The excellent participant within the Netherlands’ opening 2-1 Euro 2024 win in opposition to Poland was Cody Gakpo. And as many followers and journalists have since realised, he was enjoying off the left wing.
This shouldn’t be a shock or sudden second of footballing revelation.
For many of his profession, the left wing has been Gakpo’s most pure house. It’s simply that, to this point at Liverpool, we’ve barely been capable of see him residing in it.
First, the numbers.
Throughout his time at PSV Eindhoven, the place Gakpo grew to become an everyday within the 2018/19 season, 117 out of 158 appearances in all competitions got here off that flank.
Moreover, within the first half of the 2022/23 season – a interval through which he jumped from the class of thrilling expertise to main European ahead – Gakpo scored 13 and assisted 17 in simply 24 matches in all competitions. All of them enjoying on the left of a entrance three.
With the Netherlands, he has performed nearly half of his matches there, a lesser quantity primarily because of Ronald Koeman’s earlier desire for a wing-back system that noticed Gakpo play as an inverted attacking midfielder.
It may very well be one thing we see in opposition to the extra ominous opponents at this Euros.
A sq. peg as No. 9
On the final World Cup, off the again of that unimaginable PSV run, Gakpo was prime scorer and star of a turgid Oranje aspect primarily remembered for a wise free-kick routine in opposition to Argentina, enjoying as a centre-forward because of an unfit Memphis Depay.
It’s maybe an abiding reminiscence of that match which satisfied Jurgen Klopp not solely to speed up plans to signal Gakpo the next January, pipping Man United within the course of, however to make use of the Eindhoven man as an answer to his centre-forward conundrum.
With Roberto Firmino set to depart on the finish of the season, Diogo Jota fighting accidents and Darwin Nunez nonetheless bedding in, it appeared a smart short-term answer.
Nevertheless, for the remainder of Klopp’s tenure, it arguably grew to become a long-term blind spot.
Those that argued Gakpo was the best successor to Firmino maybe didn’t totally perceive the place on the pitch he delivered the numbers that really triggered Liverpool to spend £37 million on him within the first place.
Certainly, though the final marketing campaign noticed Gakpo develop into an essential member of the Liverpool squad, solely 22 % of his 53 appearances have been on the left wing.
It was clear Klopp favoured the additional trickery of Luis Diaz, however with the Colombian’s whole of eight objectives and 5 assists within the league precisely the identical as Gakpo’s, ought to the latter have been given extra of an opportunity in that function?
Because the season progressed, the tremors on the Richter scale of criticism elevated, with some followers rising pissed off at Gakpo’s inconsistency and lack of ability to recreate the goalscoring type that they had been advised about from his time within the Eredivisie.
But can a participant actually present such consistency after they’ve been requested to play as much as 5 completely different positions throughout the course of a season?
Gakpo unleashed
That opening Netherlands match in Hamburg will probably be remembered for 2 issues.
The primary was the exceptional Dutch assist pre-match. The second was Gakpo’s efficiency which, over 81 minutes, was as pure an illustration as one may hope to have of the place his pure place on the pitch is.
In a 4-2-3-1 formation, Gakpo was the conduit by means of which all of the Dutch’s assaults got here by means of.
At occasions, corresponding to of their final warmup match, the crew may be responsible of naturally leaning in the direction of enjoying extra down the alternative flank due to the barnstorming runs from full-back Denzel Dumfries.
But not on this event. Whether or not enjoying in opposition to a deep defensive block or attacking shortly on the break, it was Gakpo on the centre of it. Along with his equalising aim, he created three probabilities, accomplished all 5 of his take-on makes an attempt and had over 50 touches. Apparently, eight of those have been within the opposition penalty space.
We now have a latest behavior in soccer of defining wingers in two methods: those that like to chop inside, and people who favor to take the ball down the surface and get to the byline.
In Gakpo, the Netherlands and Liverpool have a participant who can do each. He’s sturdy off each side, being equally adept at crossing together with his left or slicing harmful inside to shoot or discover a team-mate together with his proper.
With the Oranje, he typically seems for a fast one-two with the centre-forward earlier than breaking into the field, or for the intelligent lifted move to the rampaging Dumfries coming in from the fitting.
What he can actually provide
It’s obvious that Gakpo just isn’t lightning quick. Nevertheless, he’s technically glorious, bodily sturdy and a stunning striker of a soccer. He may be each intricate and direct – the artist’s brush and the builder’s hammer in equal measure.
The aim he scored in opposition to Poland took an enormous deflection, however there’s a complete catalogue of examples of ferocious strikes from exterior the realm after slicing inside.
Equally, his confidence on the ball and understanding of house means he hardly ever runs or passes right into a useless finish, while his pure top and lengthy stride means he can nonetheless break free from gamers.
That top in all probability means he ought to have extra than simply six headed objectives at membership degree, however additionally it is one other doable weapon, coming in late to fulfill crosses on the again publish.
And the thrilling factor for Liverpool followers, regardless of the lack of Klopp, is that their new coach ought to in principle know precisely the best way to use Gakpo.
As written beforehand, Arne Slot has historically favoured a 4-2-3-1 form that requires a mixture of depth, intelligence, energy and flexibility.
Due to this fact, it will appear Gakpo is simply the kind of winger that Slot values – gamers who may be impactful in one-on-one conditions, are dynamic, progressive with the ball and hyperlink up nicely with overloading full backs.
World-class potential
The previous Feyenoord and AZ Alkmaar coach will know the sport of the 2022/23 Dutch Footballer of the Yr nicely and may even see him as an important participant, efficient each in moments of quick transition and when discovering the holes inside sturdy defensive partitions.
There have been rumours about Liverpool needing to dip into the switch market to signal a substitute in case Diaz leaves. They need to put the corporate card again in its pockets or spend it elsewhere. The substitute is already within the squad.
There isn’t a purpose why Gakpo can’t develop into a world-class ahead at Anfield. But to develop into the star many have predicted, he first must be put in the fitting place to shine.
* This can be a visitor article for This Is Anfield by Joe Baker of The Oranje. Comply with on Twitter @BakerJoe21 and @TheOranje1.
