Cody Gakpo‘s numbers proceed to rise at Liverpool, however there’s undeniably an space of his sport that he can enhance upon to succeed in a world-class degree.
Gakpo stays considerably of an enigma for Liverpool. At his finest he’s devastating, fast, direct, robust and has a hammer of a proper foot.
When defenders see the Dutchman reducing in off the left wing, they know they’re in bother. At 6’3″, he’s a menace within the air too.
He works laborious, is pleased to play out of place and is a wonderful character inside the dressing room. For his nation, he’s undoubtedly the star of Ronald Koeman’s Oranje, with 15 targets in 39 appearances since his debut in 2021.
Nevertheless, at 26 yr outdated and getting into his peak years, his Liverpool profession is arguably at a crossroads.
Cody Gallery, Season 2024/55
Began: 32 (All competitions)
On in its place: 17
Unused sub: 1
Objectives: 18
Assists: 6
General Season Score: 8
Cody Gakpo’s positional conundrum
When he was signed from PSV Eindhoven in January 2023 for a £37 million preliminary charge, it was rightly seen as an unbelievable piece of enterprise.
He had emerged as one of many standout younger attackers in Europe and Liverpool did brilliantly to get in forward of different rivals. A participant to ship within the quick and, extra pertinently, the long run.
But, two and a half years later, can we actually say that Gakpo makes Arne Slot’s first-choice eleven?
Because it stands, Luis Díaz stays the primary alternative off the left-wing. This, and the truth that severe funding is going on in different areas, are maybe behind rumours that Bayern Munich are considering testing Liverpool’s resolve round a saleable asset.
Earlier than the arrival of Slot, predecessor Jurgen Klopp probably obtained it unsuitable with Gakpo, making an attempt to shoehorn him into the facet as a centre-forward and solely taking part in him in his pure residence on the left in 22 p.c of his 53 appearances beneath the German.
The 2024/25 season encapsulated the Gakpo conundrum.
Out and in the beginning XI
He undoubtedly had an essential position to play in Liverpool’s well-known twentieth league title. With 18 targets and 7 assists throughout 49 appearances, Gakpo outperformed his different full season on the membership.
It shouldn’t be stunning that he did so whereas making virtually all of his appearances off the left. But on the identical time, he began on the bench 18 instances throughout all competitions, a 3rd of all video games.
He solely began two of Liverpool’s first 9 league video games, solely two in whole within the Champions League after which, regardless of being an everyday within the League Cup, was subsequently dropped for the ultimate.
And the variety of instances he accomplished 90 minutes? A mere eight matches. Will Gakpo proceed to be proud of what is actually the position of a really spectacular squad participant?
As at all times, there’s a flip facet to the narrative. You’ll be able to argue that prime golf equipment competing for a number of titles in stupidly lengthy seasons now want nice choices and depth in each place.
You’ll be able to have a look at the numbers, with Gakpo Liverpool’s third top-scorer within the league and joint-first within the Champions League, or you possibly can appropriately level out that he finally earned the belief of his countryman Slot, beginning in 16 out of 18 league matches from the beginning of October to the center of February.
Slot works with a really small group of core regulars – Gakpo was considered one of them. Moreover, he performed an integral position throughout the essential, busy Christmas interval through which Liverpool actually accelerated away from the chasing pack.
He began the matches towards Newcastle, Man Metropolis, Tottenham, Man United and Nottingham Forest. From the beginning of December to the tip of January, he bagged seven of his 10 League targets.
Tactically, Gakpo proved himself essential for Liverpool. Though it’s clear he likes to chop inside, he provides real width on the left, serving to to stretch defences together with his tempo and directness.
It’s not truthful to straight evaluate him with Diaz as a result of they’re such completely different fashionable wide-forwards; one methods and tight areas, the opposite makes use of deliberate actions and thrusting runs.
It have to be a right-back’s nightmare having to probably take care of each of them, glorious in their very own methods, in a single match.
Construct-up play is an space for enchancment
We additionally noticed how Gakpo was very important for fixing Slot’s striker problem, not by plonking him in an unnatural place upfront, however by enabling Slot to make use of the tempo and ending of Diaz down the center whereas figuring out that he had a superb different out vast.
Akin to most top-level forwards, Gakpo is excellent at getting within the field on the proper time for pull-backs or decisive sq. passes, and he’s an actual menace within the air for crosses from the best.
The dinked right-footed cross to the again put up that he can execute whereas transferring at pace is technically spectacular and offensively beneficial in equal measure, and it’s one thing he does commonly with the Netherlands to search out the charging Denzel Dumfries.
It’s truthful to query whether or not Gakpo does want so as to add extra strings to his bow if he actually is to grow to be indispensable.
It’s nice having a core high quality, a go-to transfer, however maybe the following step for Gakpo is to point out that he can play extra in between the strains, that he can typically shift to the best throughout a match to discombobulate defenders and, whisper it quietly, that he can truly typically use that seen energy down the center of the pitch.
Certainly, the world’s finest forwards right now are capable of supply threats from a number of areas.
Trying on the FBRef knowledge from the previous yr evaluating Gakpo to positional friends, he’s additionally within the backside 20 percentile for tried and progressive passes, suggesting his contribution in build-up play wants bettering.
That maybe isn’t an enormous problem for a participant whose worth is measured in targets, however what’s stunning is that he’s within the backside half for progressive carries and profitable take-ons. This hints at a participant who isn’t beating his man sufficient, which might by no means be a optimistic for a winger.
Cody Gakpo’s Liverpool position subsequent season
After dismissing the hyperlinks with Bayern, it’s extremely doubtless Gakpo will nonetheless be a Liverpool participant come the beginning of subsequent season – and that’s one thing followers ought to be pleased about.
If the membership do buy Milos Kerkez, you possibly can think about it actually serving to Gakpo, whose sport is properly suited to having a left-back behind him with an enormous engine making fixed overlapping runs, one thing that Andy Robertson simply isn’t capable of do on the identical depth or with the identical regularity as earlier than.
Whether or not Slot strikes for a brand new centre-forward or not is intriguing because it may scale back Diaz’s sport time down the center and switch it right into a season-long head-to-head with Gakpo for that left-forward position.
Gakpo is a top quality ahead who may properly grow to be an elite one.
In 326 skilled appearances, he has 101 targets and 73 assists. But, because it stands, he nonetheless isn’t talked up as considered one of Europe’s finest attackers.
You are feeling that subsequent season is the largest of his profession. The one the place he must take the following step to show to Slot that he’s deserving of that common beginning place and that he can fulfil the apparent potential to be one of many world’s finest.
Finest second: A superb roller to equalise at residence to Leicester, with the Reds struggling to interrupt down their opponents.
Worst second: An terrible cameo towards Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield in extra-time when he didn’t look remotely match.
Function subsequent season: An essential attacking possibility who must show himself worthy of a particular place within the beginning XI.
* Learn all our player-by-player season evaluations right here
