Liverpool “Hungrier Than Ever” Says Joe Gomez

Losing the Community Shield was a setback but the performance on
Saturday wasn’t especially concerning.

The hope had been to kick off their 2020-21 season with
silverware in the Community Shield against Arsenal, but having failed on penalties for the second
year in a row Liverpool will be looking to quickly shrug off any
disappointment just as they did a year ago.

What matters is the Premier League, and Liverpool’s attempted
defence of their first domestic title in three decades. And on that
front, there is no doubt that the team will be ready to go and
hungrier than ever according to defender Joe Gomez.

“The gaffer instils in us that it’s a mental battle more than
physical half the time,” Gomez noted. “So we’ll be ready and we
have a squad full of quality to rotate when needs be. The main
thing is, mentally we are ready. And I think everyone is hungrier
than ever.”

The result on the weekend, a loss on penalties, was
disappointing. Yet after a slightly deflated start that saw the two
sides level by the metrics, the Reds dominated the second half.
More often than not, it was a game they would have won in
regulation.

Liverpool had more shots, more possession, and more than twice
the expected goals based on the chances they created. They could
have been better at times, and it showed minor issues to be worked
on, but on the balance it was an acceptable performance.

“We created a fair few chances,” Gomez added. “There’s positives
to take, as well as things we can work on. [Now we] work in that
short period before we come back for the start of the season to
correct those minor details and hopefully be ready.”