Liverpool have had an incredible season across all competitions throughout the entirety of the 2023/24 campaign thus far.
The Reds have lost just two Premier League games all season and sit on top of the table with 51 points, putting them two ahead of second-placed Manchester City.
Liverpool's second Premier League loss of the season came on Sunday as they tasted a 3-1 defeat to fellow title rivals, Arsenal. Since Mikel Arteta's appointment at the north-London club, there has been something of a rivalry developed between them.
Arteta even took it as far as playing Liverpool's trademark 'You'll Never Walk Alone' song at one of his The Gunners' training sessions a number of seasons ago in order to prepare his side for the fabled Anfield atmosphere.
During Sunday's clash, one of Liverpool's key players this season was absent from the squad due to injury. That player being Dominik Szoboszlai. The Hungary international has been one of the Reds' most consistent players this season.
The importance of Dominik Szoboszlai in Liverpool's team
The attacking-midfielder joined Liverpool in the summer for a fee worth around £60m and, since his arrival, he has been one of the first names on Klopp's team sheet. According to Sofascore, in just the Premier League alone this season, the 23-year-old has averaged a rating of 7.28.
Szoboszlai has played a total of 28 games for the Reds across all competitions thus far and has managed to contribute to a total of nine goals during that time.
However, Klopp is set to be without the 23-year-old for a number of games with him potentially even missing out on the Carabao Cup Final which is set to take place on the 25th of February.
This undeniably leaves a hole within Liverpool's squad which needs to be filled to a similar standard that Szoboszlai has shown throughout the season thus far.
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Although players such as Thiago are returning to the squad, Cody Gakpo is a player who Klopp could look towards to fill in for Szoboszlai during his absence. The Netherlands international joined the Reds in January 2023 following a stellar World Cup campaign.
The former PSV man scored three goals in the group stages and played a large chunk of his country's time in the tournament. Although many clubs were vying for his transfer at the time, the 24-year-old chose to represent Liverpool.
Why Cody Gakpo is one of Liverpool's most versatile players
Since arriving at Anfield, he has been one of the Reds' most reliable players and has contributed to 24 goals in just 58 games. In addition, in those games, he has played in an array of positions, including centre-midfield.
Despite only being deployed in the centre of the park nine times thus far throughout his career, the Dutchman's versatility and adaptability to play anywhere across the attack is unmatched. Gakpo has spoken of his versatile nature himself and stated he thinks his season has 'gone well.'
Left wing
171
73
55
Centre forward
54
21
7
Right wing
25
2
4
Central midfield
9
1
0
Attacking midfield
1
1
0
"Obviously I've played in a few different positions – striker, midfield and left wing, I think I can do better, obviously," he said.
"You want to do better every day and become a better player all the time. But I think it went well and it can be better as well. It's just about working hard to become a better player. Last season I played almost every game as a striker. This season, [I have played] as a striker or a midfielder.
"I just focus on those two positions really, and then just show what I can do and try to be the best player I can be."
Gakpo has shown his commitment to the squad and evidently sees himself as a 'fix' to Klopp's headache. He could well be deployed in the centre of the park in the coming weeks to fulfil the absence of Szoboszlai's attacking threat.