Cody Gakpo expresses confidence that Liverpool’s attacking lineup will compensate for the absence of Mohamed Salah when the Egyptian departs for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Following a 2-0 victory over Burnley on Boxing Day, secured by goals from Darwin Nunez and the returning Diogo Jota, Liverpool reclaimed the top spot in the Premier League standings.
Despite Salah being tied for second place in the league’s scoring charts with 12 goals, only two behind the current leader Erling Haaland, he is set to leave for AFCON and could be absent from Jurgen Klopp’s starting XI for about a month.
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Speaking after the win at Turf Moor, Gakpo commented, “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.”
Club captain Virgil van Dijk echoed Gakpo’s sentiment, expressing confidence that Liverpool has the depth and talent up front to continue winning games without Salah. Van Dijk stated, “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.”
Salah, who will depart for Egypt duty after the New Year’s Day clash with Newcastle, leads Liverpool’s league scoring with 12 goals in the 2023/24 season. Nunez and Jota both increased their tallies to five goals each during the Tuesday night match, while Luis Diaz has three strikes, and Gakpo has scored twice.