Cody Gakpo was one of the highlights for Liverpool in their 3-1 win over AC Milan, but the outing was not intended to be the Dutchman’s first of the season, Arne Slot has revealed.
Liverpool’s No. 18 was one of two changes to the XI in Italy, replacing Luis Diaz on the left wing to produce one of his best outings at the club.
Gakpo had to settle for four consecutive appearances off the bench prior to the Champions League opener, but Slot did not plan for that to be the case.
The intention was for him to start against Forest on Saturday, but that plan was thwarted after playing 156 of a possible 180 minutes for the Netherlands during the international break.
Slot said of his team selection to Prime Video: “You always take every game by itself, see how the opponent plays and see how fit the players are.
What a way to celebrate your birthday ?
A first UEFA Champions League win with Liverpool for Arne Slot ?#UCLonPrime pic.twitter.com/b9RBJOkLka
— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) September 17, 2024
“I actually would have planned to play Cody on Saturday, but Cody, for the first time, played two games with the Dutch national team, and Lucho was more fit than Cody on Saturday.
“That is why Lucho played [vs. Forest], and now Cody [vs. Milan], who did well.”
Gakpo showed what fresh legs can achieve for the Reds, ending his night with FotMob‘s joint-highest rating of 8.2-out-of-10 after notching an assist in addition to seven successful duels.
The 25-year-old did not see out the 90 minutes, instead replaced by Diaz at the 68-minute mark, but it highlighted how valuable rotation can be during an intense run of games.
Slot’s approach to rotation has been debated heavily since the defeat to Forest, but he will quickly discover how significant it is over the coming weeks as the Reds play in three different competitions.
As for Gakpo, he has at least laid down a marker to stay in the starting lineup for the visit of Bournemouth on Saturday.
He said post-match: “Every player wants to play and I got my moment. I really wanted to show myself and I am very happy with an assist but also especially with the win.”
