'Definitely not': Alan Shearer tells Arne Slot he is using one of his Liverpool players in the wrong position
Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version from The Boot Room or go back to LFC Live.
Liverpool have endured a difficult start to the season, and Alan Shearer thinks one of their regular starters is being used in the wrong position by Arne Slot.The Reds ended their rut with a win over Eintracht Frankfurt earlier this week, but they have still failed to taste victory in their last three Premier League matches.Slot has insisted he is not worried about Mohamed Salah’s lack of goals in 2025/26, but if the Egyptian is not on his A-game, other Liverpool forwards need to step up and fill the void.On that front, Alan Shearer has sent some advice to the Dutchman about one of his attackers.Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty ImagesAlan Shearer names Cody Gakpo’s favourite positionSpeaking on the Rest Is Football podcast, the Premier League’s all-time top goalscorer claimed that Cody Gakpo much prefers to play as a striker.He said: “Definitely not his favourite position. I mean, when I interviewed him last year, he said his much preferred position is centre forward down the middle.
That’s where he wants to play.“So and there’s no doubt they didn’t sign him as a left-sided player. They signed him as a centre forward, so.”Gakpo has featured in every Premier League and Champions League fixture for Liverpool this season, scoring four and assisting three.Barring a 45-minute outing in a 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace, the Dutchman has been used on the left in every tie.However, now that Alexander Isak is a doubt for the weekend’s action, there may be more scope for the ex-PSV star to get a chance up front, which could inadvertently help another struggling player.Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty ImagesCody Gakpo position change can help Milos KerkezMilos Kerkez has been slammed following a slow start to life at Anfield.One factor behind the Hungarian’s struggles, as Slot highlighted when speaking live in his pre-Brentford press conference this week, is Gakpo preferring to cut inside from the left, rather than linking up with the full-back.He said: “We brought him [Kerkez] in as he brings a lot of energy to the game by going up and down.
He has been unlucky that Cody [Gakpo] has used his main strength of coming inside and hitting the target.“We’ve shown clips to Cody where Milos was the right option. They need to find their connection better than they already do.”So, if Gakpo were to be moved into a more central role, it may benefit Kerkez in the long run.