Cody Gakpo has steadily grown into his false nine roles at Liverpool since arriving in January but is still unsure of the long-term plan.
Gakpo impressed for the Netherlands at the World Cup, scoring three goals as his nation reached the quarter-final stage, where they were knocked out by the eventual winners, Argentina, on penalties.
His performances in Qatar attracted interest from several clubs but it was Liverpool that signed the attacker, agreeing on a fee of £37 million with PSV Eindhoven.
Since moving to Merseyside, the Dutchman has taken a while to settle in, with Jurgen Klopp opting to play him in a new center-forward position, replacing Roberto Firmino in the team.
This is a new role for Gakpo, who was previously known for playing on the left and cutting inside onto his right foot.
He has steadily grown into the position, though, and announced his arrival at Anfield with two lovely goals in Liverpool’s 7-0 demolition of Man United.
Despite playing the majority of his football through the middle under Klopp, Gakpo has admitted that he isn’t sure where he will play in the long term.
Speaking to The Athletic, Gakpo said: “I’ve played almost all my games here in that false nine positions.
“For me, it’s just a case of getting used to it. Whether that’s the long-term plan for me, you’d have to speak to the coach about that.”
The 23-year-old also explained how Firmino – who will leave in the summer after occupying the false nine position since 2015 – has helped him learn the role.
“Bobby is an amazing player and also an amazing person. He tries to help me [play that position] in any way he can and I appreciate it,” added Gakpo.
During his time with the club so far, Gakpo has averaged just under one goal for every three matches played, while Firmino has a goal every 2.56 games across his Liverpool career.
The Brazilian’s job description hasn’t been to score the most goals in the team, though.
With Darwin Nunez and Mo Salah on either flank and Luis Diaz returning soon too, Gakpo will hope to end the season on a high.
He said: “Everyone helped me in the beginning to settle. I’m looking forward to working hard with the team, improving, and winning games again.”
“The message from the manager [after losing 4-1 to Man City] was that we had to stick together, we had to keep going,” Gakpo continued.
“Everyone knows it’s been a difficult time but if we all stay together then I know things will turn for us.”
Curtis Jones is glad to be back
The goalless draw at Stamford Bridge was just Curtis Jones‘ third start of the season for Liverpool, his first since the Reds’ win against Napoli on November 1.
He has missed large parts of the campaign through injury and has often been a forgotten man of the squad this season but after playing 79 minutes against Chelsea, he declared himself as “back.”
Jones told Liverpool’s official website: “I’ve been out for say 15 weeks, it’s been an up-and-down time.
“I’ve come in, I was steady. I was keeping the ball well, I wasn’t trying to do too much.
“It was good to be out there again with the team and I’ll see what the rest of the season looks like. It’s important, the more I play the better I am. It’s been a hard time but now I’m back, so I’m excited.”
While Jones hardly excelled on the night, he wasn’t one of Liverpool’s worst performers.
Jurgen Klopp assessed his display, saying the midfielder was “good, absolutely good until he lost power a little bit, but that’s now completely normal.”
