Cody Gakpo is clearly ignoring Arne Slot demand as Liverpool winger hit with 'predictable' verdict - opinion
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Cody Gakpo has come under fire from the Dutch press this week, being criticised for what Arne Slot has already called out the Liverpool winger for doing.There is no Premier League action taking place this weekend, but a number of the Reds’ stars have still been in action.Hugo Ekitike has shone for France, continuing his fine start to the 2025/26 season.Join our newsletter for news & smart analysis. However, a couple of Liverpool players have not fared anywhere near as well, with Florian Wirtz slammed by the German press on the back of his showing on Friday night.Now, Cody Gakpo has been criticised after he featured for the Netherlands against Poland.Photo by Stefan Koops/EYE4images/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesCody Gakpo called out as the Netherlands draw with PolandAfter a 1-1 draw on November 14, Dutch outlet Voetbal Primeur bemoaned Gakpo’s insistence on constantly cutting inside from the left wing, dubbing the Liverpool ace ‘predictable’.They gave him a 5 rating and wrote: “He provided the cross that Memphis rebounded to score from.
But that was about it for Gakpo’s performance. Gakpo repeatedly cut inside, only to either play the ball back or lose it.”That is not the first time Gakpo’s style of play has been called into question this season.Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty ImagesArne Slot told Cody Gakpo to change up his style at LiverpoolWith Luis Diaz now at Bayern Munich, the Dutchman has been the Reds’ primary left-winger in 2025/26.Behind him, summer addition Milos Kerkez is struggling for form at Anfield.When speaking about the Hungarians’ woes late last month, Slot explained how Gakpo needs to find a better connection with the left-back and stop cutting inside as much, even confirming he has shown the winger clips of when the former Bournemouth man was a better option.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.”However, the latest verdict coming out of the Netherlands highlights that Gakpo has not taken that advice on board at all, continuing to come inside all the time rather than trying to use the left-back as an option.If that does not change in the near future, it seems obvious that Kerkez will not be able to show his true quality as a Red.