Why Cody Gakpo could provide a psychological edge for Liverpool vs Tottenham
Mohamed Salah is undoubtedly Liverpool‘s most influential player, with Virgil van Dijk not far behind. However, other members of Arne Slot’s team are playing an integral role as they pursue the club’s 20th championship.
One such player is Cody Gakpo, who started his time in Merseyside slowly, with some even questioning his commitment. He initially struggled to fit into Jürgen Klopp’s system, and his versatility often worked against him.
However, with a renewed sense of purpose, the Dutch international has made himself an undeniable asset, predominantly featuring from the left flank for the Reds.
Since the beginning of November, only Mohamed Salah (7) has scored more Premier League goals for the Reds than Gakpo (3). Across his previous 11 matches in all competitions, he’s netted seven goals and created one more.
After coming off the bench in Liverpool’s first six league matches, he has started five of the last six games. During this stretch, Gakpo has netted all of those aforementioned efforts, including one in the recent match against Fulham, where the Premier League leaders went down to ten men and fell behind within the opening 20 minutes.
The mood around Gakpo is a sharp contrast to earlier this year following Liverpool’s exiit from the FA Cup against eventual winners Manchester United.
“Gakpo plays like the game is in slow motion,” the former Reds captain Jamie Carragher posted on X, formerly Twitter, after the club’s FA Cup exit to Manchester United earlier his year.
During his 43 minutes on the Old Trafford pitch (including extra time), Gakpo registered one blocked shot and was dispossessed twice.
Not the first name on Klopp’s team sheet when all his attacking options were present, Gakpo made 53 appearances in all competitions last season, netting 16 goals while creating six more.
Capable of playing across the forward line, Gakpo was featured in four different roles, most commonly as a centre-forward. However, it’s been documented that the Eindhoven native is perhaps more comfortable cutting inside from the left flank, where he excelled for the Dutch at Euro 2020.
“Not many players could receive the ball and make a defender s*** their pants. Gakpo is one of them,” former Dutch international Rafael van der Vaart said on Dutch broadcaster NOS.
Gakpo had alternated with Darwin Núñez and Diogo Jota as centre-forward options. While being utilised as a false nine, Gakpo would be tasked with dropping into the space between Liverpool’s midfield and forward lines.
It was leading Klopp’s attack, where Gakpo was predominantly featured last season (1,004 minutes), while he only spent 293 minutes on his favoured left flank. So far under Slot’s leadership, he’s spent more time wide on the left flank (635 minutes) compared to playing through the middle (59 minutes).
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Gakpo, who has completed the full 90 minutes twice in seven previous matches this season, is expected to start against Tottenham in their next game. Given Tottenham’s current defensive crisis, there is a possibility of a reunion with Radu Drăgușin. Gakpo had a significant duel with him during Euro 2024 this summer.
In the last 16 match between the Netherlands and Romania, the former Genoa central defender made a crucial error by switching off, mistakenly thinking the ball was going out of play. He initially showed good physical presence by pushing Gakpo out of the way, but his indecision allowed Gakpo to keep the ball in play. Gakpo then squared it to Donyell Malen, who easily tapped the ball into an empty net.
Psychology often plays a significant role in sports, and previous demoralizing moments can resurface, becoming advantageous for the player who caused that trauma. Drăgușin, who has started in Tottenham’s last six Premier League matches, is likely aware of that mistake, and it will be fascinating to observe the first moment when the pair are in close proximity.
