Cody Gakpo: "Why can't he bench him", "Will never understand how he keeps starting" - Liverpool fans unhappy with star's inclusion in XI for West Ham clash

Liverpool fans are unhappy with manager Arne Slot’s decision to include Cody Gakpo in the starting lineup for their Premier League clash with West Ham. The two teams are set to face off at London Stadium on Sunday, November 30.

Slot made four changes to his starting XI that was comprehensively defeated 4-1 by PSV Eindhoven in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.

Alisson Becker came in for Giorgi Mamardashvili in goal. Joe Gomez Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, and Milos Kerkez form the back four. Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch will play as double pivots, while Florian Wirtz, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Cody Gakpo are deployed as attacking midfielders. Aleksander Isak will lead the line.

Gakpo played the entirety of Liverpool’s last three games, but he failed to make an impact in any of them, as the Reds lost all by a margin of three or more goals. Slot’s decision to retain the 26-year-old as a starter against the Hammers didn’t sit well with a lot of Reds supporters, as they took to X to voice their discontent with the tactical setup, with one writing:

“Will never understand how Gakpo keeps starting.”

Another queried:

“Why can’t he bench Gakpo?”

“What’s this Gakpo obsession man,” a third echoed the same sentiments.

“When will he drop Gakpo ffs,” another added.

So far this season, Gakpo has made 18 appearances for Liverpool across competitions, scoring four goals and providing three assists.

Arne Slot heaps praise on Nuno Espirito Santo ahead of Liverpool’s trip to West Ham

Arne Slot spoke glowingly of West Ham boss Espirito Santo and anticipated a ‘tough’ test in Sunday’s clash. Espirito Santo was at the helm at Nottingham Forest last season and got the better of Slot last season, taking four points across the two meetings against Liverpool.

Santo, who took over the reins at West Ham following Graham Potter’s dismissal, has won only two of the seven games he’s managed. Speaking on the Portuguese manager's impact since arriving at the club, Slot told reporters:

“He's having an impact on their results. He's done so well everywhere he works here in England and done so well at [Nottingham] Forest. Now he's doing well at West Ham again. He's proven to be a difficult manager to play against, not only for me but for everyone, because he always has a very good game plan. It's a tough team to beat at the moment, which was different maybe in the beginning of the season. We face them now and that's why we definitely need to be ready for a challenge because that's what they will give us. They know, of course, after our recent run of results that it's probably different for them to play against us now than it was three or four months ago.”

Heading into the game, Liverpool sit 13th while the Hammers are just one place above the relegation zone in the Premier League table.

Edited by Ezekiel Olamide