disagree, necessarily

 

[Dreambeliever]

I'm sure Ive seen you post that we cant call Trent the best right back ever until he has done it year in year out for many seasons. So why do you give a bye to Virgil on that front?

Not that I disagree, necessarily

I did say in terms ability and went on to say he’ll have to do it long term.

Just like I’d say Suarez was ability wise our best ever player but overall I’d have a long list ahead of him in terms of our best player as I take into account trophies and longitivity (The King is no1 btw)