Top News

Joe Gomez has admitted the jeers that cascaded down from the Anfield terraces on Saturday "hurt" as he shed light on the harsh reality the host of new signings have had to come to terms with since arriving at Liverpool last summer. The Reds were met with a wave of boos during and after a woeful 1-1 home Premier League draw with Chelsea, leaving them still requiring three points to clinch Champions League qualification with just two fixtures remaining.

Liverpool have endured a deeply frustrating defence of the title they claimed in commanding style last season, with a string of home matches in recent months laying bare the growing discontent amongst the Reds' supporters. Responding to the latest round of criticism, 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 per cent. 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 whether it appeared the boos were chiefly aimed at Liverpool manager Arne Slot, Gomez responded: "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 notably vocal disapproval towards Slot's decision to withdraw Rio Ngumoha midway through the second half, though it subsequently emerged the 17-year-old winger had indicated he needed to come off due to cramp.

"To give a perspective from the bench, Rio's young and he played in a high-intensity game," added Gomez, who came on for Ibrahima Konate at centre-back during the closing stages. "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 brought in a record-breaking £450million worth of signings last summer and numerous recruits have encountered difficulties settling in, whether through fitness issues, serious injury problems or adjusting to English football.

And Gomez, who is the longest-serving player in the squad, acknowledges that senior figures have made a deliberate effort to impress upon new arrivals the exceptional demands of representing the reigning 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."

WORLD CUP LEGENDS: The stars who lit up football's greatest tournament - Buy the Special Edition today

Gomez brushed aside any suggestions of unrest within the dressing room, adding: "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."