Joe Gomez has admitted the jeers that rang around Anfield on Saturday “hurt” as he reflected on the challenges Liverpool’s new signings have faced since arriving last summer.
The Reds were booed during and after a disappointing 1-1 Premier League draw with Chelsea, a result that leaves them still needing three points from their final two games to secure Champions League qualification.
Liverpool have endured a frustrating title defence following last season’s dominant triumph, with tensions among supporters becoming increasingly evident during several home matches in recent months.
Joe Gomez said: “We feel it. It’s the last thing we want. For us older boys who have experienced so many good times here, it does hurt. If it didn’t then you shouldn’t still be here. We want to make it right.
“I understand the frustration, yeah, 100%. We’ve all said on record a few times this year we know this is not where we want to be and the position we want to be in. We understand it. I hope you could see the urgency that we want to win.
“I guess it just is a summary of our year and it’s a reaction to the whole year, and that’s fair enough. The fans pay their hard-earned money to come and watch us and they’re entitled to show their frustration, in the same way they cheer us.”
Asked if it felt the boos were largely directed at Liverpool boss Arne Slot, Gomez replied: “I can’t engage or give you a guide on that but, fundamentally, if we win the game, there’s no boos so that’s the bit that we have to do and that’s all we can try and affect.”
There was particularly loud dissent over Arne Slot’s decision to substitute Rio Ngumoha midway through the second half, although it later emerged the 17-year-old had asked to come off due to cramp.
“To give a perspective from the bench, Rio’s young and he played in a high-intensity game,” said Gomez, who replaced Ibrahima Konate at centre-back during the final quarter on Saturday. “Physically he was tired, and those are the subtle things behind the scenes you probably don’t realise.
“But we get it: Rio is a top player and has the ability to be a bright, bright star for us in the future. But it was the later stages of the game and he’s tired. But he’s flying, he looks good for us, he’s a big threat and if he comes off it’s like ‘oh’ and the fans are entitled to that opinion.”
Liverpool spent a record £450million on new signings last summer, but many have struggled to integrate due to fitness issues, injuries, and the challenge of adapting to English football.
Joe Gomez, the club’s longest-serving player, admits senior figures in the squad have made a conscious effort to impress upon the newcomers the unique demands of representing the outgoing Premier League champions.
“We don’t just come in and go home every day,” said the 28-year-old. “There’s so many conversations and it is our responsibility, all the players and the ones who’ve experienced it, to try and get that across in training.
“This place comes with a lot of expectation and pressure and that takes time to understand and really get a full picture of. We have to just do our best to rally around each other and try to get the boys’ heads in the right direction.”
Joe Gomez dismissed suggestions of any fractures within the dressing room. He added: “Everyone in that dressing room wants to do well. I think if things change in any workplace in terms of personnel it’s always going to take a bit of time.
“But there’s a lot of variables that are at play and there’s a lot of instruction we’ve got this year that worked well last year, so who’s to say what the factor is? I can’t tell you. I don’t think anyone could tell you exactly, but I think the main thing is that we’re a team and we understand that in the dressing room we don’t come in after a result like that without disappointment.
“We have to remember that tactically we made a step last year which was very effective and one of the strengths of our coaching staff is to adapt every game and try to expose and overload in certain areas and that that is a different style to the faster pace.
“We get that sometimes it’s not as fluid or as high intensity on the ball as always. It does get frustrating when it gets fragmented but there’s also been times when it’s controlled the game, not as much this year.
“There’s frustrations and there’s been plenty of voices and discussions and meetings from different people – staff, players. The black and white thing now is we need Champions League football, that’s the objective we get that.”
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