Last season, Cody Gakpo transformed Liverpool’s offensive into a successful focal point, but so far this season, he has disappointed in his role as an emergency midfielder.
Cody Gakpo had already developed the positive habit of rising to the challenge for Liverpool. So he wasted no time when Bayern Munich was the opposition in Singapore earlier this month.
With just two minutes remaining, Gakpo outran the Bayern backline after sprinting on a return pass from Diogo Jota. He then skillfully finished the play.
The Dutchman had previously signaled his intentions in the first preseason friendly at Karlsruhe by controlling a header down by Jota and then swiveling to fire into the top corner midway through the second half, before turning creator for Jota to score during injury time. This was additional evidence of an effective warm-up program for the player.
After joining from PSV Eindhoven in the middle of last season, he made 15 of his 17 Premier League starts there. However, prior to his performance against Bayern, he was positioned on the left of the engine room triad due to a lack of midfield options.
Gakpo began the current top-flight season in the deeper role, with Jota, Mohamed Salah, and Luis Diaz filling the offensive roles due to Jurgen Klopp’s persistent lack of selection options.
The Dutchman was the first player Klopp replaced in both Liverpool’s victories over Bournemouth and Chelsea after struggling to make an impact in both games. The Dutchman’s only Liverpool start in midfield last season came in a similar emergency situation at home against Brentford.
The statistics imply that Gakpo’s natural game has been constrained by the midfield position. While his early substitution in both games may have contributed to the fact that no Liverpool starter had fewer touches, the impact of the Holland international at the offensive end was limited by a combined total of two important passes and no shots on goal. Gakpo scored 20 goals and provided 20 assists in 50 club matches for PSV and Liverpool last season.
With Wataru Endo, a recent acquisition, and a fully recovered Stefan Bajcetic vying for the starting spot in defensive midfield, Alexis Mac Allister could take over Gakpo’s more advanced midfield position on Sunday’s trip to Newcastle United, giving the forward a chance to return to the attack.
When Gakpo previously visited Tyneside in February, Liverpool defeated them 2-0, and Gakpo scored the second goal by starting down the middle. Darwin Nunez started on the left and scored the game’s first goal.
However, the 24-year-old has a problem because all three of the starting forwards scored against Bournemouth, and Jota, who is currently positioned in the centre of the attack, also had a significant part in Diaz’s equalizer in the 3-1 victory. Klopp’s decision to rotate the Portuguese out of the team would be a significant one.
So, Gakpo might have to wait before taking the lead in the forward line once more. But the Dutchman won’t have to wait long to have the chance to show why people think of him as Roberto Firmino’s logical successor.
