Joe Gomez on stopping PSG, facing Neymar and more
Joe Gomez insists Liverpool are fully prepared for the challenges awaiting them against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night.
Two months after the Reds beat the Ligue 1 heavyweights 3-2 in a classic at Anfield, the sides will meet again at Parc des Princes with Champions League Group C on a knife edge.
PSG are boosted by the availability of both Kylian Mbappe and Neymar while the visitors travelled to Paris on Tuesday having extended their unbeaten start to the Premier League season to 13 games at the weekend.
Shortly after touching down in the French capital, Gomez addressed the media at LFC’s pre-match press conference – and discussed the task of stopping the hosts, his defensive partnership with Virgil van Dijk, and more.
Read on for a summary...
On preparing to face the multiple individual talents of PSG…
We know they are top players – their strike force is something they are known worldwide for. As a team we just have to play our way. We have fundamentals that we stick to, that the gaffer gives us; we have to defend as a team regardless of who we’re playing. We do analysis and we have to prepare for different formations and different set-ups but our general philosophies in defending stay the same. That’s what we have to stick to.
On what he works on in partnership with Van Dijk…
I wouldn’t say there’s one specific thing. As a team in training, we work as a unit, 11 v 11 and doing tactical sessions that the gaffer gives us instructions in. Naturally, we have to work together regardless. It’s not about us individually doing specific things. It’s about having an understanding and communicating on the pitch as well.
On what Liverpool need to do to improve on their displays in Naples and Belgrade…
Obviously we weren’t at our best in those two games. We didn’t get the results we wanted. We knew that from the start of the games we could have done better. I don’t think it’s down to the location or the game – we play our game regardless. We just weren’t at 100 per cent. We know it’s going to be a tough game and we’ll have to be at our best to beat them because they are one of the best teams in Europe and we know that. We have to approach the game to be ready for a top and tough game.
On his memories of playing against Neymar with England…
Everyone knows how good a player he is, that doesn’t need to be stated. Every game is different, club and country, you can’t really compare it. I can’t really say I take anything from that because every game is different. As a team we know, and I personally know, it’ll be a tough game. And we have to be ready for that. It’s not just Neymar. It’s the whole team as a unit – how they play and how they work. That’s something we expect regardless.