Cody Gakpo is at a crossroads despite his best season yet at Liverpool – Liverpool FC

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 stage.

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 hassle. At 6’3″, he’s a menace within the air too.

He works laborious, is blissful 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.

Nonetheless, at 26 yr outdated and getting into his peak years, his Liverpool profession is arguably at a crossroads.

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 brief and, extra pertinently, the long run.

But, two and a half years later, can we truthfully 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 inquisitive about testing Liverpool’s resolve round a saleable asset.

Earlier than the arrival of Slot, predecessor Jurgen Klopp probably obtained it mistaken with Gakpo, making an attempt to shoehorn him into the aspect as a centre-forward and solely enjoying him in his pure dwelling on the left in 22 % of his 53 appearances underneath 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 shocking that he did so whereas making nearly all of his appearances off the left. But on the identical time, he began on the bench 18 occasions throughout all competitions, a 3rd of all video games.

He solely began two of Liverpool’s first 9 league video games, solely two in complete within the Champions League after which, regardless of being a daily within the League Cup, was subsequently dropped for the ultimate.

And the variety of occasions he accomplished 90 minutes? A mere eight matches. Will Gakpo proceed to be pleased with what is basically the position of a really spectacular squad participant?

As at all times, there’s a flip aspect to the narrative. You may 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 may 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’ll be able to accurately level out that he ultimately 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 in the course of the essential, busy Christmas interval by 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 isn’t honest to straight evaluate him with Diaz as a result of they’re such totally different trendy wide-forwards; one tips and tight areas, the opposite makes use of deliberate actions and thrusting runs.

It should 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 challenge, 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 understanding that he had a wonderful 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 correct.

The dinked right-footed cross to the again publish that he can execute whereas shifting at pace is technically spectacular and offensively priceless in equal measure, and it’s one thing he does commonly with the Netherlands to seek out the charging Denzel Dumfries.

It’s honest to query whether or not Gakpo does want so as to add extra strings to his bow if he actually is to turn into indispensable.

It’s nice having a core high quality, a go-to transfer, however maybe the subsequent step for Gakpo is to point out that he can play extra in between the traces, that he can typically shift to the correct throughout a match to discombobulate defenders and, whisper it quietly, that he can truly typically use that seen power down the center of the pitch.

Certainly, the world’s finest forwards immediately 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 enhancing.

That maybe isn’t an enormous challenge for a participant whose worth is measured in targets, however what’s shocking 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 may by no means be a constructive 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 needs to be blissful about.

If the membership do buy Milos Kerkez, you’ll be able to think about it actually serving to Gakpo, whose sport is effectively 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 effectively turn into 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’re feeling that subsequent season is the largest of his profession. The one the place he must take the subsequent step to show to Slot that he’s deserving of that common beginning place and that he can fulfil the plain potential to be one of many world’s finest.

Finest second: A superb roller to equalise at dwelling 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.

Position subsequent season: An essential attacking choice who must show himself worthy of a particular place within the beginning XI.

* Learn all our player-by-player season critiques right here