View: Slot must start thriving 85% Liverpool star v Arsenal after what happened this week
Cody Gakpo is a must-start for Arne Slot when his Liverpool side face Arsenal on Sunday (27 October) after his thriving performance in the Champions League.
The 25-year-old produced a stellar performance at the Red Bull Arena on Wednesday (23 October) in the 1-0 win against RB Leipzig after he was given the nod for a second consecutive start over Luis Diaz.
Lucy Ward singled out the forward in her commentary for the match in Germany live on TNT Sports [23 October] and believes Gakpo always thrives in Europe.
She said: “I think Gakpo’s played well tonight. It’s not quite as physical as the Premier League and I think he thrives in Europe.”
Slot faces a huge selection dilemma heading into the top-of-the-table clash against Arsenal and should reward Gakpo’s Reds resurgence this season with a starting berth on the weekend.
Cody Gakpo could be the first choice left-winger at Liverpool
Gakpo struggled to establish himself as a regular starter under Jurgen Klopp but has emerged as a genuine contender to challenge Diaz for a starting spot on the left wing this season.
The Dutchman ended his Euro 2024 campaign with the Netherlands as the competition’s joint-top goalscorer and has continued his international form back on Merseyside.
All that was missing from his performance against RB Leipzig was a goal. However, it wasn’t for a lack of trying as he recorded four shots on goal, two shots on target and one big chance missed [Sofascore].
He failed to beat former Red Peter Gulacsi as Darwin Nunez’s deflected cross found him within point-blank range of the goalkeeper.
However, Gakpo failed to let his miss deter him as he continued to force the issue, completing 85 per cent of his passes with four key passes and two big chances created, while winning 62.5 per cent of his ground duels on the night [Sofascore].
Diaz has been the undisputed left winger for the Reds since Sadio Mane left for Bayern Munich at the end of the 2021/22 season but could be demoted under Slot.
Both forwards have been incredible under the new boss and that is certainly a good headache to have, but only one can start against Arsenal and both will want to play their part in the biggest match of the season thus far for Liverpool.
Gakpo seems tailor-made for the Slot system – he is in the top five percentile of all forwards in Europe’s top five leagues for successful take-ons with 1.78 per match, and the top nine percentile for progressive carries with 2.6 per match [FBref].
He is also in the top three percentile for tackles with 1.45 per match and the same again for interceptions with 0.63 per match.
Slot wants his wingers to be direct but also work hard for the team, and Diaz falls behind Gakpo in all regards.
The Colombian ranks in the 26 percentile for successful take-ons, top 22 percentile for progressive carries, top 57 percentile for tackles, and the bottom 12 percentile for interceptions.
All the signs point to Gakpo being the more favourable option to occupy the left wing against Arsenal. And with Mikel Arteta confirmed to be without William Saliba and potentially without Bukayo Saka, Slot must get his team selection right at the Emirates.
In other Liverpool news, the Reds’ transfer smokescreen fails as a player is linked with a January exit.
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