Cody Gakpo had already made a happy habit of stepping up on the big occasion for Liverpool. So when Bayern Munich were the opposition in Singapore earlier this month, he didn’t waste any time.
Less than two minutes were on the clock when Gakpo, racing on to a return pass from Diogo Jota, sprinted clear of the Bayern backline and slotted home a fine finish.
It was further evidence of an effective warm-up programme for the Dutchman, who had signalled his intentions in the opening pre-season friendly at Karlsruhe when controlling a header down by Jota and then swivelling to fire into the top corner midway through the second half, before turning creator for Jota to net during injury time.
While his performance against Bayern came as the spearhead of the attack – from where he made 15 of his 17 Premier League starts having arrived midway through last season from PSV Eindhoven – earlier in the summer the lack of midfield options meant he was on the left of the engine room triumvirate.
And the continued shortage of selection choices for Jurgen Klopp meant Gakpo started the current top-flight campaign in the deeper role, with Jota, Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz occupying the attacking roles.
The Dutchman – whose only Liverpool start last season in midfield was in similarly emergency conditions at home to Brentford – has subsequently been the first player substituted by Klopp in the opening weekend draw at Chelsea and last weekend’s win over Bournemouth having struggled to make an impact.
The numbers suggest the midfield role has been restricting Gakpo’s natural game. In both matches, while the fact no Liverpool starter had fewer touches was explained in part by his early substitution, the Holland international’s impact at the business end was hampered with a combined two key passes and no shots on target. In 50 club games for PSV and Liverpool last season, Gakpo boasted 20 goals and 20 assists.
However, Sunday’s visit to Newcastle United could provide an opportunity for the forward to return to the attack, with new signing Wataru Endo and fit-again Stefan Bajcetic pressing for a starting role in defensive midfield which would allow Alexis Mac Allister to move into the more advanced midfield role that has been Gakpo’s in the past fortnight.
Gakpo has good memories of his last trip to Tyneside in February when, starting down the middle, he scored the second goal in Liverpool’s 2-0 win. Darwin Nunez, who netted the opener, began on the left.
An issue for the 24-year-old, though, is that all three starting forwards scored against Bournemouth with Jota, the player currently playing down the middle of the attack, also having a key role in Diaz’s equaliser in the 3-1 win. It would be a big call from Klopp to rotate the Portuguese out of the team.
Gakpo, then, may well have to wait to again lead the forward line. But it won’t be long before the Dutchman has the chance to demonstrate why he is regarded as Roberto Firmino’s natural false number nine replacement.
