Liverpool weren’t at their best against Brighton yesterday but still picked up an important 2-1 win.
The victory moved the Reds to the top of the Premier League table with nine games remaining. With the stakes so high, it was a tense affair at Anfield.
Without room for error, Liverpool simply had to take three points from Brighton for the first time in two years. Thankfully, with a huge amount of help from Alexis Mac Allister, they did.
Clutching onto a one-goal lead for the final 25 minutes or so, it was interesting that Jurgen Klopp chose not to use his substitutes.
The manager is usually keen to make some changes on or around the hour mark. On Sunday however, Klopp kept his starting XI on the field until the 83rd minute, when Harvey Elliott came on. Perhaps we’re reading too much into this, but we think that could spell trouble for one player in particular.
Jurgen Klopp withholds substitutes vs Brighton
Maybe it was just the way the game panned out in the end. But we think there was a little more in Klopp’s decision not to turn to his bench.
With a couple of players slightly out of sorts – including a very quiet showing from Darwin Nunez – you might have expected Jurgen to freshen things up.
Ordinarily this season, whatever the score is, the German tends to bring on one or two of his attackers who didn’t start the game. With Diogo Jota injured, this role has fallen to Cody Gakpo of late.
With Gakpo earning criticism for his sluggish display off the bench against Manchester United last time out though, he stayed on the bench against Brighton.
The Dutchman did eventually enter the fray, but not until the 89th minute. Had Liverpool managed to get a third goal, we think we’d have seen Gakpo much sooner.
Consequently, we think that Klopp might just be running out of trust that the 24-year-old can make the difference. Gakpo has done well on the whole this season, but some recent showings have brought his effectiveness into question.
Does Cody Gakpo have a future at Liverpool
To some supporters, this will seem like a silly question. Gakpo is still only 24, was signed for a relatively steep fee of around £44m and has been shifting in and out of his best position this season. Of course he should be given more time.
For others though, they’ve already seen enough. Gakpo is not contributing as much as his teammates when things really matter. His 13 goals this season have largely come in games where Liverpool have been winning handsomely. Rarely does the Netherlands international make a decisive difference.
For this reason, we wouldn’t be surprised if Klopp were just faltering a little when throwing Gakpo in for the really big moments. It isn’t that he isn’t a top player, he’s already shown that he is. But when the chips are down, do you really want him on the pitch?
This may seem harsh, but it’s now on Gakpo to show why he not only deserves time on the pitch, but should be starting in the very biggest of games. Over to you, Cody.
