Liverpool appear to have returned to their swashbuckling best this season, putting their underwhelming 2022/23 campaign firmly in the rearview mirror.
Jurgen Klopp’s men stumbled last term, finishing trophyless while also missing out on the Champions League for the first time since the 2016/17 season, and it looked as though the German had lost some of his magic.
The Reds underwent a major summer rebuild however, most notably across their midfield as the likes of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Naby Keita and James Milner all departed the club. This allowed Klopp to bring in a more youthful contingent, including Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister and this seems to have rejuvenated the side.
Indeed, the Merseyside outfit have lost just one game all season – a controversial 2-1 reverse against Tottenham Hotspur last month – and they currently sit fourth in the Premier League, just three points from the summit.
One of the most pleasing aspects this term is how effective Klopp’s frontline has become. Mohamed Salah has registered ten goal contributions so far – six goals and four assists – while Darwin Núñez and Luis Diaz are hitting form at precisely the right time, scoring four and three goals respectively and if they can maintain this excellent run, a trophy or two might not be out of the question.
Despite a fairly low-key start to his Anfield career, Cody Gakpo has also begun the current campaign in solid form.
How has Cody Gakpo performed this season?
Once again, Liverpool pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes by announcing they had signed Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven back in January, despite the forward being linked with a host of clubs.
Following an impressive World Cup where he scored three times for the Netherlands plus a solid start to the season for PSV, Gakpo was looked upon as another smart piece of business by Klopp.
Across 26 matches during the second half of last season, he scored seven goals and grabbed three assists, and has since started the current campaign with the ambition of surpassing these figures before Christmas.
The towering asset has scored three times in eight games for the club so far, yet he fails to rank within the top three across the squad for performance metrics which include key passes per game, big chances created or successful dribbles per game and this could become a concern for Klopp.
With the other wingers and forwards stepping up, this has perhaps been overlooked while the German could still have utilised the services of Roberto Firmino, who left Liverpool before the 2023/24 campaign.
How much did Liverpool sign Roberto Firmino for?
Following a rather woeful 2014/15 season, Brendan Rodgers entered the summer transfer window trying to build a squad that could return to challenging for the league title as they had done a season prior.
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Firmino was earmarked as a player who could take them to the next level, and he joined the Anfield side for a fee of around £29m, becoming the second-highest transfer in their history.
He had netted 49 goals across 153 appearances for Bundesliga side Hoffenheim and this record clearly impressed Rodgers who was desperate for some much-needed firepower.
11 goals in his first season signified decent progress, but he would truly come to life under Klopp, especially once Salah and Sadio Mane were added to the squad.
The great triumvirate was formed and with Mane on the left, Salah on the right and Firmino through the middle, Liverpool reached heights they hadn’t touched since the 1980s.
Klopp led them to Champions League and Premier League glory in successive seasons, while a plethora of other honours were claimed, but like all good things, it had to come to an end sometime.
Mane left in the summer of 2022, joining Bayern Munich and this left a gaping hole in Klopp’s attack, which perhaps led to their poor campaign last year.
Following eight productive seasons in Liverpool, the Brazilian decided to leave the club following the expiration of his contract this summer and chase a new challenge.
He was even hailed as a “stalwart” by former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, and it clearly shows how much he had impressed during his time in England.
The 32-year-old ended his career on Merseyside having registered 190 goal contributions – 111 goals and 79 assists – and ended up joining Saudi side Al-Ahli on a free transfer.
He doesn’t seem to be slowing down however, and is even outperforming Gakpo this season, showing how much he is enjoying life in the Middle East.
What happened to Roberto Firmino?
Firmino made an immediate impact at his new club, scoring a hattrick on his debut, and he has even grabbed a couple of assists for good measure.
He currently ranks second across the squad for shots on target per game in the Saudi Professional League (one), while also ranking fourth for key passes per game (1.3) and for successful dribbles per game (1.4) and it showcases that he still has the attributes which allow him to shine at the highest level.
His five goal contributions this season is more than the three that Gakpo has registered, suggesting that Firmino may still have had plenty to offer Liverpool this season, even in a slightly different role.
There is no doubt that the Dutchman will eventually showcase the form which he displayed every week in the Eredivisie over the course of the next few months and this will give Klopp’s side a boost.
Firmino, while on the wrong side of 30, is still performing fairly well in a different environment and Klopp may be slightly regretting not trying to tie him down to another year on his previous contract.
If the Anfield side continues this impressive start to the season heading into the festive period, then not many supporters will bat an eyelid with regard to Firmino outperforming Gakpo this term.
It is still early doors, yet the Brazilian could have bolstered the squad depth as the club are looking to challenge on all fronts throughout the remainder of the campaign.