Liverpool progress, but questions linger around Cody Gakpo
Liverpool’s 4-1 FA Cup win over Barnsley moved Arne Slot’s side into the fourth round, yet the scoreline masked a performance that prompted sharp analysis on the Daily Red Podcast. Speaking in his familiar lunchtime slot, Dave Hendrick delivered a typically forensic breakdown, reserving his strongest criticism for Cody Gakpo.
The match itself, as Hendrick noted, was shaped by moments rather than control. “Not the most inspiring football played by the Reds for long stretches,” he said, before adding that it was “a game interrupted by world class moments.” Dominik Szoboszlai’s opener was described as “an absolute rocket launcher of a shot,” while the late goals from Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike finally put distance between Liverpool and a spirited Barnsley side.
Yet amid the praise for individual brilliance, Hendrick’s assessment of Gakpo was stark, and it has wider implications for Liverpool’s forward line.
Cody Gakpo under scrutiny after Barnsley display
Hendrick did not hedge his words when turning to Gakpo’s performance. “I avoided criticising him after the Arsenal game because I thought he put in quite a lot of work, but I thought Cody was awful last night,” he said. He doubled down moments later, adding, “I thought he was genuinely terrible.”
This was not framed as an isolated failing. Hendrick was careful to contextualise the criticism, stressing, “Now, he wasn’t alone. Let’s be clear. He wasn’t alone.” Even so, Gakpo was singled out as one of the players who fell furthest short of expectations.
Crucially, Hendrick questioned where Gakpo currently fits in Liverpool’s plans. Grouping him with another underperformer, he said, “It was Cody and Chiesa who kind of stood out to me as you’re not quite where we want you to be.” The conclusion was blunt and loaded with consequence, “maybe both of them should be sold in the summer.”
Standards under Arne Slot
The wider theme running through the podcast was standards. Liverpool won, progressed, and ultimately looked comfortable, but Hendrick made clear that comfort was not the benchmark. “It took world class goals for us to score last night,” he observed, pointing to a reliance on individual quality rather than collective fluency.
That context matters for Gakpo. In a squad where Szoboszlai can change a game with a strike from distance and where substitutes like Wirtz and Ekitike can combine for goals and assists, patience is thin. Hendrick highlighted that partnership, noting they “did something no Liverpool subs have ever done before” and adding, “they look like a real partnership, like they have natural chemistry.”
Against that backdrop, forwards who fail to influence games stand out more starkly than ever.
What it means for Liverpool going forward
Hendrick’s comments were not an emotional reaction to one poor night. They were part of a broader, analytical assessment of where Liverpool are and where certain players sit within that trajectory. Gakpo’s struggles against lower league opposition, in a match Liverpool ultimately won comfortably, raised uncomfortable questions.
Barnsley, Hendrick felt, could “walk off with their head held high,” having not been “out fought” or “outran.” For Liverpool attackers, that only sharpened the contrast. If the Reds are to maintain their edge domestically and in cup competitions, every squad player must contribute decisively.
As the Daily Red Podcast made clear, this was less about one FA Cup tie and more about direction. For Cody Gakpo, Hendrick’s verdict was damning, and it places his Liverpool future firmly under the microscope.
