Ian Wright praises Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo for their recent performances
Arsenal legend Ian Wright praises the recent resurgence of Curtis Jones and was impressed by what he saw of Cody Gakpo against West Ham United.
After a slow start to life at Liverpool following his January move from PSV Eindhoven, Gakpo seems to have settled in well in that false nine role. His technical and physical ability along with great space awareness is helping him to succeed in a position that was previously mastered by Roberto Firmino.
Jones had an underwhelming season so far due to a freak injury he picked up early on. Jurgen Klopp explained his situation in the press conference before the Tottenham Hotspur clash on Sunday. The Academy product has started the last five league games though, and looked very good in this new system.
Here’s what Wright said about the duo (h/t Ringer Podcast, via Mirror):
“Curtis Jones. He’s coming ladies and gents! Like he said when the Hulk got shot down, Thanos is coming. Curtis Jones is coming, but Cody Gakpo…
“I watched him in some tight areas [against West Ham] and there with his one-touch play and everything. With his link-up play, he’s an absolute elite player.”
It feels like the new system where Trent Alexander-Arnold is moving into midfield from right-back in possession is suiting possession-based technical players like Jones. The 22-year-old can play simple passes and be secure in possession before laying it off to Alexander-Arnold to find an attacker in the final third.
The equaliser against West Ham was a pictorial representation of that. Jones recycled the ball and gave it to Trent, who found Gakpo with a neat pass between the lines. The Dutchman turned and unleashed an exceptional shot to beat Lukasz Fabianski.
Gakpo has grown into that nine role in the last few weeks. He is so good with back-to-goal, can drop deep to worry centre-backs, is aerially and physically strong and can both score and assist goals.
More Liverpool News:
- Chelsea are planning a shock move for former Liverpool superstar Sadio Mane
- Liverpool could sign up to five players in the summer including a new defender
- Liverpool not the only club eyeing a move for Ajax Amsterdam defender Jurrien Timber
Let’s hope both players continue their form for the final six games of this season, before unleashing their powers from the start of next season to propel us into challenging for the title.
