Jurgen Klopp already facing big Liverpool call as Cody Gakpo issue emerges
Cody Gakpo had already made a happy habit of stepping up on the big occasion for Liverpool. So when Bayern Munich were the opposition in Singapore earlier this month, he didn't waste any time.
Less than two minutes were on the clock when Gakpo, racing on to a return pass from Diogo Jota, sprinted clear of the Bayern backline and slotted home a fine finish.
It was further evidence of an effective warm-up programme for the Dutchman, who had signalled his intentions in the opening pre-season friendly at Karlsruhe when controlling a header down by Jota and then swivelling to fire into the top corner midway through the second half, before turning creator for Jota to net during injury time.
While his performance against Bayern came as the spearhead of the attack - from where he made 15 of his 17 Premier League starts having arrived midway through last season from PSV Eindhoven - earlier in the summer the lack of midfield options meant he was on the left of the engine room triumvirate.
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And the continued shortage of selection choices for Jurgen Klopp meant Gakpo started the current top-flight campaign in the deeper role, with Jota, Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz occupying the attacking roles.
The Dutchman - whose only Liverpool start last season in midfield was in similarly emergency conditions at home to Brentford - has subsequently been the first player substituted by Klopp in the opening weekend draw at Chelsea and last weekend's win over Bournemouth having struggled to make an impact.
The numbers suggest the midfield role has been restricting Gakpo's natural game. In
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