Reds’ forward Cody Gakpo backs Liverpool attack amid Mohamed Salah’s AFCON 2024 absence

Gakpo will look to get back to goalscoring form!

Reds’ forward Cody Gakpo backs Liverpool attack amid Mohamed Salah’s AFCON 2024 absence

Cody Gakpo expressed confidence in Liverpool's attacking unit in Salah's absence. (Image via This is Anfield)

Liverpool forward, Cody Gakpo, in a recent interview expressed his confidence in the Reds attacking line to maintain consistency even without star forward, Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian striker will miss games in order to join the Egyptian national team for the 2024 AFCON in Ivory Coast.

The Dutch forward is a part of Liverpool’s in-form attacking roster, which includes players such as Salah, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, and Darwin Nunez. The forward line has contributed 45 goals in all competitions, 39 of them coming in the Premier League. Recently, Nunez broke a 12-game goalless streak in their 2-0 victory over Burnley, while Jota came off the bench to score a goal after recovering from a month-long injury. Gakpo and Diaz have scored seven and five goals respectively this season.

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Mohamed Salah, the club’s top scorer this season, has 16 goals, and his departure from the team for a month is expected to dent the Reds’ goal-scoring prowess.Cody Gakpo, although held a contrary view. He noted the return to the form of other players scoring lately, boosting their collective efficiency despite Salah’s absence. He also, emphasized that a slight push could elevate their performances even further.

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For every attacking player who didn't score for a few games, it's always nice to get back on the scoresheet and Darwin did it with a very good goal. For Diogo as well. When you are injured and you come back and score that's always nice and good for the confidence. So really happy. Mo is gone after the Newcastle game so we need the goals. Of course, I think I can contribute even more.
Gakpo said as quoted by Daily Mail

Virgil Van Dijk echoed a similar sentiment about filling the void post-Salah’s departure following the upcoming Newcastle match. He said:

Others have to step up anyway. We have to deal with losing Mo and we have the players up front who can make the difference. Let's see how we deal with it.

Furthermore, Gakpo emphasized that while Liverpool’s current league standing is promising after defeating Burnley 2-0, the team needs to remain focused. A step-by-step approach, aiming for continual improvement in each match.

Mohamed Salah and other African players set to leave for AFCON

Mohamed Salah and several other Premier League African players are gearing up to join their national teams as the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations draws closer. The tournament is scheduled to run from January 13th to February 11th, 2024, hosted in Ivory Coast.

2024 Africa Cup of Nations participating teams
2024 Africa Cup of Nations participating teams. (Image via BNN Breaking)

The 2024 tournament with 24 teams will see many top players in action. Liverpool will miss Mohamed Salah, who joins Egypt. Tottenham loses Pape Sarr and Yves Bissouma to Senegal and Mali, while Manchester United faces potential issues with goalie Andre Onana going to Cameroon.

Notable players like Nicholas Jackson, Said Benrahma, Mohammed Kudus, and Nayef Aguerd may also leave for their national teams. Thomas Partey’s availability for Arsenal is uncertain, but Manchester City seems unaffected.

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