Liverpool ended a run of three successive defeats in all competitions by claiming all three points against West Ham United at the London Stadium in the Premier League on Sunday.
Arne Slot’s team had lost 3-0 to Nottingham Forest and 3-0 to Manchester City in their last two outings in the top-flight, which is why it was so important for them to bounce back with a win against the Hammers.
Alexander Isak scored his first league goal for the Reds after his £125m move from Newcastle United in the summer, as part of an attack that looked very different after some impressive tweaks from the head coach.
The key tactical tweaks Liverpool made against West Ham
Instead of playing Curtis Jones or Dominik Szoboszlai at right-back, Slot opted to go with a natural defender in Joe Gomez in the back four and it was a tactical decision that paid off big time.
The former England international was not dribbled past a single time in the 90 minutes on the pitch, per Sofascore, and provided an assist for the second goal with an excellent cross after Szoboszlai, who was able to play further up the field, did well to lay the ball off to him.
Slot also played Florian Wirtz in the number ten role, after he was left on the bench against PSV, and the Germany international completed 93% of his attempted passes in a controlling and metronomic display in the middle of the park.
The Liverpool boss also made the bold call to drop Mohamed Salah from the starting line-up to play Szoboszlai out wide on the right, days after Alan Pardew suggested that the Egypt international has looked “lost”.
In Salah’s absence, though, Reds forward Cody Gakpo showed that he is the manager’s most clutch player this season with an impressive display.
Liverpool’s most clutch player
In March of last year, the £40m signing from PSV was criticised by former Liverpool defender and pundit Jamie Carragher, who claimed that the Dutchman “plays like the game is in slow motion“.
Believe it or not, that’s not the first time the former centre-back has criticised the Dutchman.
Indeed, just after he signed, Carragher wrote that he was ‘baffled watching Gakpo’s early performances,” further stating that ‘Gakpo is not a typical Klopp signing, lacking lightning pace and the capacity to lead a high press.’
There is a languid demeanour to the way that Gakpo plays for Liverpool on the wing, but that is not an inherently bad thing because it is not down to a genuine lack of effort, as shown by his output this season.
The Netherlands international added a goal and an assist to his tally in the 2-0 win over West Ham, setting up Isak for the opener before burying a finish late on to seal the win.
With Salah out, Gakpo once again showed that he is the most clutch player in the squad in the Premier League this season, because he has been the most productive player in front of goal.
Last season, Salah was the player Liverpool looked to when they needed a goal, as he ended the campaign with a staggering 29 goals and 18 assists, per WhoScored.
|
25/26 PL |
Gakpo |
Liverpool rank |
|---|---|---|
|
xG |
3.8 |
1st |
|
Goals |
4 |
1st |
|
Big chances created |
7 |
1st |
|
Chances created |
25 |
1st |
|
xA |
2.6 |
1st |
|
Assists |
3 |
1st |
|
Goals + assists |
7 |
1st |
As you can see in the table above, it is Gakpo who has been the go-to man for Slot in the top-flight so far this term, leading the way in pretty much every significant attacking metric.
These statistics show how clutch the Dutchman has been for the Reds this season, because he has been their main star for both goals and creativity at the top end of the pitch, which was on full display with a goal and an assist on Sunday.
Until Salah is able to get back to his best in the Premier League, which will hopefully happen in the coming weeks, Gakpo should be considered the most clutch player in the squad for his output so far.
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