Liverpool have been sensational this season, taking command in the fight for the Premier League title. We haven’t even reached the campaign’s midpoint yet, but Arne Slot’s side are six points clear at the summit with a game in hand.
When Jurgen Klopp shocked the world with his decision to stand down at the end of the 2023/24 term, it felt like a watershed moment for the club – and one that could have interfered with the progress that had been made in rebuilding a sapped midfield.
But FSG hit the bullseye with Slot, whose football has been exciting, elegant and efficient. Top of the Champions League group stage too, Liverpool will be confident that they can lift one of the biggest prizes before the summer.
While the Dutch coach’s tactics have helped shore up Anfield’s defences, the rip-roaring attack has also been refined. Mohamed Salah is of course the creme de la creme, but the Reds have strength in depth and this could be the key to hitting their lofty targets.
Liverpool's frontline in 24/25
Salah has posted 19 goals and 15 assists across 25 matches in all competitions for Liverpool this season, moving with a vengeance toward the biggest titles and, perhaps, the 2025 Ballon d’Or prize.
He’s head and shoulders above every positional rival on English shores right now, but that’s not to say that Liverpool’s various other members haven’t pulled their weight.
Diogo Jota has been injured for much of the campaign but has still showcased an impressive clinical edge when called upon. Darwin Nunez, conversely, has struggled for form and fluency in front of goal but still features regularly, bringing chaos and energy to Slot’s system.
Mohamed Salah
25 (23)
19
15
Luis Diaz
23 (16)
11
3
Cody Gakpo
26 (15)
10
4
Diogo Jota
14 (9)
5
2
Darwin Nunez
23 (13)
4
3
Federico Chiesa
4 (1)
0
1
Salah might be the talisman, but he’s bolstered considerably by left-flanking duo Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo, who have ebbed and flowed in contrast this term as they compete for a starting berth. It’s bringing the best out of both, with the latter the one in form right now.
Cody Gakpo's rise under Arne Slot
We’re approaching Gakpo’s second anniversary on Merseyside, with the Dutch forward leaving PSV Eindhoven to sign for Liverpool for a £35m fee in January 2023.
It was a turbulent time, Klopp’s pre-overhaul engine room spluttering and stumbling through a campaign that severed Anfield’s connection with the Champions League – for a season, at least.
Under Slot, Gakpo’s role has been simplified. Gone are the days of his scattered positioning across the pitch, Klopp using his dynamism to patch over holes.
Centre-forward
27
12
3
Left winger
12
3
3
Right winger
7
1
0
Attacking midfield
5
0
0
Central midfield
2
0
0
He’s always been at his best on the left flank, using his pace and power to real mayhem before skipping inside and unleashing a fierce strike into the corner of the goal. Now, Diaz is preferred at centre-forward when both stars cohabit on the pitch, Gakpo starting from the left across all 15 of his appearances from the outset this year.
Now, he’s thriving. Gakpo has reached “another level” this year, according to pundit Peter Crouch, indeed notching ten strikes and four assists across the campaign as he makes impressive progress in a nailed-down tactical role.
It’s a perfect example of Slot’s tactical acumen and his understanding of Liverpool’s structural strengths, how to eke out every last bit of quality from the Reds.
As per FBref, Gakpo ranks among the top 13% of Premier League attacking midfielders and wingers this season for goals scored and the top 1% for successful take-on success rate per 90, highlighting his flourishing presence in Slot’s high-flying team.
A successful take-on is recorded when a player beats their opponent by directly carrying the ball past them while retaining possession.
Perhaps the most exciting part is that Gakpo, aged 25, still has so much to offer for the Anfield side, still has so much to achieve. In any case, his prolificness in the final third is propelling Liverpool toward the Premier League title, which is still far from being conquered but more tangible with each mounting victory.
Four goals and two assists across just three Carabao Cup games only furthers the claim that he is shaping into one of Liverpool’s most important members, thriving on the cup front when Diaz held a Premier League starting role invariably across the opening months.
Because of players like him, Liverpool stand a good chance of claiming more than one slice of silverware this season.
As a product of his rise and rise, the Netherlands international’s stock has burgeoned, and he’s starting to overtake some of Liverpool’s prized assets in regard to market value.
Cody Gakpo's market value in 2024/25
If Gakpo continues to ride his rich vein of current form, there’s every chance that he will hit the 20-goal ballpark by the close of the campaign.
His connection with Salah only bolsters such a pursuit, with the Egyptian actually overtaken in terms of market value by Gakpo, whose worth has shot to £51m following Transfermarkt’s latest update.
Salah, conversely, has seen his own value drop to £46m, though context is important here, for the Egypt sensation is 32 years old and entering the final months of his Liverpool contract.
In any case, it’s a testament to the gains that Gakpo, hailed as the “king of scoring” by writer Andre Beesley – has made over the past few years after enduring some rocky moments over the opening years of his English career.
Liverpool have an elite strikeforce alright. Salah might take the limelight (and rightly so) but Gakpo won’t care a jot as he continues to build the blocks toward prosperity. Liverpool, in any case, have hit the jackpot on this remarkable forward.
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