Arne Slot faces a significant selection challenge ahead of Liverpool’s Premier League opener against Ipswich Town on Saturday, largely due to his recent comments about Cody Gakpo.
Slot is preparing for his debut competitive match as Liverpool’s manager, with high expectations riding on the season’s first game. While the pressure to secure a strong start is considerable, Slot can draw confidence from Liverpool’s impressive pre-season victories over teams like Real Betis, Arsenal, Manchester United, and Sevilla.
However, pre-season performances are not always indicative of competitive match outcomes, and Slot’s dilemma is compounded by having a fully fit squad to choose from for the weekend’s trip to Suffolk.
Selecting the starting lineup is proving to be a complex task, especially after Slot’s revelation to Gakpo about his role this season. Slot has informed the 25-year-old Dutchman that he plans to deploy him primarily on the left wing, a position Gakpo was less frequently utilized in under former manager Jurgen Klopp, who favored him as a center-forward.
In an interview with Liverpoolfc.com ahead of the Ipswich match, Gakpo shared that Slot envisions him as a left winger but also hinted at the possibility of being used in other positions as needed. This shift in Gakpo’s role is not entirely unfamiliar, as he did feature on the left wing 12 times last season.
However, it complicates the situation since Luis Diaz was widely expected to start in that position against Ipswich. Diaz’s standout performance in Liverpool’s 4-1 win over Sevilla, where he scored two first-half goals, had all but secured his spot on the left for the season opener.
Slot’s decision to prioritize Gakpo on the left wing introduces uncertainty about the starting lineup. While it’s likely that Diaz will retain his role for the Ipswich game, the competition between him and Gakpo for the left-wing spot is expected to intensify throughout the season. This scenario leaves Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota competing for the central forward position.
Both Diaz and Gakpo have demonstrated their value at Anfield, with Diaz scoring 13 goals and providing five assists in 51 appearances last season, while Gakpo slightly outperformed him with 16 goals and six assists in 53 games.
Their impressive summer performances for their national teams further underline the challenge Slot faces in making his final selection decisions. Gakpo, after a season spent mostly in a central role, will now aim to establish himself on the left wing, hoping to replicate the prolific form he showed at PSV before joining Liverpool in January 2023.
