Glen Johnson on AFCON’s impact on Liverpool: “Any game without your key men is going to be crucial

“Yes, possibly. I know that Liverpool are asking for their players to be released on December 27th which means they’ll miss fewer fixtures and if that’s the case then that would be less threatening as it could be. However if Liverpool lose a couple of their key players for four or five games then that could be a massive blow because I don’t think anybody’s going to win this league by eight or nine points. You could finish two points from the top and finish third, so I think any game without your key men is going to be crucial.”

“Firmino is still a key player in the squad. Jota certainly has a bigger goal threat and probably should have had two more last weekend against Wolves. Firmino may not be as big a goal threat but he certainly can bring others into the game and link up play really well. Liverpool are obviously going to lose a few players due to the Africa Cup of Nations, but as long as Firmino comes in and picks up where he left off then he will still have a big role to play.”

“The hardest one to replace is Mo, in terms of individual ability. But Liverpool have players to come in, as opposed to the situation with Eduoard Mendy at Chelsea. It’s also tough with Mendy. You would rather Mo in your team than Mendy, but at the same time you’d rather Roberto Firmino come in to replace Salah instead of Mendy’s replacement, if that makes sense. In that sense, because of that question, I think Mendy is the biggest loss.” 

“It’s a tough one. I’d say he’s third behind Alisson and Ederson, but that isn’t a negative to Mendy as it’s just a case of the other two being so good. I would say that Ederson is the best because of how good he is with his feet and how sometimes he acts like another defender and allows others to stand in more attacking positions.”

“I don’t know. This kid has a clear mind on him. He made a really ballsy decision to go to Germany when he was so young and decided to leave his comfort zone to prove what he can do. For me, it was genius. I don’t think he’s going to rush into anything as he could have probably signed for Manchester United or Liverpool before he went to Borussia Dortmund. To turn away clubs like that and head to Germany in the way he did was gold dust. Not many kids turn down clubs of that calibre. He will make the right decision when he’s ready and if he rocked up at Liverpool then ‘wow’. The kid’s unbelievable and I think he will suit that team down to the ground.”

“Everything’s about timing. He is a young lad and he has struggled with injuries. But Liverpool’s a tough side to break into - you can quickly become 27th in the pecking order! A couple more injuries and the time flies and Liverpool do well and you struggle to get in the side. You don’t want to be playing one game a month, you won’t gain any momentum doing that. But as long as his body’s strong enough and he believes that he can play week in week out, then I definitely think he would look at going out on loan. Whether Liverpool let him or not is a different matter.

“For Gomez to get into the England squad is relatively straightforward. But you don’t just want to be in the squad, you want to be starting every game. For me, if he wants to be starting those games and be remembered as a full international, he’s got to be playing week in week out going into the tournament, to prove he’s fit and that he is back to his best. Being picked on his ability, that’s a given, and he’s playing in a position that England need help in right now.”

“If you have Kevin de Bruyne, for example, and another guy who isn’t starting every week is on £500k a week, and you’re not, you’re going to be asking ‘well hold on, I’m the one winning all these games!’ They’re superb professionals who are all on an awful lot of money, but they’ll be a couple who’ll be like ‘I’m playing every week and even I’m not getting that, and this guy’s on the bench at the moment!’ So I think it could disrupt the harmony.

“In terms of the English players, of course they are certainly more precious because of certain Premier League rules. But I don’t think City need to pay him a lot more, because Barcelona can’t pay that, can they?!”

“Yes. You’ve got a team and a squad that should be performing better than they are. We all know that Brendan would have his eye on that United job. We all know that. So if we all know that, then the players know that. So, yes, I do think it is a distraction. I’m not suggesting that Brendan has taken his eye off the ball directly with Leicester, but sometimes subconsciously that is what happens. The temptation is definitely going to be there and it’s probably affecting all of them.”

“Probably not. Mourinho is a fantastic manager and he’s won things over the years. But he doesn’t sign for clubs that he doesn’t think he can’t win the league with. If he did take over at Everton, it would be the first time he’s ever had to fight to get into the top ten in the league. Normally he signs for world class clubs who are going for big medals and big titles, or in the Champions League. I can’t believe he would be happy fighting to finish in the top ten. I don’t think it would work. He’s not a man that likes losing. And at Everton, you’re not going to be winning every week.”

“Yeah, possibly. Tarkowski’s a solid player. He’s not going to set the world alight or do anything to surprise us. He’s a good lad because you don’t hang around Burnley unless you are one and I think he’d settle in well at West Ham. But whether it is Tarkowski or someone else, West Ham definitely need to get someone in. Obviously they’ve lost Ben Johnson now as well, at the weekend against Chelsea, and a couple of others, so they’re running thin. If they struck a deal with him, they could do something similar as they did with Craig Dawson. It’s a similar situation. Dawson’s a hard-working pro and he’s come there and he’s been a good signing. And as long as West Ham can get Tarkowski for similarly sensible money, then I think they should.”