Gakpo’s Disappointing Performance in Nations League Loss
Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo may have had his worst performance ever for the Netherlands during their 1-0 loss to Germany in the Nations League, according to the blog Football-Oranje. bromley fc The Dutch forward had a forgettable night as Stuttgart’s Jamie Leweling, in his debut match, scored the only goal to secure Germany a step closer to a quarter-final spot.
Germany put forth a dominant display, limiting the Netherlands to just three shots on goal while launching a total of 13 shots themselves. Gakpo struggled to make an impact, frequently losing possession in the attacking third and squandering promising opportunities due to ‘sloppy play,’ as reported by Football-Oranje. The absence of Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk—suspended after a red card against Hungary—clearly affected the Netherlands, both defensively and offensively. Dutch outlet Algemeen Dagblad remarked that at times the Dutch team “looked like an amateur team on a Sunday morning, still sleepy from a wild night out before. brian mcfadden”
Gakpo Criticized After Germany Loss
Gakpo, who started the season poorly under coach Arne Slot, had a lackluster performance against Germany, receiving a low rating of 4.5/10 from Football-Oranje . The blog noted, “His worst ever performance in Oranje? Lost the ball consistently and wasted some good attacks with sloppy play. molly rainford Even set pieces were constantly wasted.”
Despite being one of the standout forwards during Euro 2024 earlier this summer, Gakpo has had limited chances to showcase his skills at the start of the new season, managing only 207 minutes in the Premier League. After coming off the bench for six consecutive matches, the Eindhoven native finally earned his first start of the 2024/25 season against Crystal Palace, where he impressed by assisting Diogo Jota for the only goal in the first half. In his other two starts for Liverpool this season, Gakpo provided an assist for Dominik Szoboszlai in the 3-1 Champions League victory over AC Milan and netted twice in the 5-1 EFL Cup win against West Ham United.
Cody Gakpo’s Liverpool Stats (2024/25 Premier League)
- Games: 7
- Starts: 1
- Goals: 0
- Assists: 1
- Expected Goals: 0.5
- Minutes Played: 214
Trent Alexander-Arnold Shines in New Role
In England’s 3-1 victory over Finland, Trent Alexander-Arnold made his left-back debut. Football journalist Henry Winter noted that it was “not the best use of his talent.” Deployed in an unfamiliar role by coach Lee Carsley, Trent had never played on the left side of the defense in his 319 senior appearances for Liverpool or in his 31 caps for England. Despite this, the 25-year-old had an impressive performance, scoring a second-half free-kick to secure the Three Lions’ comfortable win in Helsinki and earning the Man of the Match award for his efforts. hamza
Against Finland, no player had more touches than Trent, who recorded 130 touches. He also completed the third-most passes (95 out of 110), according to SofaScore.
Statistics used are courtesy of Fbref and Transfermarkt and are accurate as of October 15, 2024.
As Liverpool continues to navigate the season, what do you think Gakpo will need to improve to find his form again?
Gakpo
NationsLeague
LiverpoolFC
TrentAlexanderArnold
FootballPerformance
