Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk blamed versatility for the struggles that teammate Cody Gakpo faced ever since joining the club
Virgil van Dijk believes that Liverpool teammate Cody Gakpo faced difficulty because he played in multiple positions for the club. Gakpo faced criticism after the FA Cup loss against Manchester United but shut his naysayers down with strong performances recently.
Liverpool have surprisingly dropped form after the March international break, costing them four crucial points in the Premier League. Furthermore, they crashed out of the Europa League in the quarter-finals as a consequence of their complacent performance.
The Reds attackers missed several goalscoring chances and showed poor organizational and defensive awareness, displaying complacency in every phase. However, Liverpool showed the form and professionalism against Fulham that got them into the title contender position this season.
They beat the London club at Craven Cottage 1-3 to secure important three points in a tough away fixture. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ryan Gravenberch and Diogo Jota scored the goals for Liverpool during the game to secure the victory.
Gakpo earned an assist for Jota’s goal and played until the 86th minute before coming off as a substitute. The Dutchman has continued his good form amid the team’s struggle since the club football returned after the international break.
Speaking after the Fulham game (h/t Liverpool Echo), Van Dijk acknowledged that Gakpo faced difficulty after playing in multiple positions. He said:
“Cody has been outstanding in my opinion since he arrived at the club. The difficulty he has had was he has played in so many positions. He’s learning. He’s so important for the club and will be going forward. On Sunday he was outstanding and so was Ryan.”
Gakpo has played as a right winger, left winger, centre-forward and as a central midfielder for the Reds this season. The 24-year-old has made 49 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions, contributing with 14 goals and five assists this season.
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Gakpo dominated the left-wing position against Fulham and played a crucial role as an attacking outlet. The Dutch international prefers to play as a left-winger from where he can cut inside or go down the byline. Liverpool needs Gakpo and other attackers to finish the season strongly to have the best chance to win the Premier League.
