Cody Gakpo has been impersonating Roberto Firmino since joining Liverpool last month. That means he can reduce his focus on one particular aspect of the game.
Cody Gakpo has been doing his best Roberto Firmino impression since his transfer to Liverpool last month. Many people, perhaps including the player himself, expected to see him used on the left flank because of his form in that spot for PSV Eindhoven, but Jürgen Klopp has paved a different path.
Aside from a select few minutes, Gakpo has been fielded at the tip of Liverpool’s 4-3-3 system, operating as the most advanced player when defending for the Reds, while essentially performing like a false nine of sorts when his team has possession. The Dutch international has made withdrawn movements into deeper spaces, linking with his midfield teammates and feeding those who move ahead of him.
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The 23-year-old initially experienced some teething issues on Merseyside, losing possession too often as well as struggling to make the ball stick as comfortably as Firmino does. In recent weeks, though, he’s showcased improvements and against Everton on Monday night, he arguably delivered his best showing in a red shirt.
Gakpo connected with others in the final third, and Mohamed Salah and Darwin Núñez both benefited from his presence by making inside runs from out wide, just like Salah and Sadio Mané did during Firmino’s prime years of performance.
However, the Dutchman seems to be placing unnecessary pressure on his own shoulders. On a number of occasions already, he’s talked about the need for him to contribute with goals and assists. Given he’s a forward, those returns certainly help, but Firmino has always been a net positive regardless of whether he’s involved with scoring returns.
“Of course, as a striker, you always want to score and give assists,” said Gakpo after the derby clash against Everton, but the man that he’s trying to replicate at Anfield has never been particularly inclined to top those charts.
Over the course of his Premier League career, Firmino has averaged a goal every 236 minutes, while posting an assist every 375 minutes. It is curious that he’s been painted as the team’s creator, especially considering Salah — who is often labelled as selfish — has averaged an assist every 337 minutes, meaning his record is actually better.
Throughout his time on English shores, Firmino has contributed with a fair amount of goals and assists, but there has always been far more to his game, with Klopp acting as a very public supporter of his unique number nine.
“Salah, world class, but not every day. Mané, world class, but not every day. Firmino, world class, pretty much every day,” stated the German back in 2018. Indeed, he once labelled him as the best ‘offensive defender’ he’d ever seen in his life.
“Scoring was always important but Bobby is the complete footballer,” Klopp once said. “A football team is like an orchestra, to play we need to have people for different instruments, and Bobby plays like 12 instruments in our orchestra. He is incredibly important for our rhythm.”
It is still early days for Gakpo at his new club, and he’s doing just fine despite his lack of goals and assists. Firmino has always been about so much more at Liverpool, and that is what his heir must realize.
