Liverpool signing of PSV Eindhoven forward Cody Gakpo has come as somewhat of a surprise to fans, given he was so heavily linked with a move to Manchester United.
However, Jurgen Klopp has got his man, and now Liverpool fans will be wondering how their new star signing will fit in their current side.
The £37m signing is a highly flexible and fluid forward and is capable of playing across the frontline, but he has predominately played off the left wing for his club and down the middle for Holland.
With 13 goals and 17 assists in just 24 games so far this season, there’s no doubting that the 23-year-old is one of the most in-form forwards in Europe right now, but how does he fit in at a club that already possesses so much attacking talent.
Gakpo said: “I’m looking forward to start training and start playing for this amazing club.
“I think this is a great club for me to come in and try to show what I can [do] and try to help the team to achieve more beautiful moments that they already did in the past years.
“I think for me personally it’s also good to develop here and there’s a lot of great players here [who] I can learn a lot of things from.”
With all that said, here’s three ways Liverpool could line-up with Gakpo in the second half of the season.
4-3-3
Klopp has utilised a 4-3-3 formation for the majority of his time at Liverpool and has found great success with it, so it stands to reason that Gakpo would slot into the already tailor made system, rather than the system bend to his needs.
With most of the team already nailed on, the forward could slot in as either the striker, or off the left-wing.
Given how fluid and attacking Liverpool are, starting in either of those two positions shouldn’t make too much of a difference, as it is likely he will drift inwards if he’s on the left wing or move around the other attackers if he’s playing central.
But Nunez and Gakpo could easily be switched, as both have played in the other positions so far this season, so that small tweak could be made, as Nunez has been a threat off the left and that front three would be full of power and pace.
Jota and Diaz’s injuries mean he will likely feature off the left what would be Klopp’s strongest eleven.
4-2-2-2
When Klopp has switched it up this season, we’ve seen him deploy a 4-2-2-2 formation, such as in the 3-2 loss to Arsenal earlier in the season at the Emirates Stadium.
It was also seen in the wins against Rangers, West Ham and Manchester City, and it could be more suited to Gakpo than the 4-3-3.
Gakpo could feature just off the left again, with Darwin Nunez and Roberto Firmino up front.
Or he could feature as part of the front two, and Liverpool could opt for Fabio Carvalho on the left, if they want to keep one attacking option on the bench, as with Nunez and Firmino up front, it would mean they wouldn’t have any senior attackers on the bench until Jota and Diaz return.
Don’t be surprised if we see this formation resurface again at some point during the season, especially against teams where they are expected to dominate and win well.
.png)
4-3-3 (with Diaz and Jota fit)
Given that Diaz and Jota will both return before the season is over, its important to consider what the team could be with those available, as they will be.
Diaz is by far the team’s best option on the left wing, as he is the most natural winger in the squad, but it would mean Gakpo could only play up front in this scenario.
Nunez, Jota and Firmino would all be options off the bench here, with two of them doubling up as potential options on the left, as well as central.
In this system, Gakpo could play similarly to how Jota does as a number nine; he would be an option in the box and would anticipate chances like a traditional number nine, but he would also be able to play off the other two forwards, in what would be a typically fluid Klopp front three.
.png)
SOURCE: sportbible.com
