Liverpool sit pretty at the top of the Premier League heading into another international break, after Arne Slot’s men got the better of Crystal Palace 1-0 away from home on Saturday.
It wasn’t the most convincing win in the end, with Diogo Jota’s early strike ending up being the difference maker between the two sides on the day, but the Reds won’t care one bit as they go about continuing their excellent start to the campaign under their new Dutch manager.
Slot made some big calls in the build-up to this clash with the Eagles, as Luis Diaz dropped down to the bench amongst other notable switches, but Cody Gakpo’s inclusion from the get-go proved to be an inspired alteration by the ex-Feyenoord boss.
Gakpo and Diaz's importance to Liverpool
Gakpo stood out for the Reds in attack on their travels down to South London, with the exciting 25-year-old forward combining well with Jota for the only strike of the contest.
Amassing five key passes on the day as a livewire for Oliver Glasner’s men to keep tabs on, Gakpo also fired two efforts of his own towards the Palace net to try and make his table-topping side’s win more emphatic away from the solitary Jota goal.
That was the Liverpool number 18’s first start in the Premier League this campaign, and certainly won’t be his last based on the numbers he put in, with Slot rubbing his hands with delight at the amount of options he has at his disposal up top.
Diaz will hope he can break back into his manager’s XI regardless of Gakpo’s stellar showing, however, with the Colombian attacker boasting fine numbers himself this campaign, having bagged an impressive five goals from seven Premier League contests.
Whilst Diaz will be confident that he can re-enter the lineup soon, Darwin Nunez won’t feel so optimistic, with the Uruguayan left on the bench even during the latter stages of the win at Selhurst Park.
The latest on Darwin Nunez's future at Liverpool
It has also been reported that there are interested parties looking at the inconsistent striker, with GIVEMESPORT claiming that Barcelona could be preparing a bid for Nunez soon to give him a way out of Anfield this January.
Liverpool would look to recoup some of the whopping £85m they splashed out on Nunez if they were to offload him soon, with a sale also allowing the aspiring top-flight champions to free up some space on the wage bill, as the South American centre-forward is a high earner in the current Reds camp.
24/25
7
1
23/24
54
18
22/23
42
15
Despite only firing home one lacklustre strike so far this season, Nunez rakes in a high £140k-per-week salary, with 34 goals from 103 total games donning Liverpool red so far not exactly blowing away the Anfield masses either.
Both Gakpo and Diaz earn smaller pay packets despite both shining more for Slot’s men this season than Nunez has managed, with the Dutchman earning £120k-per-week and the 27-year-old winger earning £55k-per-week respectively.
Whilst Diaz will be confident that he can force his way back into the main lineup soon, Nunez won’t be so sure, with only one start coming his way in the top-flight this season as Jota makes that spot up top his own.
The Portuguese forward will be even harder to shift after his winning strike against Palace, with his counterpart – who was labelled as “very wasteful” by ex-Reds great Robbie Fowler last campaign – very wary about his future in England and perhaps tempted by a switch to the Camp Nou subsequently.
Of course, the season is still in its infancy, and as Gakpo proved last time out against the Eagles, opportunities are there for the taking when Slot does decide to freshen up his XI.
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