11Hacks Data Analysis: How can USA stop Cody Gakpo in last 16 clash?
Watch out for Gakpo
The United States started their World Cup campaign in Qatar with two completely evenly-matched duels against Wales and England. They earned a point in both and then sealed their progress with a win against Iran.
Although it was not expected before the tournament, their participation in the last 16 was mainly because of their good defence, which has so far allowed their opponents an average of only 0.7 expected goals per game.
It was only in the match against Qatar that the Dutch had their first real shot at the ball, when Luis Van Gaal was able to include the fit-again Memphis Depay (28) in the starting line-up.
Fortunately, during his experiments with the starting line-up, someone else replaced the biggest offensive star. Unluckily for the USA, someone who can finish from all sorts of positions.
Cody Gakpo (23) has been surprisingly productive in the championship. He's scored in all three group games, which still wouldn't be all that unusual if he didn't need only four shots for his three strikes.
It is his great technique that he has been on show for a long time in a PSV Eindhoven shirt.
Although he regularly gets in from the wing to finish in central areas in the opponents' penalty area, which are mathematically the most valuable, he can also score from an angle or from the edge of the box.
In a large sample of nearly 7,000 minutes played and 216 shots, he scored 28.42 expected goals (xG), scoring 36 times. That means he places his shots better than the average player at his position.
Combined with his ability to regularly get into good spaces to finish, this is an ideal scenario - he is the player with the highest average xG per game in this season's Eredivisie.
Assist Machine
He also uses his technique to excel as a playmaker. In terms of expected assists, only Dusan Tadic (34) of Ajax has already made a bigger contribution in the Dutch league. Before his departure to Qatar, Gakpo managed to record not only nine goals but also a serving of 12 assists.
In his time at PSV, he already has 36 assists, with only 10 of them coming from standard situations (mainly from corner kicks, which he can play in from both sides).
Of his 26 assists from play, 17 have come from the left wing (7), the left cutback area (7) and the left midfield (3).
Even though Gakpo is 189 centimeters tall and therefore one of those taller wing forwards, it doesn't take away from his dynamism and speed. He also sees the spaces he can run into well, which he takes advantage of to a great extent.
According to advanced mathematical models that evaluate how much a player's runs increase his team's chances of scoring - Gakpo is the best player in the Eredivisie.
He is also one of the most fouled wingers in the league as well. He is stopped by fouls an average of 2.2 times per game. Gakpo can also use his height in header duels, in which he has the sixth highest success rate among wingers.
Holes in the US defence may not be easy for the Netherlands to find, and Gakpo's ability to strike from a long way out from goal could come in handy. One certainty, though - while PSV still denied their star a move to a more famous club in the summer, it feels inevitable in the new year.
