"For 65 minutes, Liverpool were desperate tonight. Really poor, didn't create enough. They didn't play at the right speed [or] the right tempo. They didn't have enough quality. He has to start Ngumoha now. He has to start because he's coming on and he's doing more in a short cameo, in a short space of time, than Gakpo is doing in 65-70 minutes."
"The left winger has been a lightning rod for criticism this season. At a surface level, it's understandable. Gakpo has played almost exactly the same number of minutes across all competitions, yet boasts eight goals compared to 18 last term. After losing the option of Luis Díaz to Bayern Munich in the summer, Liverpool's only senior left winger has failed to replicate even half of his own output."
Liverpool suffered a shocking 2-1 defeat to bottom-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers, prompting criticism from former captain Steven Gerrard. Gerrard specifically criticized the team's lack of attacking spark and poor tempo during the match. He advocated for teenage winger Rio Ngumoha to start Friday's FA Cup rematch instead of Cody Gakpo, arguing that Ngumoha demonstrates greater impact in brief cameo appearances than Gakpo achieves in 65-70 minutes of play. While Gakpo has underperformed this season with eight goals compared to eighteen last term, the article suggests singling him out may be unfair given broader team struggles.
Read at SI
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