Cody Gakpo has undoubtedly been a standout player for the Netherlands in recent months. The 26-year-old has provided three goals and two assists in his past three caps and after his stunning strike against Finland on Monday, Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf considered him "almost unbeatable at speed", adding that "his return for the national team is incredibly high". Since he joined the Reds in January 2023 he has contributed 43 goals and 16 assists in 138 appearances - that is a goal involvement every 2.3 games.
Cody Gakpo has undoubtedly been a standout player for the Netherlands in recent months.
The 26-year-old has provided three goals and two assists in his past three caps and after his stunning strike against Finland on Monday, Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf considered him "almost unbeatable at speed", adding that "his return for the national team is incredibly high".
So have Gakpo's best performances come in the famous orange shirt or in the red of Liverpool?
Since he joined the Reds in January 2023 he has contributed 43 goals and 16 assists in 138 appearances - that is a goal involvement every 2.3 games.
That ratio improves to a goal involvement every 1.7 matches with the Netherlands, with Gakpo notching 16 goals and eight assists in 37 caps during his spell on Merseyside. He also creates more chances while on international duty.
His expected goals per 90 minutes is higher for Liverpool, however, and he also takes more shots and has more touches in the opposition box for the Premier League side.
Gakpo is a genuine focal point and source of goals for his country. But, he has not quite reached that status at Anfield yet, despite his excellent return of 18 goals last season.
He is also given more freedom in orange and has a little less defensive responsibility.
The Netherlands deploy him in a similar system to that of Liverpool and he is used either on the left of a front three or on the left wing in Ronald Koeman's preferred 4-2-3-1 formation. However, Koeman often plays a defensive-minded left-back, with Nathan Ake and Micky van de Ven less inclined to attack when compared with Liverpool's Milos Kerkez or Andy Robertson.
It is also worth noting that the Dutch often face a lower calibre of opposition, especially during a qualification campaign. Gakpo scored twice against Malta last week and registered an assist versus Lithuania in September, with both nations ranked well outside of the world's top 100 according to Fifa.
Regardless of opposition, Gakpo has found the net in three successive matches for club and country. He has never scored in four consecutive games since signing for Liverpool.
It is fierce rivals Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday - and that would be the perfect way to achieve that personal milestone.
Category: General Sports
