Premier League legend Alan Shearer ripped into new Liverpool signing Cody Gakpo after one thing he saw him do in the 3-0 defeat against Wolves on Saturday.
In the fifth minute of Liverpool’s Premier League clash with Wolves last weekend, Pablo Sarabia clipped a pass into the space behind Joe Gomez in the Reds’ penalty area.
Joël Matip inexplicably decided not to attack the ball and Hwang Hee-chan latched onto it, finding the net via a huge deflection off the former Cameroon international.
But this certainly wasn’t the only mistake Liverpool made in the lead-up to yet another early goal.
Earlier in the move, Cody Gakpo had allowed right center-back Craig Dawson to play an uncontested pass out to right-back Nelson Semedo, before being shaken off by the latter as he attempted a half-hearted challenge.
“No pressure on the ball,” Premier League legend Alan Shearer lamented on Match of the Day. “That’s not good enough from Gakpo. No energy.”
One of the small concerns raised around Gakpo when he sealed a $53m (£44m/€50m) move from PSV Eindhoven in January was his historically limited defensive contribution. Would he really be able to thrive in a Jürgen Klopp system if he wasn’t active out of possession?
In light of Shearer’s criticism, then, it’s worth taking a look at how Gakpo has fared overall in this department since he joined Liverpool.
We can combine his FA Cup and Premier League minutes for the best possible sample size — Liverpool faced top-flight opposition in all three cup games, so it’s broadly representative.
You’d still ideally want Gakpo to reach four-figure minutes before casting any definitive judgment, but there’s enough for an initial verdict, with almost 500 minutes played across the sample period.
We can compare his numbers on a per-90 basis to the rest of Liverpool’s attackers in the league this season, with Diogo Jota excluded on the basis that he’s only made four appearances between his two serious injuries.
Liverpool attackers’ defensive contribution, 2022/23
*Premier League only
You can see here that Roberto Firmino and Luis Díaz are in a league of their own, with Gakpo in a similar bracket to Darwin Núñez and ahead of Mohamed Salah.
There is clear room for improvement, particularly when you consider that we’re not talking about the Liverpool press in its pomp. Klopp has actually bemoaned his team’s failure to defend from the front this season, suggesting standards have dropped.
Whether you choose to measure defensive contribution by outright volume or by efficiency, Gakpo isn’t really doing enough just yet.
It’s still very early days in his Liverpool career, so he should be afforded patience as he adjusts to the physical and tactical demands of playing under Klopp in the Premier League.
To become a ‘Klopp’ forward and, indeed, see off the likes of Firmino, Jota and Díaz for a place in the side, he knows he’ll need to be at least a competent defender.
And if the manager’s vision is for Gakpo to be Firmino’s long-term successor in the center-forward position, then expectations will be raised further.
The Brazilian is perhaps just as valuable off the ball as he is on it, and his new teammate would be wise to observe him closely as he seeks to iron out a small weakness in his game.
SOURCE: liverpool.com
