Cody Gakpo discusses attacking competition at Liverpool

Cody Gakpo has called the competition for places among Liverpool's forwards 'good for the season'.

While the defending has sometimes been questionable, Liverpool's forwards have been on fire in pre-season, with Gakpo, Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nuñez, Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota scoring 12 times between them in four outings.

Gakpo, who was signed in January of this year, has two so far in Liverpool's friendly outings – including the opener in the 4-3 defeat to Bayern Munich – and will likely vie with Nuñez and Jota to be Liverpool's regular starting centre forward, though all three players have the versatility to play out wide if required.

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Speaking after the Bayern game, Gakpo called Liverpool's 'great' attacking depth a positive for the season, suggesting he's not concerned about the competition.

The Dutchman told Liverpoolfc.com: “We have a lot of options. We have a lot of games so we can choose which option we need for each game. I think we have great options [and] that is good for the season.”

24-year-old Gakpo is many people's favourite to start in the central attacking role against Chelsea in Liverpool's Premier League opener on 13 August, having impressed in the second half of 2022/23.

The Netherlands international scored seven times in 21 outings, including a memorable brace in the 7-0 win over Manchester United, and even earned comparisons to the great Roberto Firmino for his ability to link up the attack from a deeper 'false nine' role.

Speaking recently about his favourite position, Gakpo said: "As the false number nine, I can drop a little bit into midfield, stay a bit deeper, look at situations, and start attacks," Gakpo said. "I don’t have to wait for an attack to come to me. To be that involved in games is nice.

"It’s difficult to say [what position I prefer], as it depends on the game and the opponent.

"I just like to be in a position where I can get on the ball a lot. I like to carry it from midfield to the attacking side and then hopefully score or assist. My preference? Just to play. You have to change some things tactically when you play different roles but you get used to it. It’s not that difficult."