Liverpool star Cody Gakpo could explode into life after position change’- Our View

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In our view, Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo showcased in his side’s latest 2-1 defeat against Brighton in the FA Cup that he may be best utilised as a second striker.

Against Roberto De Zerbi’s side, there were plenty of signs on display that the £35 million (Sky Sports) signing would fare well if his position was changed.

Gakpo showed vs Brighton that his true home may be as a second striker at Liverpool

Starting as a No.9 in a front 3 consisting of Mohamed Salah and Harvey Elliott, the Dutchman was fairly isolated during the contest, and due to him not being a natural striker, he lacks the fundamentals of a centre-forward to feed on scraps.

However, Cody Gakpo looked miles better when dropping into deeper positions for Liverpool against Brighton, linking play extremely effectively, much like a second striker.

So much so that it seemed as if the 23-year-old was doing his best Roberto Firmino impression. Dropping as deep as in the second phase of the pitch, some of the ex-PSV talisman’s one-touch play and dribbling was a joy to behold.

However, unlike the Brazilian, his game is not well-rounded enough yet to comfortably play as a false 9. Keeping that in mind, Cody Gakpo would be a dangerous presence as a second striker, playing alongside a more traditional striker in either Darwin Nunez or Diego Jota at Liverpool going forward.

The World Cup sensation, who was largely deployed as a left-winger at his previous club lacks the back-to-goal game or ability to run past defences to be a menace up front.

However, Gakpo is a technician and is comfortable in tight areas, which could also aid Liverpool as a whole in helping play progress as their midfield has struggled to do so, if he is used as a second striker, helping create combinations and dragging the opposition press out of position.

Considering the Dutch international, described as a ‘top player’ by Man City centre-back Nathan Ake (as relayed by United In Focus) possesses brilliant ball-striking ability as well, feeding off the space provided by another striker who isolates defenders would make him a potent goalscoring threat from outside the box.

While things have not been perfect for Cody Gakpo at Liverpool so far, he showed against Brighton that testing him out as a second striker could be an astute positional tweak.