A Tale Of Two Backs

There was a sequence of events in Liverpool’s victory over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup that got me thinking about what fans of this club value in the men (and sometimes boys) who wear the red shirt with the Liverbird on their chest. In the 62nd minute, Joe Gomez crossed a beautiful ball into the box, which was met by the head of Ronald Araujo, forcing the Chelsea keeper into a reaction save. Chelsea quickly countered, only to have their attack stymied by the same Joe Gomez after a lung-busting sprint back to his own goal. Gomez would later cap a solid performance by scoring the winning penalty (his first ever for the club) in the shootout that put the Reds through to the quarter-finals, where they will face Andoni Iraola’s old club, Bournemouth.

You would be hard-pressed to find a Liverpool fan who was not thrilled for Gomez. It is no exaggeration to say that his Liverpool career has been a frustrating one, riddled with injuries that have prevented him from becoming Virgil’s full-time centre-back partner. But he is currently the longest-serving member of the squad, having arrived from Charlton Athletic for a fee under five million pounds eleven years ago as an eighteen-year-old. Gomez’s performance against Chelsea reminded us of what endeared him to the Liverpool faithful in the first place: his quiet, workmanlike approach, a shy man who wears the red shirt with pride. This is why the Anfield crowd roared its approval of his dramatic tackle last Wednesday, and cheered even louder when he calmly fired home his penalty.

Ronald Araujo’s arrival at the club was quite different from that of Gomez. Here is a player who has captained Barcelona, one of the world’s most famous clubs. He is here on loan with no clear indication as to whether this arrangement will be made permanent. Yet, much like Gomez, Araujo has become a fan favourite. The video of his leap into the Anfield Road End after scoring against Villarreal explains to a great extent why this is the case. The emotion he showed as he hugged supporters hit home to all of us that this man is thrilled to be a Red. He has embraced all that this means, both on and off the pitch in his short time at the club. Considering his personal struggles at Barcelona, Araujo has grabbed his opportunity to be the regular right-back with both hands and a palpable sense of joy. Judging by the Anfield crowd’s reactions to his heavy tackles in the Brighton match, and his dramatic clearance from the floor using his head, Liverpool fans are as thrilled as Araujo that he is a Red.

Unlike Isak, Barcola, and Wirtz, neither Gomez nor Araujo is a £100m footballer, the type of player big clubs are supposed to have to win championships. The type of player who will get 60,000 fans out of their seats to marvel at their remarkable talents. However, these two defenders are examples of the other kind of player that is essential for a team’s success: players who appreciate how lucky they are to be professionals, who are proud to pull on the Liverpool kit, who play for the shirt and the fans, and who will do whatever is asked of them by the manager and do it well. Andoni Iraola and the Liverpool faithful know that the club needs contributions from players such as these.