Former World Cup Finalist (39) Puzzled by Oranje Attacker Cody Gakpo: 'He Doesn't Want to See His Teammates'

In the Effe Elia segment on Sportnieuws.nl, Elia dissects the performance of Ronald Koeman's squad after every World Cup match. This time, his focus included Gakpo. "I'm not sure about him," Elia began. "I get the feeling he sees his teammates, but he chooses not to acknowledge them."

According to Elia, the Liverpool forward too often opts for individual action. "When he cuts inside, it's as if he has blinders on. He just wants to drive in and shoot. If you do that ten times…" the former attacker sighed. "It often works out for him, but there are also periods where it doesn't work at all. You're allowed to play a simple pass across the field sometimes, you know. You don't always have to score."

Elia, who himself played in the 2010 World Cup final, compared Gakpo's playing style to his own. "My problem was that I was too generous. I'd rather deliver a cross than score myself. With Gakpo, I often get the feeling he doesn't want to see that other players are in a better position. I think a lot of people at Liverpool see that too."

While Elia was critical of Gakpo, he spoke glowingly about World Cup debutant Crysencio Summerville. The West Ham United attacker impressed with a goal in his first World Cup match. "It wasn't that I thought: wow, but he showed he can make a difference. He came across to me as a breath of fresh air: he often made runs without the ball, cut inside effectively, and scored a goal with his weaker foot."

After his goal, Summerville sprinted directly to assistant coach Ruud van Nistelrooij. Elia shared a dressing room with the former prolific striker at Hamburger SV. The ex-forward believes Summerville can learn a great deal from him. "Ruud really made me aware that scoring and assists were also incredibly important," Elia continued.

"Ruud emphasized that I shouldn't just make a move for the sake of it, and he felt my output needed to improve. The more you practice crossing, the more effective you'll become. Ruud truly made me realize that," Elia stated.

Former international Hedwiges Maduro also sees a crucial role for Van Nistelrooij within the Oranje technical staff, as he shared on the Sportnieuws.nl World Cup football podcast. "Sem Steijn also started working with him and suddenly became top scorer at FC Twente. I think Ruud genuinely adds a lot to the Oranje staff. He can really help attackers with their finishing and decision-making. He was a top striker himself, so you listen to him."