Andoni Iraola's Faith in Cody Gakpo Shines in Liverpool's Victory
Andoni Iraola never wavered. Not when the rumours swirled all summer, not when Cody Gakpo’s name was being pushed towards the exit door, and certainly not when Manchester City came calling with £85m on the table.
On a sharp Friday night at Portman Road, the Liverpool head coach saw his conviction repaid in full.
Gakpo, electric from the first whistle, ripped into Ipswich Town and dragged Liverpool to their first Premier League win of the season, a 2-0 victory built on his quality and his versatility. The Netherlands international laid on both goals for Alexander Isak, the pair combining twice in nine frantic minutes that killed the contest before it had even settled.
For Iraola, this was not a surprise. It was confirmation.
Iraola’s faith in Gakpo
“I had no doubt with Cody,” Iraola told reporters after the win. “He has been very, very good. All pre-season, [and] has started very well this season, producing numbers.”
That last part matters. In a summer when Liverpool listened to serious interest and weighed up life without him, Gakpo responded not with sulking but with output. He has been one of Liverpool’s standout performers in pre-season and the opening games of the campaign, exactly the kind of player a new coach leans on while reshaping a forward line.
The backdrop to all this was messy. Gakpo had been linked with a move away from Anfield, with reports suggesting he was open to a switch to Tottenham before ultimately favouring a move to Manchester City. City were prepared to spend big, the £85m offer underlining how highly they rated him.
Liverpool hesitated. Not because they doubted Gakpo, but because they could not find a replacement as the transfer window ticked towards its deadline. In the end, he stayed. On this evidence, Iraola has no complaints.
“Today, even after the two assists, he finishes as the No. 9 to help us close the game,” Iraola said. “I think it’s good to have Cody because he can play in the three positions up top, like all of our other players.
“To have him in this place for the beginning of the season is good.”
That flexibility is gold dust for a coach who wants his front line to rotate and press in waves. Gakpo started wide, created from the flank, then slid inside to shut the door on Ipswich as the game wore on. Liverpool needed control; he gave them that too.
Fierce competition in Liverpool’s attack
The pressure on Gakpo will not ease. It will intensify.
Liverpool spent £123m on Bradley Barcola in the summer, another high-profile addition to a crowded attacking unit that also includes Rio, Victor and Isak. Iraola made it clear that nobody in those positions can expect a free run of minutes.
“I think Cody knows how much we value him. I think there is no doubt. I rate him very highly,” he said. “I will demand [a lot] of him, obviously. He has also strong competition for minutes because we have good players in those positions, and it’s a matter of pushing each other.
“Now with Bradley, with Rio, with Victor, it’s a matter of sometimes they will start, sometimes they will come from the bench, sometimes they will not play. But this competition, I think, is going to be good for our team.”
The message is blunt: reputation does not guarantee game time. Form does. Gakpo has it. Others will have to chase it.
Barcola’s careful introduction
While Gakpo stole the headlines, Iraola also offered a first real glimpse of Barcola in a Liverpool shirt. The Frenchman came off the bench for the final half-hour, his first competitive minutes since the World Cup.
That gap matters. Iraola is determined not to rush him.
“I think Bradley hadn’t played a single minute since the World Cup so we needed to be careful,” he explained. “I think he is training well, in a good place, and I think that he has helped us.”
Liverpool tried to feed him, but not always cleanly. “Probably, we haven’t found him in a couple of situations where I think he was going against the ‘keeper, but we haven’t really seen his movements,” Iraola admitted.
Even so, the flashes were there. One sharp counter-attack, one clever pass that Gakpo finished – only for the goal not to stand – hinted at what he can bring.
“And also he has had a very good counter, very good passing side that I think Cody finished, but we didn’t score. But he was always a threat, you know?” Iraola said. “When he carries the ball, I think you can feel this threat and I’m happy because I think 30 minutes is going to be good for his fitness, for his build-up, and we will continue because now we play a lot of games, so he will have a chance to play more.”
Supporters will want instant fireworks from a £123m signing. Iraola is asking for something else: patience.
“I think it’s normal, he hasn’t played any pre-season minutes,” he added. “I think he’s still in a good place. I don’t think he will need something like a very special build-up, but we have to be aware that he hasn’t been playing in a while and the demands of the games are very different from training, so we have got to consider this.”
A front line with something to prove
One game into the league campaign, the picture is already clear. Gakpo has fought off a summer of uncertainty and looks central to Iraola’s plans. Isak is finishing with the cold precision Liverpool paid for. Barcola is circling, waiting to explode once his fitness catches up with his talent.
Competition is real, and it is ruthless. Iraola would not have it any other way.
If this is Gakpo playing with his future no longer in doubt, how high can his ceiling go in a Liverpool attack that suddenly looks stacked and hungry?
