Jurgen Klopp will absolutely love the versatility that Cody Gakpo will bring to Liverpool’s forward line.
That’s according to former Reds striker Emile Heskey. Speaking during ITV’s coverage of tonight’s FA Cup game with Wolves, Heskey claimed Gakpo’s ability to play across the front three will be a big help to Klopp.
He [Gakpo] can play several different positions, that versatility helps a manager a hell of a lot,” he explained. “He’s a fantastic player. Playing on the wing, playing up front, he’s very quick and very dynamic.”
Liverpool fans have been given some evidence of that during an encouraging first 45 minutes in a Reds shirt for Gakpo. After hauling themselves back level, we need to see more of it in the second half.
Gakpo gets his first taste of Anfield
It was perhaps a slight surprise to see Gakpo named in the starting line-up for tonight’s game.
Klopp had suggested that he’d be picking a strong team for the game, but we didn’t think he’d go quite that strong.
Still, you can see why the manager did it. Liverpool have been poor since the season’s restart. Two wins from four isn’t good enough in itself, but the performances have been pretty dire even in victory.
So, you can forgive Klopp for not wanting to disrupt things even further. Giving a rest to more first team players would have meant a two-week break for most of them between the Brentford loss and next Saturday’s trip to Brighton.
With Liverpool already looking dysfunctional, more time off is the last thing they would have needed.
So in comes Gakpo. With Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah also in the forward line, Liverpool have a heck of a lot of pace and trickery in there.
Two of those players haven’t been at the club for even six months. It’s fair to say that Klopp has a completely new look attack from this time last year.
Just like Nunez, Gakpo looks sure to do some damage in-front of goal. Whether it’s from the wing or through the middle, he’s a real danger man. Hopefully more to come in the second half.
