Jamie Carragher's Warning to Barcola: Gakpo Holds the Starting Spot

Liverpool’s £123m summer signing Bradley Barcola may have to get used to the view from the bench for a while. That’s the blunt verdict from Jamie Carragher after Cody Gakpo lit up Portman Road on Friday night.

Liverpool finally claimed their first win of the Premier League season with a 2-0 victory over Ipswich Town, and Gakpo was at the heart of it. Two moments of real quality from the Dutchman carved open the hosts, with Alexander Isak applying the ruthless finishes.

“Barcola is going to struggle to get a game with this version of Gakpo.”

Gakpo turns it on, Barcola waits his turn

Liverpool had stumbled out of the blocks with back-to-back 2-2 draws against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest, prompting questions over Andoni Iraola’s start at Anfield. Those doubts eased inside nine frantic minutes at Ipswich.

Isak struck twice in quick succession, but it was Gakpo who stitched the moves together. The standout moment came with a gorgeous outside-of-the-boot through ball that sliced Ipswich’s back line and sent Isak racing clear for Liverpool’s second. One touch, one pass, and the contest felt close to done.

Ipswich still fired off 14 shots and never entirely disappeared, yet Liverpool controlled enough of the game to see it out with a degree of comfort. The real story, though, was Gakpo’s authority in the final third.

He has been one of Liverpool’s standout performers through pre-season and into these early weeks, a run of form strong enough that the club rebuffed interest from Manchester City and Tottenham to keep him at Anfield. On this evidence, that decision looks shrewd.

Van Dijk: ‘Cody was outstanding’

Inside the dressing room, the appreciation for Gakpo is just as clear. Captain Virgil van Dijk hailed his compatriot’s display and underlined his importance to Iraola’s project.

“Cody was outstanding. He’s important for us and he will be important this season as well,” Van Dijk told Sky Sports. “He showed it today, last week as well with the assist and over the last couple of years.”

Those are not throwaway lines. With Barcola arriving from Paris Saint-Germain for a huge fee and big expectations, the assumption was that he would quickly become a central figure in Liverpool’s attack. Gakpo is challenging that narrative with every game he starts.

Right now, the shirt is his. Barcola, for all his talent and price tag, will have to dislodge a forward who looks increasingly settled, confident and trusted by both manager and teammates.

Isak answers his own questions

On the other side of Gakpo’s passes, Isak quietly had a significant night of his own. The Sweden international endured a frustrating first campaign after his big-money move from Newcastle United, with injuries denying him rhythm and consistency.

At Portman Road, he looked sharp, decisive and clinical. Two chances, two goals, and a reminder of why Liverpool invested so heavily in him.

Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola was delighted, but his demands on Isak extend beyond the scoresheet.

“He’s a massive player for us,” Iraola said. “My demands will probably not be about the goals. I know he is fit and in good shape. He’s going to produce the numbers.

“My fight with him will be more about other stuff, how to help the team in other situations – but it is good he has already played two full games, scoring the goals, so I am very happy to have him.”

Isak himself spoke like a forward who feels the system beginning to click.

“We were waiting for the first win,” he said. “We talked about starting the game good, which we haven’t done recently, so it was perfect for us to get two good quick goals.

“With a normal pre-season, I think we are starting to get to the way we want to play. To be offensive and attack the defence. I think we did that. We scored two, and we could have scored more.”

A crowded attack – and one brutal reality

So Liverpool walk away from Portman Road with three points, two in-form forwards and a very expensive problem. Barcola did not feature, and every sparkling Gakpo performance makes his route into the side that bit more complicated.

Form beats fee in a dressing room that smells momentum. Right now, Gakpo is delivering. Isak is scoring. Iraola’s attack finally looks like it belongs to him.

For Barcola, the message is as clear as Carragher’s warning: the door to Liverpool’s front line is open, but he will have to smash it down himself.