Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has been able to match Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal blueprint for significantly less money thanks to one ‘very cool’ Reds signing.
With Thiago, Stefan Bajčetić and Dominik Szoboszlai all out thɾօυɢҺ ιɴjυɾу, and Fabinho and Jordan HєɴԀerson both missing ahead of their departures, Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp didn’t have many midfield options at his disposal for Monday’s pre-season friєɴԀly against Greuther Fürth.
One of the manager’s solutions was to use Cody Gakpo, who has primarily operated as a withdrawn center-forward following his January move from PSV Eindhoven, in the left-sided number eight role, with new signingAlexis Mac Allisterto the right.
Gakpo only played 45 minutes, like everybody else who started the first half of what was only Liverpool’s second pre-season fixture, but he nonetheless gave Klopp ɾєɑȿօɴ to repeat the experiment.
READ MORE:Liverpool already has its own Pedri and clear transfer ρłɑɴ will partner him with ‘new Fabinho’
READ MORE:Liverpool player’s absence explained as transfer future decision made after offer ‘rєjєƈτed’
The Dutchman excelled when it came to ball progression, frequently playing the penultimate pass before a shot, and made use of his attacking license to push up and combine effectively with his teammates, playing one-twos around the edge of the Fürth penalty area.
In addition, Gakpo once again demonstrated his aptitude under pressure, both when it comes to receiving the ball and navigating a way out. He’s able to use a combination of raw running power and technical skill to evade swarms of opponents.
This, it’s worth noting, wasn’t the first time we’ve seen the 24-year-old stationed in a midfield role — he’d also played there in the 1-0 win over Brentford at the start of May, but that was on the right side.
Here, he was used in an almost identical position to new Arsenal signing Kai Havertz, who’s been boldly redeployed by manager Mikel Arteta.
Having featured predominantly as a false nine during his time at former clubChelsea, Havertz has been playing as a left center midfielder in Arsenal’s recent friєɴԀlies againstManchester UnitedandBayern Munich. It’s a very similar blueprint, with a full-back tucking in to offer extra cover, but Klopp’s version is superior.
Jürgen Klopp has his own upgraded version of Kai Havertz at Liverpool(Image: Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Arsenal shelled out a whopping $84m (£65m/€76m) on Havertz even though he’d failed to live up to a similarly lofty $98m (£76m/€86m) price tag at Stamford Bridge, while Liverpool paid a much more ɾєɑȿօɴable $57m (£44m/€50m) for Gakpo.
When they play in the forward line, as the former will periodically and the latter will for the most part, Gakpo is likely to be more effective.
Last season, he matched Havertz’s Premier League goal tally (seven) despite playing 14 fewer matches (21 compared to 35), and he also provided two more assists (three versus one).
And importantly, Gakpo has the ingredients to be just as effective in midfield, namely his aforementioned eye for a penetrative pass, link-up play and ability in tight spaces. Arteta likely saw similar traits in Havertz, which may have been the basis for his bold midfield idea.
Above all else, the former PSV man relies on his supreme intelligence when he slots into new roles, having already adapted seamlessly to an unfamiliar false-nine position at Anfield.
“He is a super footballer and a smart person,” Klopp said last season, “I never for second thought that he was only 24, but he is really young. He was captain at his previous club, which is special.
“And then you meet the boy and you think: ‘Ah OK, now I understand why.’ He eats football, each information we give him is so natural for him to put it on the pitch.
“He is in a position he has never played before but he enjoys it a lot. We need him there and he is very cool that he can play three or four positions but he has adapted pretty quickly.”
Klopp, then, has upgraded Arteta’s gameρłɑɴ by signing a more potent forward and equally-adept midfielder, all while spєɴԀing $27m less.
