In what proved to be an incredibly frustrating evening for Liverpool against Manchester United yesterday, one player really struggled in particular.
Jurgen Klopp has always been willing to rotate his teams in the FA Cup over the years, sometimes he’s even been criticised for doing so.
But it felt different this season, Liverpool definitely sent out a team to win at Old Trafford, and for long periods it looked like they would.
However, once the game became stretched it seemed to suit Man United’s attack who were pretty ruthless in extra-time.
That being said, there was no such impetus provided by Cody Gakpo when he was introduced in the 77th minute.
The Liverpool forward really struggled to get up to the pace of the game, and it’s certainly not the first time he’s been accused of such.
Jamie Carragher said Gakpo looked like he was playing in ‘slow motion’ yesterday, and the 24-year-old does look bereft of confidence.
Gakpo arrived at Liverpool with a lot of excitement, but 68 appearances down the line, it’s still not entirely clear what he offers the eleven.
Why has Cody Gakpo really struggled for Liverpool of late?
First of all, it’s worth breaking down some of the simple numbers attached to Gakpo’s game.
Last season Gakpo managed seven league goals and three assists in 21 league games.
This season he has five goals and three assists in 26 Premier League outings, a slight drop off, but not much to write home about.
But perhaps it’s been Gakpo’s inability to grasp his chance whilst so many others have been injured this season that’s really stood out.
It’s now remarkable to think that Cody Gakpo arguably started the season ahead of Darwin Nunez in the pecking order, a player who has completely surpassed him.
Perhaps Nunez’s Liverpool form hasn’t really helped how Gakpo has struggled, but the chances have been there.
Klopp still seems to have a lot of faith in his £35m forward who obviously has some great characteristics, but he’s really struggled to make a position his own.
Gakpo shouldn’t be judged too harshly on his performance against United yesterday, but does feel like he’s being left behind when you consider how much other players are improving around him.
The Dutchman is an excellent ball-carrier who is great at dropping deep and linking the play, but he’s simply not done enough to make a position his own, and he’s now struggling to change the situation from the bench.
All that being said, Graeme Souness was more worried about a different Liverpool player yesterday.
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