Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was spotted constantly shouting at new arrival Cody Gakpo from the touchline during the FA Cup loss against Brighton yesterday, as per The Athletic.
The Dutchman delivered his best performance in a Reds shirt since arriving at Anfield earlier this month in a deal worth £37m.
Playing down the middle instead of his usual position on the left wing, the 23-year-old is still adjusting to the style of play wanted by the Merseyside boss.
Klopp is a big fan of the way Gakpo drops into the half-space – like Roberto Firmino likes to do – and disrupts the opposition’s build-up play.
This worked well against the Seagulls, but his runs from deep meant Liverpool weren’t much of a threat attacking the Brighton goal.
Playing in a new system, Klopp was spotted constantly shouting orders at the Netherlands international from his technical area. The manager is still trying to ingrain what he wants from a centre forward into the player.
Klopp spotted shouting at Gakpo
As all well and good it is that Klopp is trying to help Gakpo with his positional play, it still begs the question why he isn’t using the Dutchman in his natural role.
For the majority of his career at PSV Eindhoven, the 23-year-old has played off the left.
Although he has the ability to play anywhere across the front-line, including as a number ten in the midfield, he excels on the left-hand side.
Therefore, instead of throwing the player in the deep-end by starting him out of position each week, Liverpool should actually use Gakpo in his best-suited role.
The Netherlands international looked far more positive against Brighton yesterday, picking up the ball and running at the defence.
He looks like he is beginning to adjust to what Klopp wants from him, but it is clear Darwin Nunez should start centrally, with Gakpo out wide. Otherwise, what was the point in signing him?
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