Still in search of his debut goal for the club, Cody Gakpo has struggled to hit the ground running since joining Liverpool in January.
Arriving at Anfield with an impressive goalscoring return at former club PSV Eindhoven, it hasn’t quite happened for the Dutch international in a Reds shirt.
Luis Diaz proved this time last year the impact a player can have when being recruited in the middle of the season, but Gakpo has been unable to impose himself in a struggling Liverpool side and has rarely looked like scoring.
Much of the talk regarding the Reds’ struggles has related to a lack of investment and an ageing squad, which is unable to replicate performance levels witnessed in recent years. What better time, then, to enter the fray and offer an injection of quality into a team lacking belief and the ability to win games.
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Sadly, Gakpo has appeared helpless to the situation unfolding around him and unable to stamp his authority within the final third. Utilised both as a central figure and on the left flank, Jurgen Klopp has received little from the 23-year-old to suggest he will be a regular started by the time Diogo Jota and Diaz have recovered from their respective injury setbacks.
It has also been a tough period for Darwin Nunez, who began his Liverpool career in impressive fashion but has failed to recreate his early form following the World Cup break. On target during his debut against Manchester City back in July, the Uruguayan followed up this cameo display with a goal and assist on his maiden Premier League outing away at Fulham.
Nunez’s form has fluctuated throughout the season, with his current spell being one to forget, but key to supporters buying into the former Benfica forward as a long-term solution was his quick start to life. A moment of madness which saw Nunez receive a red card for headbutting Crystal Palace defender Joachim Andersen was a foolish decision set back his early progress, but a determination to chase lost causes and create chances for team-mates has enabled the towering striker to gradually win over the backing of fans.
The issue as far as Gakpo is concerned is that the clock continues to tick: 497 minutes across a period of six matches have now passed without the Dutchman getting on the scoresheet and there has been little evidence to suggest this is likely to change anytime soon.
This unwanted run has now placed the former PSV star in an unwanted list of forwards who have taken the longest amount of time to open their goalscoring account for the club. Only nine players since the 1945/46 season have experienced a longer drought in the final third, with one of those (Arthur Rowley) failing to score in any of his 11 appearances before leaving the club.
Others who make up the rest of this top ten list include Divock Origi (614 minutes, 11 games), Robbie Keane (688 minutes, 11 games), Dominic Solanke (690 minutes, 27 games) and Ian Rush (813 minutes, 10 games). Peter Crouch occupies the unwanted number one position (1229 minutes, 18 games).
Rush, the Reds' all-time top goalscorer, serves as an obvious example that a quick start at Anfield is not always required to go on and enjoy a successful spell at the club, though Gakpo will be eager to end his barren run before long as the Reds look to get their season back on track.
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