Liverpool winger Cody Gakpo will surely be frustrated by Arne Slot’s decision to leave him on the bench for their Premier League clash with Bournemouth at Anfield.
The Reds are in desperate need of a response after last weekend’s disappointing 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest in the league.
Despite coming from behind against AC Milan to get their Champions League campaign underway with a 3-1 win on Tuesday, it is absolutely imperative Liverpool get back to winning ways domestically.Slot has made four changes from the team that played midweek, including goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, who comes in for the injured Alisson.
Further forward, Andy Robertson and Luis Diaz come back into the starting lineup, while Darwin Nunez is in for Diogo Jota. Gakpo benched by Slot against BournemouthHe played almost 70 minutes against AC Milan midweekThe new Liverpool head coach has been largely consistent with his team selection in the Premier League so far this season.
The same attacking trio of Jota, Diaz and Mohamed Salah started the first four games of the campaign, and changes were only made in the Champions League against AC Milan on Tuesday night. On that occasion, Gakpo came in for the rested Diaz, and it’s fair to say the Dutchman made a strong case to keep his spot in the team. After falling behind at the San Siro, Liverpool scored three to secure a crucial 3-1 victory in their opening European fixture.
After a blunt performance in front of goal against Forest, the Reds were clinical on set pieces, and Gakpo played a crucial role in the build-up to the team’s third. The goal came from a transition, and Gakpo was sent racing down the left flank before his cross into the box was met by Dominik Szoboszlai.
Gakpo, who reportedly earns £120,000-per-week at Anfield, made way for Diaz with a little over 20 minutes left to play at the San Siro, but his 68-minute display wasn’t enough to displace the Colombian this weekend. With the games coming thick and fast, and another midweek game against West Ham in the Carabao Cup looming, Slot is evidently looking to manage minutes where he can.
Nunez handed huge opportunity
The Uruguayan replaces Jota in the starting lineupNunez has played just 84 minutes across all competitions under Slot so far this season. All of those appearances have been off the bench, and he hasn’t scored a single goal or registered an assist in that time, but he was surely furious after being left out against AC Milan too. However, the 25-year-old will hope to change that against Bournemouth as he looks to stake a claim for more regular minutes.
Rotation is inevitable, but Nunez will need a big performance if he’s to have any hope of displacing Jota in the starting lineup for the big games this season. In the striker’s defence, he hasn’t been afforded a lot of time to make an impact so far, so this will be the real test.But, Gakpo will no doubt be left scratching his head after such an impactful performance of his own at the San Siro.
But, Diaz has been in scintillating form this season, so Slot will view it as a welcomed headache with both of his left-wingers performing at such a high level.
