Liverpool runs the risk of failing to make the most of Cody Gakpo, at least for the immediate future. His skill-set is different to Mohamed Salah and others.
Liverpool added to their ranks earlier this month, acquiring the services of Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven to help their hunt for a finish in the top four of the Premier League. Now sixth in the table, the Reds need to improve and fast, which perhaps explains the winter arrival of the Dutchman.
Gakpo joins as a promising talent who appears to be in the process of making the step up from starlet to star, with Jürgen Klopp keen to harvest his most valuable qualities on Merseyside. The Dutchman has plenty of those attached to his game, with many attacking perks for Liverpool to maximize.
“There is a lot to like about Cody,” the Reds boss told Liverpoolfc.com last month. “He is still only 23 years old but he already has a lot of experience. Offensively, he is very versatile and on top of this we know he is a smart footballer and also a smart person, so we are really excited to be able to work with him.”
Klopp is right about Gakpo’s versatility given his ability to perform on the wing, through the centre and as a number 10, but it is reasonable to suggest he’s best deployed on the left flank. From that side of the pitch, he’s able to showcase one of his primary offensive weapons.
Whenever Gakpo receives the ball on the left, he tends to cut inside using his favoured right foot. However, once doing so, most inside forwards usually focus on finding a way to take a shot, particularly Mohamed Salah on the opposite side.
Diogo Jota, Luis Díaz, Darwin Núñez and even Sadio Mané are similar to Salah in that sense, albeit inverted. After cutting inside, the next objective is to score, or at least manipulate the situation to post an attempt on goal.
Gakpo often follows suit — scoring nine times in the Eredivisie this term before his move to Anfield, more than Salah has posted in the league this season — but he also has a curious quality in his locker. Sometimes, after cutting inside, he will decide to hit a very delicate cross in the direction of the six-yard box or back post.
The Dutch international depicts shades of a golfer in those moments, as his crosses are often subtle, cute and graceful, like he’s used a pitching wedge rather than his foot to strike the ball.
It is a peculiar weapon and one that many inside forwards do not possess, and it looks set to benefit two of Klopp’s attackers in particular. In Núñez and Jota, Liverpool have two poaching types, each of whom is experts at scoring headers and hoovering up chances close to goal.
The former is 1.87m tall and offers a physical presence in the penalty area, and the latter — even though he’s just 1.78m tall — has scored the same amount of headed goals as left-footed goals for Liverpool in England’s top-flight, with the Portuguese known for his surprising aerial strength.
Jota has been absent for the large majority of the current campaign, and with Gakpo on the verge of making his Premier League debut this weekend, it seems Núñez is going to join him on the treatment table with an apparent hamstring issue.
Klopp’s response was relatively vague when he was asked about the Uruguayan’s fitness in his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon. “If he cannot train today, then yes, that would rule him out. We are waiting for more information. It’s not a major one but it has still kept him out of training, so we have to wait for that.”
If Núñez does indeed miss out against Brighton on Saturday, it seems Gakpo’s under-the-radar quirk will go unused until his South American teammate returns to action, with Salah unlikely to make use of the same headed opportunities given the Egyptian tends to thrive most when the ball is on the floor.
Klopp’s new addition can still assume the spotlight at the Amex Stadium — perhaps by doing the scoring himself — but supporters will probably have to wait before witnessing Gakpo’s expert deliveries into the box. The full extent of this particular ‘smart’ skill may not be felt until Jota returns too.
SOURCE: liverpool.com
