Joe Gomez interview: They said Neymar would nutmeg me. It helped as it made me wary
Liverpoolâs emerging star tells the story of his brilliant shackling of the Brazilian
By Paul Joyce
Gomez is making strides at Liverpool having made his England debut against Germany
The first thing that Joe Gomez did was write it all down. Every last bit there in black and white.
Under one heading, he scribbled the âprosâ of going to the European Under-21 Championship with England last summer. There was the chance to chase glory, the exposure a major tournament would bring and the prospect of more football following a campaign in which he completed his return from a cruciate knee injury.
Next to that column came the âconsâ of a month spent in Poland: a late return to pre-season training with Liverpool, slipping down the pecking order, a second successive summer without a break and, near the top, were the words ârepercussions for Englandâ.
Gomez read those lists over and again before arranging a meeting with Aidy Boothroyd, the under-21sâ coach, at a venue in Liverpool city centre. He knew what he was going to say by the time they got together, that focusing on the first day of next season would serve him better than prolonging 2016-17, but there was still a sense of trepidation as to any lasting ramifications for his future international prospects.
âIt was a nerve-racking experience for me,â the defender says. âBefore going to see Aidy I looked at my reasons and said to myself, âDo I really believe in this?â
âThe repercussions of not going were a massive concern. I thought, âWill I get picked for England again?â Not just the under-21s, but in the future.
âI have played for England all the way through [from under-16s] and I would never try and miss out on a camp or not go. My decision was literally based on my career and thinking, âCan I progress by not going? Should I go?â I spent a lot of time thinking about it. It ran deep for me.
âWe had a chat, one on one, and went through everything. I have so much respect for Aidy from that. He did want me to go, he tried to convince me, but he heard me out and understood.
âWhat I was asking, essentially, was to be left out because it was all about the bigger picture. At the time I was scared about what it might mean, but it gave me the chance to come back into pre-season on time and I got to play straight away in the games.â
The boldness of that thought process has proved the making of him. When, after forcing his way into Liverpoolâs line-up, he made his senior England debut this month against Germany at Wembley, nullifying Neymar and Brazil a few days later, the very notion that his country might turn its back on him seemed ridiculous. Gomez has been vindicated for his decision not to go to Poland. The proof is irrefutable.
It is an episode that provides an insight into the 20-year-oldâs strength of character as well as his focus, ambition and drive. Then there are also his values, instilled in him by his parents, Linda and Gus, which demanded that the Catford-born youngster sought out Boothroyd to explain himself rather than sending a cursory text message which is so often de rigueur these days.
Another story offers a further peek into Gomezâs attributes. This time it came after a summer spent winning with England at the Under-17 European Championship in Malta in 2014. He was anxious to push on with his boyhood club Charlton Athletic upon his return, having been voted defender of the tournament, and so, accompanied by his agent John Morris, held talks with the clubâs manager Bob Peeters, a 6ft 5in Belgian.
âHe is quite an intimidating guy,â Gomez says. âI donât like causing trouble, or creating an issue, but at that time I knew this could be a turning point. I was young and wanted to get first-team football. I said: âI want to push on. What can I do? What do you want from me?â
âHe said: âIn pre-season come in and you will be with us. Then it is up to you.â
âIf I didnât get that chance I could have been in the under-23s system for a while and I probably wouldnât be here now at Liverpool.â
Asking is one thing, yet central to Gomezâs rapid ascent has been his ability to seize the opportunity when it arrives. It was evident that season when he went on to make 24 first-team appearances, attracting interest from Arsenal and Manchester City as well as the Anfield chief scout Barry Hunter, who pushed for his ÂŁ3.5 million signing.
It was also clear when he made his Liverpool debut aged 18 at left back on the opening day of the following campaign and in those sure-footed, recent performances under the arch.
Gomez says that he would not have been able to look at himself in the mirror had he, after pulling out of Boothroydâs plans, escaped abroad for the entire summer and lived it up. He headed home to London instead.
Together with close friend Josh Umerah, who is on loan at Wycombe Wanderers from Charlton, they drew up a âvery seriousâ training schedule. Some days were spent at the athletics track, some on the treadmill and others doing ball work.
âI wanted to make sure I was on point with everything,â Gomez says. âEverything. My girlfriend was making my food, weighing it, counting out the calories. I came back feeling fitter.â
JĂźrgen Klopp, the Liverpool manager, was the first to benefit and perhaps there should have been no real surprise when the England coach, Gareth Southgate, called up Gomez for those prestige friendly matches with the world champions and Brazil.
Southgate had worked with Gomez for the under-21s â it was in the game against Kazakhstan that the youngster suffered the knee injury that ruled him out for more than a year â and had the courage to turn to him when injury struck Phil Jones after 25 minutes against the Germans.
âWhen I saw Phil limping I thought either Keano [Michael Keane] or me is going to get the call to warm up, so my heart was racing a bit then,â Gomez says. âIt was Keano, so I was like, âOK, it will be himâ. Then Steve [Holland, the England assistant manager] said, âJoe, warm upâ. I donât think I even did a sprint before I was on. There wasnât enough time to panic or get nervous.
âMy family and friends were there and apparently my mum was screaming when she saw I was coming on. I didnât expect to feature in the first game and then I thought, because I came on and played quite a lot, I wouldnât play in the second game.â
His performance on the right of a three-man defence against Brazil proved a seamless step up in standard. Gomez has kept his first senior England jersey â he swapped a replica one with his Liverpool team-mate and Germany midfielder Emre Can â and plans to frame it on the wall of his home. However, a second souvenir, from his man-of-the-match display against Brazil, is no longer in his possession.
âThe games were difficult because Germany and Brazil had so many runners,â he says. âThere was so much movement that we had to keep a steady line and stay switched on.
âThere was some banter before Brazil. Dom [Solanke] was bantering with me in the build-up, âAh Joeâs going to get âmegged by Neymar. Donât getâ meggedâ. Obviously in my head I am bantering back, but I was thinking, âThis could be possibleâ. But that sort of helped me because I was wary going into the game, saying to myself, âBe defensive, be on your toesâ.â
And his man-of-the-match champagne? There is a deep breath and a sheepish smile forms. âBecause we were leaving straight after the game, I had my backpack, my suitcase, my bag with my boots, my wash bag and the bottle of champagne because it couldnât fit in my backpack,â he said.
âAt Wembley, there is a room where all the families are and as I was going through the door, it was kind of tight. I went to go sideways and the bottle started slipping. I tried to catch it but it smashed on the floor.
âIt was in the worst place, right by the door and, as it has smashed, everyone in the room has turned to look at me. There were a few laughs.
âMy family were sitting over at the back and didnât see what happened. They were gutted. I have spoken to the liaison guy and I am going to get another one. I donât drink, so it wonât be opened any time soon.â
Klopp has rotated Gomez and Trent Alexander-Arnold at right back, keeping the youngsters guessing as much as todayâs opponents, Chelsea. Gomez started the Champions League draw against Seville on Tuesday, when a 3-0 half-time lead was eased from Liverpoolâs grasp, and knows the manner in which the result was achieved brings unwanted attention.
âNothing has to be said to us. We know,â Gomez says. âEveryone was gutted. We were all asking, âHow did we let that happen?â
âIt is not like we donât care. We want to fix it as much as anyone. During the game we were all trying to calm it down and play football, but their support was phenomenal and we couldnât get hold of the game.
âWe have conceded from set pieces, which we have had a lot of scrutiny for. We beat ourselves up as much as anyone.â
While Liverpool are the priority, the World Cup is now surely the aim. âIt is a dream,â he corrects. âMy main focus is the game at the weekend because, if you are not playing for your club, then it is irrelevant what you did in the last camp.â
That in itself shows how far Gomez has come from those days, not so long ago when he harboured only doubts.
The Times
