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By Sam McGuire
The Reds sit top of the Premier League having won six of their opening seven matches under Arne Slot. They’ve kept five clean sheets and have the best defensive record in the league having conceded just two goals.
In defence, they’re robust. In attack, Slot has everyone firing.
Luis Díaz leads the way for the Reds with five goals in the English top-flight. Mohamed Salah has struck on four occasions. Diogo Jota has bagged twice while Darwin Núñez opened his account against Bournemouth. Cody Gakpo and Federico Chiesa are the only two forwards not to score in the Premier League this season for Liverpool.
Gakpo has goals in the Carabao Cup though. And the Dutchman was the difference-maker for Slot’s men last weekend in the win over Crystal Palace. He assisted the winner, picking out Jota with a pass into the penalty area after good work down the left.
It wasn’t too dissimilar to his assist at San Siro in Liverpool’s 3-1 win over AC Milan.
His game time has been fairly limited so far this season. The start against the Eagles was his first in the Premier League and he’s made just three starts in all competitions. Despite this, he’s been influential, impactful and full of confidence. For the first time in his Liverpool career, he appears to believe in himself. He’s no longer playing as though he has imposter syndrome.
Perhaps this is because Slot has given the Liverpool No. 18 a home in this team. He is a left-winger. This has clearly had an impact on Gakpo’s confidence because we’re seeing the former PSV man reproduce the sort of form he regularly shows for his national team.
Ahead of the new season, Gakpo told the club’s website: “I spoke to him and obviously he sees me as a left winger.
“That’s how I think he sees me. We have a lot of players in the front line and you know the season is long and there can be some injuries in every position.
“So he (Slot) said, ‘You’re playing there but maybe I need you in another position, you can play there as well. Just be ready.’ For me, I’m here and I try to play the best football I can and help the club as much as I can with my qualities.”
The assumption was that he’d be the first choice option on the left but Díaz’s form has made it difficult for Slot to drop the Colombia international.
But, whenever he’s given an opportunity, Gakpo is making the most of his minutes on the pitch.
He’s grabbed a goal involvement in each of his three starts this term. He set up Dominik Szoboszlai for the all important third goal for the Reds at San Siro.
The 25-year-old netted twice in the Carabao Cup win over West Ham United. He also carved out three chances in the emphatic win against the Hammers.
Then, against Crystal Palace, he assisted the winner. His showing at Selhurst Park earned him a place in the FotMob TOTW. He created five chances and one big chance. Gakpo completed 100% of his dribbles, won two of his three tackles and triumphed in eight of 10 duels.
Across his three starts this term, he’s had an average FotMob rating of 8.8. Gakpo has been an output monster for the Reds when selected.
Slot has had to manage this situation. He referenced the fact he thought Gakpo was fuelled by anger against Milan having struggled for game time.
“His game might have come from anger, but I don’t think you need anger to play in the best possible way,” Slot told reporters after revealing Gakpo had been in line to start in the loss against Nottingham Forest after the international break. However, Díaz returned in better shape and got the nod.
“Every time you play, if you play every week or once in a while, you have to give it your best.
“I think he benefits from two things, apart from anger, that is his own quality – we know how special a player he is – and he benefits from players around him and the team, the structure and the moments when he gets the ball when he is in the right positions.
“But the one he’s in competition with had some good performances as well, so that’s what I mean, it’s all about the team.”
Gakpo is now someone who believes he’s better. He’s confident. He knows he’s bigger, quicker and stronger than most. The Dutchman, who joined the club in January 2023, now seems to believe he’s a Liverpool player. And that sort of confidence is invaluable.
It’s a far cry from last term. He finished the 2023/24 campaign well, scoring against Aston Villa and Spurs while also assisting against the latter, as well as Fulham. Klopo deployed Gakpo as a centre-forward and the Dutch attacker replaced Darwin in the starting XI.
He registered eight goals and five assists in the English top-flight across 1,700 minutes. He was good, he just wasn’t great. The output was there but he just wasn’t as impactful as he had been elsewhere. And his versatility meant he was effectively homeless in the Liverpool team. Klopp treated him as a plug and play type individual. That is perhaps why he wasn’t able to really make any role his own. That is possibly why he was never as confident as he should’ve been, because he didn’t know where he’d be playing the following week.
Slot has unleashed the Gakpo that terrorised Eredivisie defences. The more he plays, the better he’ll be.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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