InterviewCody Gakpo on need 'to be better', Chelsea warning and 50th LFC goal
With three games remaining in the Premier League season, the Reds sit fourth in the table and need a maximum of four points to clinch a place in next season’s European Cup.
Chelsea visit Anfield on Saturday to take on Arne Slot’s men, who will be seeking to respond to a 3-2 defeat by Manchester United last time out.
That loss at Old Trafford came after Liverpool had won three in a row in the top flight.
Gakpo told Liverpoolfc.com: “That [Champions League qualification] is the most important [thing] now, to get it over the line. To win our own games.
“Depending on results of other teams then it could be this weekend. Hopefully we get it done sooner rather than later. It’s the biggest aim at the moment.
“If you look at the whole season then this period where we won three out of four is quite positive – but I think we’re all aware of the standards that have been set in the past at this club, that it has to be better in general.”
Chelsea make the trip to Merseyside having been beaten in each of their last six league outings, most recently a 3-1 loss to Nottingham Forest on Monday.
But Gakpo warned Liverpool cannot show any complacency against the Blues, who are now under interim head coach Calum McFarlane.
“They are in a tough place at the moment, but at one point it has to turn around. Hopefully it’s not against us,” said the No.18.
“We also cannot deny that they have a good team, they have great players, so we shouldn’t at all underestimate them for the quality they have, the team they have been and always showed against us.
“It’s always a tough game. So, we have to be ready.”
Gakpo’s strike versus United took the Dutchman to the total of 50 goals since he joined the Reds in January 2023.
He is the 58th player to achieve that figure in club history and only the second from his own nation, after Dirk Kuyt.
“It’s a milestone and something to be proud of,” said Gakpo.
“But as a player, you always look at the season, how it went – personally but also as a team – and that’s mostly where the focus is now.
“Obviously we still have to fight for Champions League [qualification], which is almost there. The focus is more on that and after the season I will reflect on that as well.”