Cody Gakpo, symbol of the renewal of the Reds

The spark has sprung. While he had not yet confirmed all the great promises of the last World Cup since his arrival in Liverpool, Cody Gakpo finally put the church back in the center of the village this Sunday during the recital against Manchester United (7-0). The Dutch international scored a splendid double (43rd, 50th) which launched the Reds in this historic confrontation. A third and fourth goal under the colors of the Scousers which sound like the birth certificate of the Batavian prodigy.

Two transformations that perfectly sum up the type of player that the 23-year-old winger is. Capable of taking the depth then of transplanting in the axis and finishing with a curled shot on the first goal, he also highlights all his technical finesse on the second with a subtle lob. One of the revelations of the last World Cup also spoke about his opener against the Red Devils on Sky Sports : “It was incredible. I was on the side, he (Andrew Robertson) even said to me: “Go behind”. Then I ran, he gave me a great pass, I just had to make a touch inside. We practiced that kind of stuff a lot in training, so it’s good to score like that. »

To read
Liverpool: Cody Gakpo wanted to join Manchester United

“Everyone told me a lot about this game”

Before this highly anticipated duel, the Eindhoven native knew the importance of this England derby. He had already been decisive a few weeks earlier in another essential clash against Everton (2-0) by scoring a goal. Facing the men of Ten Hag, the Dutchman added the scalp of another sworn enemy. “Everyone told me a lot about this game before, so I knew it was an important game for the club, for the fans and also for us in the situation we are in. We were very motivated and when we achieve such a performance, it’s incredible. »

If the striker of a meter 93 has found a smile, all has not been rosy since his debut with the club in the North West of England. So far, the flagship rookie of Liverpool’s winter transfer window has struggled to find his feet in Jürgen Klopp’s eleven. He had to wait six games to open his counter. First delicate steps surely due to the bad period that his new team was going through in January. Since Virgil Van Dijk’s teammates turned things around during the last days of the Premier League, Gakpo has found some color and seems to be acclimatizing better and better to this new championship. Klopp had however taken the defense of his colt at the end of January, guaranteeing that he was in a period of learning. “Of course, internally, everything is fine, he is fine, he is an intelligent boy, he really wants to learn, a very good listener and, therefore, everything is fine with him. »

The Gakpo-Núñez-Salah trio, a growing connection

Arrived for a sum of 42 M€ from PSV Eindhoven, Gakpo reigned in his native country by achieving a phenomenal first part of the 2022-2023 season with 13 achievements and 17 assists. His transfer, in what is certainly the highest championship in the world of football, was not immediately successful. Accustomed to playing on the left side in a 4-2-3-1 at PSV, he had to learn to play in Klopp’s 4-3-3 system. Above all, he has integrated an attacking trio that has lost confidence in recent months, which suffers from the comparison with that of Mané-Firmino-Salah. After the meeting, he admitted that the automatisms with the Egyptian and Darwin Núñez were not yet perfectly regulated. “Obviously it’s a new attacking trio, except for Mo, so at the beginning it’s always a bit difficult to find each other because the three [précédents] were really used to playing with each other. Then it’s a new training, you have time to adapt and I think we’re getting there. We just have to keep improving, moving forward, working hard and everything will be fine. »

If Cody Gakpo still has a long way to go before reaching the level of the Senegalese and the Brazilian in his time, his performance against Manchester United remains very encouraging for the rest of his career with the Reds. A club legend, Jamie Carragher, who until then had not been kind to the Dutchman, even praised him. “Absolutely devastating, from start to finish. Gakpo has real composure”. One thing is certain to date, the one nicknamed “the Magician” has won the hearts of the supporters after this humiliation against the historic rival.