Four years after his breakthrough, can Cody Gakpo still be the leader for the Dutch?

[p]Four years ago, he was one of the breakout stars of the tournament. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gakpo-cody/pWyuBud0/"]Cody Gakpo[/a] made a splash by scoring three goals in five matches. At Euro 2024, he was named top scorer with 3 goals. So what about the 2026 World Cup?[/p][p]After an average season with Liverpool (36 Premier League matches, 7 goals and 5 assists), the player isn't arriving in the United States in top form. That was evident in the first match against Japan (1-1). Playing on the left wing, the 27-year-old couldn't find the back of the net. But perhaps he'll do better as the tournament goes on.[/p][h2]A player who can make the difference[/h2][p]Despite his lack of output with the [i]Reds[/i], the forward has still shone on the international stage. Energetic and present for his national team, he has scored six goals and provided three assists across all major tournaments.[/p][image alt="Cody Gakpo's pass map against Japan" id="3c8736a5-2ec9-4dd0-a123-77bc3cea19f7" credit-line="Opta via StatsPerform (ČTK / imago sportfotodienst / IMAGO)" guid="4e1d7091-3449-4b40-990f-cc7823055748" original-width="1080" original-height="1080" /][p]In this way, he stood out among his peers to earn a spot at this year's World Cup. With years of experience at the highest level, he has what it takes to trouble opposing defences, even when they sit deep and compact. His speed and ability to make runs in behind create great opportunities that can change the outcome of a match.[/p][p]His match against Japan wasn't actually that bad, for example. Gakpo may not have scored, but he put in a performance in which he won 10 duels and touched the ball 3 times in the opposition box (Flashscore rating: 6.8/10). He also completed 14 out of 18 passes (78%) in the final third. All this in 85 minutes. Proof that he still has room to reach the level he showed at the last two major international tournaments.[/p][h2]Victory against Sweden or bust?[/h2][p]Group F is anything but easy on paper. Japan, Sweden, and the Netherlands all have a strong chance of qualifying. But any of these teams could also slip up. With these possibilities, [i]Oranje[/i] absolutely have to stand out.[/p][p]Gakpo also spoke at a recent press conference.[b] "We know we have to get all three points to qualify. Obviously, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/sweden/OQyqbHWB/"]Sweden[/a] got a very good result, which gives them confidence, but we have to put that aside and focus on our own game, as well as on the areas we still need to improve."[/b][/p][embed guid="af4ffdbb-f0d8-4c70-824a-1ea367f406ae" url="https://x.com/OnsOranje/status/2064908375461179494?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]The player’s mission will be to give 300%, as he wants to "[b]find ways to create as many chances as possible."[/b][/p][p]As the attacking leader, he will need to be decisive. The longer it takes, the more doubts will creep in. On the other hand, if he delivers a strong performance this Saturday, his confidence could lead to further success. It could also finally kickstart the Netherlands’ World Cup campaign.[/p]