Joe managed to shackle Neymar but let bubbly fall from his grasp
Joe Gomez has already shown he can cope with some of the best players in the world. Just don’t ask him to look after a bottle of champagne for you.
The 20-year-old made his England debut last November with an extended substitute appearance against Germany after Phil Jones got injured and then played a full 90 minutes against Brazil as he stepped in for Gary Cahill.
Gomez calmly slotted into a role in a back three in Gareth Southgate’s team. He helped keep the likes of Leroy Sane and Neymar quiet as both games ended goalless.
Such was Gomez’s performance in shutting out the world’s most-expensive footballer, he was named Man of the Match.
But while stopping Neymar on the pitch was one thing, keeping hold of the postmatch champagne was much harder for the young Liverpool defender.
“I wasn’t expecting to play,” he recalls. “I thought it was going to be Michael Keane and then I got the nod.
“In a way it was good. It didn’t give me time to think and I had to get my mind on the game straight away.
“It helped that I had got some time in the first game. I had already experienced it a little bit, so the initial nerves had gone down.
“You can’t be in awe of someone like Neymar. That might not do you any good.
“You have to balance respecting the ability, but understanding that he’s your opponent. It does help being aware of who it is.
“It was a difficult challenge, but a great experience. The management of my bags and the champagne was a bit off, though!
“We were heading home and I had my boots, my bag and my suitcase with me. I just overloaded. I felt the bottle slipping and my reactions weren’t any good, and it was gone.
“It was the first step into the room and I had that awkward moment where everyone looked at me and said: ‘What happened?’”
Gomez has progressed through the age groups with England, and both his international performances and on club duty for Jurgen Klopp at Anfield have impressed Southgate.
Even before he had to go off injured early on in Amsterdam, the Londoner was refusing to count his chickens about being on the plane to Russia for the World Cup.
He’s a doubt for Tuesday’s friendly against Italy at Wembley, the last action before the
squad is named. But Gomez believes he has benefited from the agonising decision of not going to last summer’s Euro Under-21 tournament in Poland.
Having come back only a few months before from a cruciate ligament injury which had kept him out for over a year, Gomez felt that rest and recuperation would be better for him in the long term.
So after discussions with Under-21 coach Aidy Boothroyd, he opted to pull out.
“It was a very tough decision,” he says. “At that particular time, I just felt that I had a lot of personal things to work on with my game and physically to get in the best shape.
“I didn’t want to go not being 100% fit, or ready for it.
“I had a sit-down with Aidy and we met up one-on-one. It wasn’t a quick decision and it wasn’t like my mind was set.
“I went back and forth, weighing up the pros and cons. I sat thinking about it a lot, there were a few sleepless nights.
“I didn’t downplay at all the opportunity, or the honour, to go to the Euro Under-21s. I knew what was at stake.
“One of my worries was whether the decision would backfire later on. That’s why I wanted to take the time.
“I made sure I sat down with Aidy and talked it through. It was just him and I, no-one else. We met away from my club and away from outside influences.
“It was a personal decision. Liverpool didn’t have any influence and I didn’t ask them for any help. Obviously, I let the manager know I was thinking about not going, but he didn’t have any say.
“I believe getting the opportunity to go straight into pre-season to get ready has really helped me progress this season.”