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Cody Gakpo had a good game against Everton, and it was one of the more encouraging parts of Liverpool’s latest win.
Liverpool needed players to step up to this challenge, and Gakpo was one of the real positives. He looked sharper, more involved, and far more dangerous when picking the ball up in areas that suited him.
It was a big result for Liverpool more than it was a brilliant team display, but some individual performances pushed the team over the line, and the Dutchman’s was one of those. Gakpo seemed to take up a slightly different position, and it gave Liverpool another route through the middle of the pitch.
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Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images Cody Gakpo played more centrally with Alexander Isak during Everton win
Gakpo has been used as a striker a bit more recently than he was earlier in the season, and is maybe more used to being in that central area. Rather than staying wide and hugging the touchline, he drifted infield far more often and almost operated in a strike partnership with Alexander Isak.
The numbers tell us it worked. No Liverpool player created more chances than Gakpo, with four, including a stunning assist for Mo Salah. He also had three shots of his own.
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
It suited him. Gakpo does not often beat his man on the outside and race down the byline, so receiving the ball in central spaces makes him less predictable and more dangerous.
There was more variety to his game from those positions. He could link play, slide passes into runners, or get shots away himself without first having to come inside from the left every single time.
Arne Slot should stick with it. It gives Gakpo a better platform to affect games, and it may also help Liverpool in the long run.
Hugo Ekitike would suit this Gakpo role very well
Hugo Ekitike likes drifting out to the left, which is why this shape could become useful for Slot when he is available again.
If Liverpool are not going to go down the 3-5-2 route, this feels like a smart way of getting Ekitike and Isak into the same team without making either one uncomfortable.
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Photo Credit: Getty Images/Liverpool FC
Gakpo’s movement against Everton offered a glimpse of how that could work. When Ekitike comes back from injury, Slot may already have the outline of a system that gets more from all three.
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