Cody Gakpo must be dropped by Arne Slot when Liverpool face Crystal Palace in their Carabao Cup clash on Wednesday.
This season, the Dutchman has been one of Slot’s favourite players and, even if he’s performed poorly, he’s mostly kept his place in Liverpool’s first-team squad.
Obviously, there have been times, such as in Liverpool’s game against Brentford, when he’s been taken off, but, to be honest, there’s hardly been a game when he hasn’t featured.
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His form has been in a downward spiral for some time now, with the attacker even hitting the post three times against Manchester United while also missing an absolute sitter towards the end of the 90 minutes.
Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo plays during the match between the Netherlands and Finland at the Johan Cruijff Arena
Photo by Marcel van Dorst/EYE4images/NurPhoto via Getty Images
However, Gakpo’s performance against Brentford on Saturday was one of his worst yet, which is why there’s no way Slot can start him against Palace on Wednesday.
Cody Gakpo needs to be dropped from Liverpool’s starting XI
Gakpo is the Reds’ only natural left-winger among their ranks now that Luis Diaz has exited Anfield.
Indeed, Hugo Ekitike, Federico Chiesa, and even Rio Ngumoha can all be called upon if needed, but on the face of things, Gakpo is the only natural left-winger among Liverpool’s squad.
Many thought that he’d thrive without the competition of Diaz, but in reality, it feels like it’s made him worse.
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And, as per Sofascore, that has been made more than clear in their game against the Bees last weekend.
In the 61 minutes that Gakpo was on the pitch, he only managed 28 touches of the ball, and he also lost possession four times.
He also only had one shot throughout the entire game, which didn’t even hit the target.
Gakpo did manage to create two big chances, but they never resulted in anything. He also maintained a pass accuracy of 90 per cent, but since he was only on the pitch for 61 minutes, that’s hardly surprising.
Defensively, he also failed to have much of an impact, as he failed to win any of his ground or aerial duels.
Federico Chiesa deserves an extended run for Liverpool
Ever since Chiesa joined Liverpool, he’s always been a backup despite the amount of energy he often brings to the table.
In fact, he even won Liverpool’s player of the month for September despite not being a regular starter.
Not only does this show how capable he is, but it also shows how much Liverpool could do with a change up top.
Federico Chiesa sprints vs Eintracht Frankfurt
Photo by Rene Nijhuis/MB Media/Getty Images
Although the Italy international plays in a similar way to Gakpo, it feels like he’s much faster on the ball and, at this moment in time, he could also be much more clinical.
If Slot chooses to give Chiesa an extended run in Liverpool’s starting XI, he could potentially get fans off his back and even get the Reds back to their best again, which, in reality, is all anyone wants.