Cody Gakpo and his Missed Opportunity in Jurgen Klopp’s Plans
Liverpool had seemingly pulled off a major transfer coup when they signed Cody Gakpo for £35million following his World Cup heroics for the Netherlands, in January 2023. The Dutchman had an immediate impact on Merseyside and became an integral part of Liverpool’s winning streak at the end of the 2023/24 season.
However, Gakpo has really struggled to find his feet this season and has subsequently slipped down the pecking order at Anfield. Whether that be down to tactical shifts or a lack of confidence, the 24-year-old is having a fairly underwhelming campaign so far.
Today we’re going to be taking a deeper look at Gakpo and what the cause for his poor form could be.
Tactical Fit
Last season, Gakpo was labelled as the perfect replacement for Roberto Firmino and had nailed down the false nine position in anticipation of the Brazilian’s imminent departure. His impressive form was leaving it hard for the likes of Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez to break into the starting eleven, whilst Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz would play either side of Gakpo.
However, Gakpo’s progression this season has pretty much been under scrutiny since the opening game of the season. As Liverpool faced Chelsea in the opening game of the Premier League season, the Reds had only secured the signings of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai at that point. Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch hadn’t been signed at that point, meaning Gakpo was deployed as the third central midfielder.
Since then, Gakpo has only played 10 Premier League games a centre forward so far this season. Instead, he has played seven times as a central midfielder, six times as a left-winger and twice as a right-winger. With that sort of inconsistency in his tactical roles, its hard to expect much more consistency in his performances.
Importance of Numbers
Despite his impressive performances in the Carabao Cup, which saw him score four goals in six games, Gakpo has only managed five goals and three assists in 25 Premier League appearances. In total, Gakpo has 11 goals and five assists in 43 appearances across all competitions this season.
In contrast, the Dutchman managed seven goals and three assists in 21 Premier League appearances last season. His numbers this season aren’t awful considering the amount of minutes he has played, but he has been nowhere near the levels of the likes of Nunez, Jota and Salah this season.
Despite Gakpo’s mostly impressive all-round performances, ultimately goals win games and he hasn’t been able to provide big moments in the big games this season and that has put the other forwards ahead of him.
Gakpo’s Missed Opportunity
It must be a really frustrating spell for Gakpo, as his poor form has coincided with his most frequent run of games this season. With the likes of Salah, Jota and Nunez all suffering with injuries since the start of January, the past few months have been a huge opportunity for Gakpo.
So far in 2024, Gakpo has only managed four goals and two assists in 15 games, despite playing more minutes than the likes of Salah and Nunez. With those player returning recently, I can’t help but feel that it has been a massive missed opportunity for Gakpo, who has been unable to nail a place down even in their absence.
There’s no doubt that Gakpo is a brilliant player and will still have a bright future at Liverpool, but he will definitely be kicking himself over the chances he has squandered recently. Hopefully he can still play a significant part in Liverpool’s run-in towards the end of the season and he could even make himself a hero, who knows?
