Liverpool host Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League this afternoon with sights firmly fixed on ending a depressing bout of form, with just one victory from five matches in the league, also crashing out of the Europa League against Atalanta in this timeframe.
The winds of change are blowing at Anfield, with Liverpool preparing for life under Jurgen Klopp after nearly nine years with the German at the helm, lifting the club back to its perch and winning a host of major honours.
Klopp's side have enjoyed a thrilling campaign for the most part, resurgent and triumphing in the Carabao Cup back in February despite mountainous injury problems in what seemed like a tone-setter for the final phase, with silverware up for grabs across every possible front.
That hasn't happened, but the third-place Premier League side have still come on leaps and bounds this season, having fallen off a proverbial cliff last year.
With just three matches left at the helm for the Merseysiders, Klopp will be determined to string together a first-class burst of form to close his illustrious tenure with a bang, though he will have to overcome a concerning injury blow against Spurs at Anfield this afternoon.
Liverpool team news
In his pre-match press conference, a free-speaking Klopp revealed that captain Virgil van Dijk is a doubt having not trained all week, though he was involved in parts of team training on Friday and might play a part.
Diogo Jota is still unavailable as he recovers from an issue but Conor Bradley is ready to make his return after spending the past several weeks recuperating from an ankle injury.
Veterans Joel Matip and Thiago Alcantara (both out of contract this summer) and talented youngster Ben Doak all remain sidelined with long-term problems.
The potential absence of Van Dijk is hardly a nerve-settling piece of news, with the Netherlands star a pillar of strength and leadership in testing circumstances this season.
Virgil van Dijk's season in numbers
Van Dijk was knocked off-kilter last season as Liverpool flattered to deceive throughout a torrid campaign, but he's been back to his imperious best since earning the captain's armband last summer and has been one of the standout reasons behind his squad's revival.
As per Sofascore, the 32-year-old has completed 33 Premier League matches this season, scoring two goals and adding two assists, completing 91% of his passes, averaging 1.2 tackles, 4.8 ball recoveries and 3.9 clearances per game and winning a staggering 77% of his duels, utterly dominant in the air and calmly crunching in ground battles.
Aside from his supreme defensive strength and commanding leadership, Van Dijk is also one of the game's highest-quality distributors from the back, ranking among the top 10% of centre-halves across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 6% for passes attempted, the top 12% for assists, the top 3% for shot-creating actions and the top 9% for progressive passes per 90, as per FBref.
This is all a roundabout way of saying that he's not an easy man to replace, and given the error-strewn, unconvincing displays of Ibrahima Konate and Jarell Quansah these past few fixtures, it might be time for Klopp to try something different and throw Joe Gomez back into the starting mix.
Why Joe Gomez must replace Virgil van Dijk
The spirit of James Milner lives on at Liverpool, with Gomez thriving as the Reds' multi-dimensional utility man this season, playing across a range of roles and impressing while doing so, with writer Joel Rabinowitz acknowledging the recently-recalled England star's “renaissance”.
Right-back
23
1
5
Left-back
17
1
5
Centre-back
5
1
5
Defensive midfield
2
0
2
The 26-year-old is Liverpool's longest-serving first-team player after joining from Charlton Athletic as a teenager for a fee of £3.5m in 2015, having completed 222 appearances and won the whole gamut under Klopp's wing.
But all things come to an end and recent news has suggested that Gomez is now considering leaving the club alongside Klopp this summer, having given his all for nearly one decade and now seemingly wishes to search for pastures new.
Be that as it may, Gomez is an invaluable member of the side and by being placed into a central defensive role against Tottenham, he could produce the kind of showing that would leave Michael Edwards, Richard Hughes and co throwing the kitchen sink at convincing him to stay put.
Gomez ranks among the top 8% of full-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for passes attempted, the top 19% for progressive passes, the top 20% for interceptions and the top 4% for aerial wins per 90 (FBref).
While these metrics have been collated against positional peers – wide defenders – Gomez has a wealth of experience as a central defender and he might prove to be the counterbalancing force to succeed alongside Konate later today.
Spurs are in dismal form themselves, losing three successive Premier League matches, but complacency will be the detriment to Liverpool's performance, with the likes of Heung-min Son, James Maddison and co more than capable of incisively bypassing a red rearguard that has shipped eight goals from as many matches in April.
The £85k-per-week Gomez has scarcely played at centre-back this season but the last time he did, during a 3-0 win over Aston Villa in the Premier League way back in September, he incredibly took 121 touches, completed 95% of his passes and won five of his seven contested duels.
This kind of proactive, crisp and all-rounded display is exactly what will be needed if Liverpool are to dispatch Tottenham and set the mood for a fitting send-off for esteemed Klopp.
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Gomez is multi-functional and has even been remarked to be "absolutely priceless" to Liverpool by pundit Steve McManaman given his dynamism and elite tactical flexibility.
This might prove to be the 6 foot 2 star's final chance at Liverpool, where he could make a big impact in a fresh role and perhaps convince Anfield bosses that he must remain at the club.