Liverpool players are beginning to trickle back into the AXA Training Centre as preseason begins. This preseason will be an important one with big shakeups in the team. The World Cup will also make things trickier for the senior players coming in at different times.
Joe Gomez is one of the team members who has already landed back at training to meet the new head coach and staff and start preparations.
He gave an interview with the official site about preseason, Andoni Iraola, and his hopes for this
upcoming season.
“It’s definitely a chance to build a foundation that can give you such a good base for the season,” Gomez said, referring to the preseason. “I think in that regard it’s hard to state how important it is. I think I’ve learned out of time you want to try to navigate it the best way where you adapt but also get through it healthy and ready to go. Everyone deals with it differently, but it is important for us all.”
This is now Gomez’s 12th preseason with the Reds. As a senior player, he has a responsibility to be a leader within the squad. When asked about how he handles that, he said, “I guess it’s one you kind of grow into – it’s not like an instant thing. I think with time I’ve got more used to it. Everyone does it in their own way and in my way I enjoy it. It’s just something that over the last season or two I’ve got more used to it. Until the likes of Virgil [van Dijk] and Ali [Becker] and so on are back with us, I’m probably one of the older ones here.”
Arriving at the training ground means he finally gets to experience life under new head coach Andoni Iraola.
“He seems like a really nice guy,” Gomez said. “It’s obviously massively impressive what he did at Bournemouth and how he got them to perform. I think we’re all looking forward to it and we’re all excited to have him. We’re all hungry and excited to go.”
We are all waiting to see what the team will look like with a new coach and so many changes in the team. The new side isn’t anywhere near settled, with very little having been accomplished in the summer transfer window to fill the holes left by the outgoing players.
Despite that, Gomez says that spirits are high as things kick off.
“Definitely. I think it’s a combination of a new gaffer and having such a good break. At the end of the day, we love what we do and we’re always going to be excited to come back and get ready.” And for his expectations, Gomez has chosen to keep it simple. “It’s to just have a good year and enjoy it and try to get better. I think it’s always key – you can always learn, keep learning, keep progressing and enjoy the ride.”
