Cody Gakpo

[Insidious]

Still, not sure why we got him over a mf.
My best guess is because these kinds of players end up being worth heaps they do well and klopp wanting a bobby replacement.

Think it's partly that - we tend to go for who/what is available and he clearly was. Perhaps something akin to the Diaz situation was occuring.

Also think it was down to the injuries up front. Imagine Gakpo isn't here and we end up using Salah and Núñez over and over and over with little to no rotation, then one gets injured while Firmino/Jota/Diaz are out - let's say Darwin the one to be injured.

You'd be left with just Salah as a "proper" forward that is ready at this level to start constantly and his form hasn't been brilliant. The side would have no goals in it for a number of weeks and thus no chance of finishing 4th.

I suppose we could argue "4th isn't happening anyway, may as well prep for next season" and have targeted a midfielder (if a good one was available) as an alternative but it's so hard to know. I can certainly see the logic in ensuring we have enough forwards (injuries permitting) for March/April/May to rotate in the hope of causing the opposition problems and thus getting goals - goals that may turn losses into draws and draws into wins.

Definitely a decision that will be analysed heavily come the end of the season, particularly if Gakpo doesn't settle quickly - which to be fair to him, not everyone does.

[Steveo]

Settling in can be tough for any player and especially in a new league. He will be given plenty of time, but so far we haven’t seen anything, not a single flash. Don’t see the pace, or the skill or anything as yet. Difficult situation to walk into for sure, but a quality player shows something - no? It’ feels a little like we have signed the next David Ngog

[Insidious]

Yeah we haven't seen much, unfortunately. Still early though.

I'm hoping we'll see a bit more in the coming weeks. A goal or an assist would probably do him the World of good right now. If he scored the winner in a 1-0 against Wolves (or better yet, Everton) he'd hopefully get a little bit more adventurous and loosen up.

[teesred]

I think if we were playing at the level of last season, attacking quality etc we'd have seen things from him.
He's come in at literally the worst we've been under Klopp. This is worse than two years ago.
We'll get there again I'm sure but probably not till next season so he needs time and patience.

[toshin]

Also think it was down to the injuries up front. Imagine Gakpo isn't here and we end up using Salah and Núñez over and over and over with little to no rotation, then one gets injured while Firmino/Jota/Diaz are out - let's say Darwin the one to be injured.

You'd be left with just Salah as a "proper" forward that is ready at this level to start constantly and his form hasn't been brilliant. The side would have no goals in it for a number of weeks and thus no chance of finishing 4th.

So this is where I disagree. You can't say we must have a striker for goals. How freely are we scoring when salah Nunez and gakpo are fit?

The big issue for me is that none of our midfielders can run with the ball or make runs to support the strikers - none. Their runs are difficult for defenders to mark, esp in transitions/counter.
Fabinho no, thiago no, Elliot... Sortof but not over any distance, hendo no more, ox... Mindlessly, Keita maybe but he's Injured next game.
.

[Steveo]

No - this is wrong imo.

As I have said before - put the 2019 midfield in there right now and you would see even less offensive ability.

There is no fab 4 or fab 3 and both FB’s are a shadow of what they were. That prime trio of Salah - Mané and Bobby …. Supported by Trent and Robbo - does not exist. They have been run into the ground. Virgil isn’t the same fella either. The midfield is poor yes BUT it was never great. Better defensively then - better offensively now imo.

Where is that blistering pace up top to combine with the false 9…link up play…as Bobby did do often? We have lost that entirely,. As we have out wide. We had it on both flanks.. Diaz helped us a ton last season. That raw pace meant we kept. Both flanks running even when Salah’s form dipped.

Right now we have zero flanks working most of the time. In fact - unless Robbo runs there is nada.

Right now we don’t have the energy across the entire team. This isn’t just a personnel issue, that is a factor yes and the midfield has been neglected - we all know this - but this runs far far deeper

And midfielders don’t make runs when their front line is so out of sorts and their defence is so shaky, that is the natural order of things. 2 mids don’t fix this. They are much needed but something else needs to happen.

Gakpo is a stop gap. A reaction to inaction across the squad. A flawed and desperate attempt to fight off the inevitable. Yes - something needs to happen - Starting with these fuckwit owners selling up to someone who has the passion to take a risk. Sell up - and sell up fast.

They won’t though. They want investment. They don’t want to kill the goose that laid a golden egg. Liverpool FC is by a distance their grandest asset. Their only global asset.

[miller0863]

Hmmm … investment… investment you say.
Well it wasn’t that long ago they received investment from Red Bird and how much of that investment went onto the Anfield pitch was it??

And why would the next round of investment be any different?


Just naff off FSG, you’ve milked it enough now turn it into cold hard cash and do one.

Third biggest turnover (second in reality) in world football but £20m spent on midfield in four and a half years.

Grief.

[teesred]

Hmmm … investment… investment you say.
Well it wasn’t that long ago they received investment from Red Bird and how much of that investment went onto the Anfield pitch was it??

And why would the next round of investment be any different?


Just naff off FSG, you’ve milked it enough now turn it into cold hard cash and do one.

Third biggest turnover (second in reality) in world football but £20m spent on midfield in four and a half years.

Grief.

The discord is growing and the longer the teams malaise continues it will gow and grow.
There's hopefully too much smoke for there to be no fire regarding these Qatari buyout rumours.

[dicko1969]

bet that further down the line, Gakpo, is the replacement for Bobby.

Says Gakpo is a LW , really ?
His favourite position.
Just doesn't look a klopp signing for LW.

Klopp loves pace down the wings, with a goal threat.

Diaz in that position, then Darwin.
I'd say Darwin is more suited to LW here at Liverpool and in EPL , THAN no9.

So if Diaz fit, does Gakpo play LW ?

GAKPO is Bobby replacement in the fsg model. Or Jota is the false 9.

I think in our eyes Gakpo will play the false 9 or maybe a no8.

This signing right now doesn't make any sense unless we are missing the bigger picture ...

[faridtoxteth]

The Guardian are currently doing their annual 100 best players in ascending order, put together by sports journalists and experts around the globe.
For what its worth..Cody Gakpo at number 50 ahead of Mahrez 57, Rashford 58, Luis Diaz, 59 and Trent at 60.
Further down the list Darwin Nunez at 82 and Robbo at 97.