FSG must sell Liverpool star who ‘moves like a rhinoceros’

On Tuesday night, Liverpool suffered their third defeat in the Champions League to Paris Saint-Germain in 13 months. It was Arne Slott’s side’s 17th loss in all competitions, and it was confirmed that they will be without silverware this term.

It was aggravated by an ankle injury sustained by Hugo Ekitike in the first half. The French striker fell off the ball in agony, but Slott later said he feared the blow was “really bad”.

This is typical of Liverpool’s campaigns as the 23-year-old has been in good form all year. He joined from Eintracht Frankfurt for £79m last summer and has scored 17 goals for his new team.

But now Liverpool have no talisman. It just means the struggling teammate needs to find some form. Alexis Mac Allister in particular was struggling among the starters.

Alexis Mac Allister is skating on thin ice in Liverpool

Mac Allister has been a huge force for Liverpool for two years, but that player has not been there in the Merseysiders’ performances this season. He was one of the biggest fighters.

Despite scoring Ousmane Dembele’s first equaliser, the 27-year-old was unable to seal the deal for the Ballon d’Or winner, but this is just one example of his uncertainty and lack of form this season.

The decline of Argentina’s national team was almost inexplicable. Slott’s talent management and tactical acumen both leave a lot to be desired this year, but you can’t blame him for Mac Allister’s disappearing act in the Liverpool centre.

Furthermore, Mac Allister has struggled not only physically, but also with his creativity and impact in midfield.

Something will have to change this summer and if it is decided that it is in the best interest to do so, he will probably be sold along with another rising star who has once again performed badly in the Champions League.

Liverpool’s hot forward needs to be sold

After the PSG defeat, Slott admitted that Liverpool may need to let a few players go if they are to effectively strengthen in various positions this summer.

And last summer is repeating itself, but in Kodi Gakpo’s case, it might be for the best. The Dutchman has been in poor form all season, being too one-dimensional and slow. He was not given a starting place against the Parisians at Anfield, and although he was called onto the pitch in the second half, he did little to contribute to his cause.

After Liverpool’s win over Fulham last weekend, analyst Raj Chauhan said he “moves like a rhino on the wing”, an argument borne out by yet another poor performance here.

Where are the match-winners for Liverpool? Where are the showstoppers and mavericks? Gakpo is not one of them and although he works hard and sometimes scores, he doesn’t put in enough effort.

In fairness, Gakpo certainly looked bright when he came on for Alexander Isak at half-time, but his positivity quickly faded and he reverted to a frustrating type, making questionable decisions and slowing down Liverpool’s attack.

Gakpo did not start the game. There was no need for that. It was another example of the Dutchman’s disastrous fate in Slott’s second season, a far cry from the nimble forward who clicked into a wide-ranging attack like bespoke joinery, scoring 18 goals and providing seven assists.

We haven’t seen much of that player this season, and it’s safe to say that if Ekitike had gone down with an injury, he wouldn’t have been drafted at halftime. Had that been the case, fans would have been clamoring for Rio Ngmoja to join, but he made an impression with his calls off the bench.

Ngmoha, 17, plays with incredible X-factor and strength on the ball. Despite his inexperience and age, he has been one of Liverpool’s most influential forwards in recent months.

He needs more playing time next season, but he also has to manage his playing time, and given that Gakpo hasn’t done anything to indicate he should be a mainstay again next season, maybe FSG should sell the Dutch star and sign a more dynamic replacement.