Cody Gakpo's Stellar Performance Puts Bradley Barcola's Minutes in Jeopardy
Jamie Carragher believes Bradley Barcola could be facing a long wait for minutes if Cody Gakpo keeps playing like this.
Liverpool’s £123m summer signing watched on as Gakpo ripped through Ipswich Town on Friday night, driving a 2-0 win at Portman Road that finally put Andoni Iraola’s side on the board after two chaotic 2-2 draws against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest.
This time, there was no drama. Just two moments of real class.
Gakpo turns it on, Barcola left looking in
Liverpool flew out of the blocks, and the game was effectively shaped inside the first nine minutes. Alexander Isak struck twice, but Gakpo was the one stitching everything together.
The Dutch forward produced two superb pieces of play to create both goals, the standout a gorgeous outside-of-the-boot through ball that sliced open Ipswich’s back line and sent Isak racing clear for Liverpool’s second. It was the kind of pass that makes a manager rethink his pecking order.
Carragher certainly has. Watching on, the former Liverpool defender jumped straight onto social media to deliver a blunt verdict on what this version of Gakpo means for Barcola.
“Barcola is going to struggle to get a game with this version of Gakpo,” he posted on X.
It’s hard to argue with the timing. Gakpo has carried his pre-season form straight into the campaign, emerging as one of Liverpool’s sharpest performers. The club resisted interest from Manchester City and Tottenham to keep him at Anfield, and nights like this explain why.
Van Dijk: ‘Cody was outstanding’
Inside the dressing room, the appreciation is just as clear. Virgil van Dijk, now wearing the armband, underlined how central Gakpo has become to Liverpool’s plans.
“Cody was outstanding,” the centre-back told Sky Sports. “He’s important for us and he will be important this season as well. He showed it today, last week as well with the assist and over the last couple of years.”
For Barcola, signed from Paris Saint-Germain for a huge fee and with huge expectations, that is the reality he walks into: a front line already humming, and a compatriot of his captain in the form of his Liverpool career.
Isak answers back after difficult year
While Gakpo pulled the strings, Isak applied the finish. The Sweden international arrived for big money from Newcastle United but endured a frustrating, injury-hit first season. At Portman Road, he finally looked like the striker Liverpool thought they were buying.
Two goals, both clinically taken, and 90 minutes in the bank. Just what Iraola wanted.
“He’s a massive player for us,” the Liverpool manager said. “My demands will probably not be about the goals. I know he is fit and in good shape. He’s going to produce the numbers.
“My fight with him will be more about other stuff, how to help the team in other situations – but it is good he has already played two full games, scoring the goals, so I am very happy to have him.”
Ipswich still fired off 14 shots, but Liverpool rarely looked rattled once those early strikes went in. The control they had lacked in the opening two league games finally arrived.
‘We were waiting for the first win’
Isak admitted the squad knew they needed a response after their stuttering start.
“We were waiting for the first win,” he said. “We talked about starting the game good, which we haven’t done recently, so it was perfect for us to get two good quick goals.
“With a normal pre-season, I think we are starting to get to the way we want to play. To be offensive and attack the defence. I think we did that. We scored two, and we could have scored more.”
That last line will echo for Barcola. Liverpool’s attack already looks dangerous, even before the club’s record signing has kicked a competitive ball for them.
If Gakpo keeps dictating games like this, Carragher’s warning may quickly turn into Barcola’s reality: how do you break into a forward line that is already purring?
