Cody Gakpo names Liverpool responsibility that is 'the last thing you think about'

Cody Gakpo admitted that defending is the last think he thinks about as an attacking player, but acknowledged the importance of helping his team to keep the ball out of its net.

Liverpool has an outstanding defensive record this season, having conceding three goals in eight Premier League games, and just five goals in 12 games in all competitions.

The Reds boast the best defensive record in the top flight by far, with Nottingham Forest having conceded the next lowest amount of goals in the division (seven), and Gakpo said that keeping the ball out of the Reds' net is a team effort, although he did reserve specific praise for the back line.

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He told club media: "I think defending starts up front when the opponent has a goal-kick or whatever. We try to do that as good as we can up front to help the midfield. And the midfield is helping us and then the attackers are helping the defence. I have to say, the back four – including the goalie – are doing an amazing job this season as well, conceding only three goals until now in the league. They are doing amazing and we are there to help them. It's a team effort. We cannot take all the credit from them. They do really well.

"As an attacking player, defending is always the last thing you think about. But in football nowadays it's so important that you are there to help the team. Sometimes it's not that fun as an attacker because that's why you are an attacker, but I think everybody in our squad is aware of the importance of it and maybe that's what makes us that good at it at the moment. We have to keep doing that and I think we can even do it a little bit better at some moments. We have to work on that as well, keep on improving and then at the other end show our attacking qualities as well."

Gakpo has started Liverpool's last three games having largely been restricted to a substitute role earlier in the season, and he could line up against Arsenal on Sunday after Diogo Jota was ruled out through injury. Gakpo knows that, regardless of who is named in the team at the Emirates Stadium, Liverpool will have to be at its best to emerge with a positive result.

"Arsenal are a very good side," Gakpo added. "They showed in recent years that they are very good. They have a lot of qualities all over the pitch. We will go there and try to play our best game and we will go there for the win. It's going to be a tough game, we know that, but we have to be ready for that.

"We have to be ready for them and we have to stay switched on ourselves the whole game, stay focused and try to play our own game on the ball. Hopefully it's going to be a good game for us."