Main reason Cody Gakpo should be blamed for Liverpool defeat in the FA CUP quarter final to Man United

Some Liverpool fans have blamed Cody Gakpo for the team’s poor 4-3 FA Cup loss to Manchester United on social media after the game. This may not be fair.

When he came on as a replacement against Manchester United, Reds legend Jamie Carragher didn’t like how he played and said, “He plays like the game is in slow motion.”

Even though Jurgen Klopp has put the forward in and out of the starting lineup, he has scored 13 goals for Liverpool so far this season. But Gakpo isn’t playing at his best right now, so our writers talk about his place in the Liverpool team and whether there is reason to be worried.

Paul Gorst: I don’t feel bad about my current place in the squad.

As of now, Liverpool has scored 120 goals this season across all categories, so it would be very unfair to criticize their offensive play.

But it looks like Cody Gakpo is still trying to find his place in this Reds’ team almost 18 months after joining from PSV Eindhoven.

Klopp has tried him in the middle as a “false 9” (a bit like Roberto Firmino) and as the most advanced midfielder in a risky 4-2-3-1 formation. The Dutch player has sometimes been put on the left side of the front three, which is where he made his name in Dutch football as well.

It might not be as important for Gakpo to be where he is now if he hasn’t been able to properly convince everyone in any of those positions yet.

Gakpo has scored 13 goals this season, which puts him fourth on the Reds’ list of scorers. Darwin Nunez has scored 17, Mohamed Salah has scored 21, and Diogo Jota is out with an injury, leaving Jota with 14.

Even though Klopp has had his best group of forwards since he started working at Anfield in 2015, the 24-year-old shouldn’t feel bad about being a key member of a team whose policy of rotation has kept them in the running for the Premier League, the Europa League, and the Carabao Cup.

He might not be in top form right now and can’t be dropped, but from now until the end of the season, everyone will have to do their best.

Theo Squires: Terrible form and low confidence, but not a long-term issue

As Liverpool tried to win a record-setting fourth straight Premier League title in 2021–22, Divock Origi and Takumi Minamino were at the bottom of their striking hierarchy. Together, they scored 16 goals and were key to Liverpool’s wins in the League Cup and FA Cup. However, they only scored six goals in the Premier League.

It was impossible for them to start when the game was on the line and everyone else in Jurgen Klopp’s striking lineup was healthy and ready to go. After two years, you can’t say that anymore.

At the beginning of the season, Cody Gakpo was the first choice, but bad form and injuries have caused him to fall down the rankings. Still, he has scored 13 goals so far this season and has been a big part of their wins in the League Cup and the Europa League. He has also scored five goals in the Premier League.

Klopp keeps switching between the Dutchman and Mohamed Salah, so the latter could start any game and is much more than just a backup.

He has had some problems this year, that much is clear. Even though he has scored 13 goals, he has been careless in front of goal lately and has missed a few easy chances. While Darwin Nunez does the same thing, it never makes him feel as bad about himself as it does Gakpo.

He has lost his rhythm, which was first caused by an injury he got against Tottenham at the end of September and is now also being in and out of the team and playing different positions all the time.

The forward likes to play on the left side, but Luis Diaz has made that spot his own. Because of his great play as a false nine in the second part of last season, Nunez has taken over the central position in Liverpool’s team.

Gakpo isn’t quite clicking on the field right now. He may be out of form and missing confidence as a result. He has already shown how good he is while at Anfield, so it’s not a long-term problem. Form changes over time, but class stays the same.

Joe Rimmer: Gakpo’s help will be very important at the end of the season.

Some people are making Cody Gakpo look bad for Liverpool’s loss to Manchester United, which is both upsetting and expected.

Fans of football can change their minds at any time, and losing often makes them act badly. Liverpool’s 4–3 loss to Manchester United doesn’t need a big investigation. These kinds of outcomes do happen, and they show how hard it is to compete on four fronts.

But those who are asking Gakpo are not getting anything at all. He’s in the right place at the right time.

But Gakpo could have done better. In the end, he’ll be very important to Liverpool’s success, no matter how many titles they win. He’s already done what he could to help Liverpool win the Carabao Cup, fight in the Europa League, and stay in the running for the Premier League title.

People thought Gakpo would replace Roberto Firmino, but Darwin Nunez has stepped up this season, Luis Diaz’s consistency, and Diogo Jota’s great play have pushed him down the list, so it’s not surprising that he’s losing faith.

That being said, 13 goals so far this season is a good start, and as we saw with Takumi Minamino and Divock Origi, it’s often the lesser-known players who shine come the end of the season. Don’t give up on Gakpo yet.