By Jack Lusby, ThisIsAnfield.com
A significant factor within the membership’s choice to carry him to Merseyside from Feyenoord was his capacity to coax one of the best out of the gamers already at his disposal, in a system just like that utilized by Jürgen Klopp, however there would all the time be gamers higher suited to his imaginative and prescient than others.
Chief amongst these was Cody Gakpo – a participant Slot was acquainted with not solely from watching the Dutch nationwide group, but additionally from their brushes with one another within the Eredivisie.
Gakpo got here up in opposition to Slot’s sides on 4 events whereas at PSV Eindhoven – as soon as in opposition to AZ Alkmaar after which thrice in opposition to Feyenoord – and the latter two of these conferences confirmed his sheer energy as a devastating left winger.
He scored each targets for PSV in a 2-2 draw on the again finish of the 2021/22 season, earlier than scoring one and helping the opposite three in a 4-3 victory early into 2022/23.
A surprising show within the latter got here throughout an outstanding first half of the marketing campaign that preceded his £37 million transfer to Liverpool, shining underneath Ruud van Nistelrooy as he scored 13 and assisted 17 in 24 video games – a purpose or help each 65.3 minutes – earlier than three extra targets in 5 video games for the Netherlands on the winter World Cup in Qatar.
It was clear from his shows at PSV that Gakpo was an elite-level prospect on the left wing, however he discovered himself a utility man underneath Klopp; he performed up entrance 49 instances, in midfield for seven video games, on the correct wing for an additional seven and in his pure position solely 14 instances.
There ought to have been no shock that his output dropped, with 23 targets and 9 assists in 79 appearances – a purpose or help each 153.1 minutes – for Klopp, who himself admitted his mistake in relying upon the tall, dominant attacker as an emergency midfielder.
“I went to talk to Ruud simply after [Gakpo] first received to Liverpool and he was struggling a bit of bit,” Gary Neville recalled on an episode of Follow Soccer again in July.
“And I mentioned to him ‘what about Gakpo?’, as a result of clearly United have been taking a look at him.
“He mentioned ‘he’s a left winger, that’s it’. So when Klopp was taking part in him like false 9 or centre-forward or a bit deeper in midfield at instances, Ruud mentioned he had him there at PSV and was completely a left winger.”
Who have been we to evaluate the tactical acumen of Jürgen Klopp, some of the profitable and revered managers in fashionable footballing historical past – and positively at Liverpool – however the use and performances of Gakpo since Slot took the reins underlines the flaw in Klopp’s method.
Talking in August, Gakpo confirmed: “I spoke to [Slot] and clearly he sees me as a left winger.” The 46-year-old, as soon as once more Van Nistelrooy’s adversary after his arrival at Leicester, firmly agrees with the previous Man United striker.
It’s not onerous to see why, both, with Gakpo taking part in virtually solely as a left winger in his 26 appearances for Slot to this point, leading to 10 targets and 4 assists – averaging a direct purpose contribution each 97.6 minutes.
“I feel the principle distinction perhaps is that the setup from the entrance three was a bit completely different [under Klopp] than the setup now,” Slot defined after his No. 18 scored one and assisted one other in Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Leicester on Boxing Day.
“We anticipate a bit extra from our wingers, to maintain it broad, to attempt to get them in one-vs-one conditions. Cody has executed this rather well.”
Slot’s wingers – particularly Gakpo, Luis Díaz and Mohamed Salah – have been immediately accountable for 40 of Liverpool’s 63 targets to this point this season (63.5%) in comparison with 54 of 142 targets in Klopp’s last marketing campaign in cost (38%).
Whereas there are a selection of things behind this, not least the irrepressible type of Salah as his contract nears its expiry, it’s evident {that a} change of emphasis in the direction of attacking from the flanks has benefited these regulars out broad.
Beneath Klopp in each 2022/23 and 2023/24 there was a deal with funnelling probabilities in the direction of the centre-forward, with the £85 million signing of Darwin Núñez demanding the supervisor change his system to accommodate his new No. 9 – and to his credit score, Núñez netted 18 instances in Klopp’s last season, as Liverpool’s second-top scorer.
However a change within the dugout has introduced a welcome refresh within the last third, with the Reds shifting nearer to the setup that made them some of the devastating attacking facet sides in Europe at their peak underneath Klopp.
With a deep-dropping, selfless No. 9 – previously Roberto Firmino, now most successfully Díaz or Diogo Jota – there was and now could be extra alternative for these out broad to flourish.
And realizing that Liverpool boast Arjen Robben on steroids on their books, with a capability to chop inside on his proper foot and blast in from vary with regularity regardless of it being essentially the most predictable transfer in his locker, that has been one in all Slot’s early masterstrokes.
It’s actually a credit score to Gakpo himself, but additionally of a coach who reveals a clearer understanding of the participant Liverpool signed firstly of 2023.
As for all his apparent deserves, Klopp’s persistence with Núñez as his focus noticed him overlook the skills hidden in plain sight.
(Photos from IMAGO)
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