Rio Ferdinand has praised Arne Slot for the work that he’s done in transforming one Liverpool player who’d previously looked like ‘a lost child’.
The 46-year-old has guided the Reds to Premier League glory in emphatic style in his first season at the club, winning the title with four matches still to play with practically the same squad that he’d inherited from Jurgen Klopp.
Whilst the personnel are effectively the same, the ex-Feyenoord boss has made subtle yet profoundly effective tweaks which have worked wonders at Anfield – one of which was the restoration of Cody Gakpo to a left-sided role after he played primarily as a centre-forward in 2023/24.
Ferdinand praises Gakpo’s improvement under Slot
On the latest episode of Rio Ferdinand Presents, the former England international lauded Slot for getting the balance right between adding a freshness at Liverpool and not ripping up the template which had worked so well under his predecessor.
The ex-Manchester United defender said: “They’ve a manager who’s been really sensible and shrewd. He hasn’t tried to change the wheels too much. He adapted a little bit, made things really clear and made it understandable for the players, and it’s improved individuals.”
Ferdinand then went on to praise Liverpool’s number 18, stating: “You’ve got Gakpo, who looked a bit like a lost child at times. He now looks really solid this year and has scored big important goals this season.”
(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)How do Gakpo’s stats compare from this season to last?
Statistically there’s been a moderate improvement from the 25-year-old this season compared to last, rather than a drastic revitalisation. His tally of 17 goals in all competitions is just one better than in 2023/24, but notably it’s been accrued in 630 fewer minutes of game-time (Transfermarkt).
Curiously, quite a few of Gakpo’s underlying performance metrics in the current campaign have actually dropped off from last term, including his Premier League xG (9 to 6.4), pass completion (77.3% to 76%), and rate of shots on target (3.6 to 2.77) and goal-creating actions (0.55 to 0.39) per 90 minutes, as per FBref.
However, the eye test would indicate that he appears better suited to a wide attacking role than playing through the centre; and whilst his goal against Spurs on Sunday was his first in the top flight for three months, his scoring streak at the turn of the year contributed greatly towards Liverpool’s title triumph.
Whether he’ll get the chance to add to that tally remains to be seen, with the Dutchman potentially facing a sanction for displaying a religious message on his vest after scoring at the weekend (oh, what a heinous offence…).
Ferdinand was exagerrating with his comment that Gakpo had resembled ‘a lost child’ last season, but we do agree that our number 18 has been terrific under Slot, whose work with him also merits plenty of commendation. Let’s hope we see an even better version of him over the next few years!
The post Rio Ferdinand lauds ‘shrewd’ Arne Slot for what he’s done with ‘lost child’ in Liverpool squad appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.
