Liverpool legend and ECHO columnist John Aldridge talks about potential new signing Cody Gakpo and how it could help Darwin Nunez.
It wasn’t ideal for Liverpool that Aston Villa had five really good chances, but we had 10 of our own.
Darwin Nunez could have had a hat-trick and other players had chances as well. The creativity and the way Liverpool played was very good, it was like the Liverpool of old.
They weren’t 100 per cent defensively, but it was a massive result going into the second half of the season. Taking that into account and getting three points away from home is tricky.
Darwin Nunez will certainly get better
Nunez is a nightmare to play against, take it from me. He’s got much better pace than I thought, he’s so quick.
He’s strong, good in the air and a proper handful. He’s young and hungry and has fire in the belly, as well.
The problem would be if he wasn’t getting any chances, so the fact that he could have scored three or four against Villa bodes well. It’s just a matter of time before he starts putting those chances away.
His confidence will grow, and it’s a little bit low at the moment because he’s not scoring. But he created a goal and was involved in another, and he’s created a few as well as scored some in the past.
Nunez will only get better, he just panics a little bit and he tries too hard sometimes. He wants to deliver and wants to be a success and a hit, but that will happen, I’m pretty sure about that.
If Liverpool had got beat against Villa then it would be a different story. But they won and he was part of the structure and the reason why Liverpool won.
He ran the VIlla defence ragged and other players picked up and got their chances because of that.
Liverpool were a bit open defensively and that was the only thing that wasn’t ideal. But the performance was really good and Jurgen Klopp will be delighted with that going forward.
Robertson and Trent at it again
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson’s performance against Villa spoke for itself.
Trent had a new lease of life, and the break will have done him the world of good. He’s got that hunger back but he doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone.
And Robertson, when he gets into those attacking positions like he did with Liverpool’s first goal against Villa, it was a fantastic ball for a striker.
But both players are so important to the structure of Liverpool and against Villa they were excellent.
New lease of life for Mo Salah
Mohamed Salah also seemed to have a new lease of life against Villa. He maybe had a point to prove against whoever.
But those stats of him scoring the same number of goals as Sir Kenny Dalglish are magnificent. Hopefully he’ll continue to do that for the rest of his contract.
Cody Gakpo an ideal signing for Liverpool
Cody Gakpo would be an ideal signing for the way Liverpool play. He can play across the front three, on the right and on the left.
He can also play down the middle, and that’s exactly what Jurgen likes from a player. He likes options and players who can move around a little bit, and he’s certainly one of them.
Nunez can play on the left and has done a really good job. Salah can as well and so can Diogo Jota.
So Liverpool have more than enough options when they are all fit and available, with Roberto Firmino there, as well. Luis Diaz is a left winger, anyway.
I think Liverpool are a little bit desperate because Firmino has been injured in the past, and Diaz and Jota are out for the foreseeable future. They’re not going to come back fit and firing straight away, it will take a bit of time.
So Liverpool need to have people who can score goals. We need goals now to get the club in the top four and stay in the remaining cup competitions.
Gakpo is a very clever player from what I’ve read about him. He’s very astute and really disciplined and he wants more from himself.
I think the key factor would have been Virgil van Dijk. Klopp would more than likely have asked what he’s like as a person, and he seems really disciplined.
Van Dijk would have played against Gakpo in training and may have been given a rough time and been difficult to mark. Van Dijk may have relayed that and endorsed the player to Klopp.
SOURCE: liverpoolecho.co.uk
