The Netherlands' national team captain Ronald Koeman has gotten the most out of Cody Gakpo in this championship.
With a simple change.
That's when he's at his most dangerous, says Koeman.
The Netherlands' striker Cody Gakpo has scored three goals in five matches and is tied for first place in the championship's top scorer list.
When the Netherlands face England in the semifinal tonight, the 25-year-old has the opportunity to take the sole lead in the top scorer list (the remaining three-goal scorers have been eliminated from the European Championship: Georges Mikautadze, Georgia, Jamal Musiala, Germany, Ivan Schranz, Slovakia).
Gakpo has grown into one of the European Championship's big success players on the left wing, despite a weak season in the club team Liverpool.
Ronald Koeman has a simple explanation for why – Gakpo's position.
He can play as a forward, but he has shown that he's at his most dangerous from the left wing. He's really dangerous when he comes one-on-one against the right-back, says Koeman and continues:
He's playing at a really high level in this championship. He's maybe our most important player so far.
Gakpo agrees that the number nine role, which he's had in Liverpool, isn't his optimal one.
I was a left winger before, so that's always been my preference. But over the past year and a half, the coach (Jürgen Klopp, former coach of Liverpool) has needed me somewhere else, and then I've tried to do my best, says Gakpo.
