When a player who relies on his intelligence to play football has so-called "brain problems" such as wrong decision-making, poor reaction, etc., he can easily become a burden to the team on the court.
Cody Gakpo performed very well in the World Cup at the end of 2022 with his excellent speed and offensive awareness. In the 3-4-1-2 formation of the Dutch national team, Cody Gakpo Keppo is capable of playing as an arrow and as an auxiliary forward. He demonstrated his tactical versatility when playing for PSV and was signed by Liverpool immediately after the game.
During the transformation process in these two seasons, Liverpool has never given up the idea of using 4-3-3 as the basis of the formation. This season, the three frontcourt positions are basically composed of Salah, Dias, Darwin Nu. Nies, Cody Gakpo, and Diogo Jota are shared by 5 people. Midfielder Harvey Elliott can occasionally play as a winger, while Cody Gakpo can retreat and play in the midfield. Under this arrangement, Liverpool's frontcourt manpower is just balanced.
But after one year in the Premier League, Cody Gakpo's performance is no longer so surprising. In the arrow position, teammate Darwin Nunez was shameless and brave, and slowly regained his No. 9 starting position, turning Cody Gakpo into a substitute arrow.
Cody Gakpo once played as the No. 8 midfielder. He has excellent ball control skills and has a goal-scoring touch that exceeds that of a midfielder, so there is no problem in playing the "false nine". Being on the arrow, step back half a square to connect with the offense and create space for the frontcourt. In terms of speed, he is allowed to serve as a winger and become a rotation choice for Salah and Dias.
The snake oil in the midfield and frontcourt can be said to be Cody Gakpo's selling point, but when the state is poor, this selling point will become a shortcoming, and there are people who can replace him in every position. At the age of 23-24, the shaping of players is very important, but if Cody Gakpo does not handle various positions well, he will become unstable and undermine his confidence.
In particular, Roberto Firmino left at the beginning of this season. His unique "false nine" position was an important element in Liverpool's championship success in the past few years, and fans will hope that Cody Gakpo can take over. this location. However, Cody Gakpo is used to using his feet after getting the ball. When the ball is in his feet, the right and wrong choices of running, dribbling, passing, etc. are sometimes really a hairline difference. Sometimes it slows down the team's progress, causing the team to lose a scoring opportunity in vain.
Cody Gakpo has a different role in every game, and he is not able to play in one position frequently. If he does not handle it well, it will cause a blow to his self-confidence. However, if Liverpool this season is to achieve Klopp's success in the Premier League in his last season, Cody Gakpo will have no choice but to become a victim this year, because the team has little room for mistakes.
Whether Cody Gakpo is all-powerful or completely incompetent may not be decided this season, because Liverpool, which is rushing to compete for the championship this season, is not the time for Cody Gakpo to display his talents at all.
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