Cody Gakpo's Faith as Netherlands Face Sweden Challenge
Cody Gakpo leans on faith as Netherlands brace for Sweden test
In the heat of a World Cup that already feels unforgiving, Cody Gakpo believes the Netherlands’ strongest weapon might not be a tactical tweak or a change in personnel, but something far more personal.
Prayer.
The Dutch forward revealed that a Christian prayer group within Ronald Koeman’s squad has become a quiet backbone for a team now staring at a must-win clash against Group F leaders Sweden in Houston on Saturday.
Faith, cohesion and a squad under strain
The Netherlands arrive in Texas with little margin for error. A 2-2 draw with an impressive Japan in Arlington has left the three-time runners-up under early scrutiny, their familiar burden of expectation quickly turning into pressure.
Inside the camp, though, Gakpo insists the mood is anything but fractured.
“We have high hopes for ourselves,” he said at the Dutch base in Kansas City. “I think we feel that we have a good group, and at the end we have to show it on the pitch and obviously go through in the group stage, and then push on.”
That belief, he explained, is being reinforced in quieter corners of the hotel, far from the cameras and training pitches. Around 11 or 12 players now gather regularly to pray together, a ritual that Gakpo says has started to shape the squad’s sense of togetherness.
“We often end up in conversations in which we talk about faith and I'm often one of those who leads the prayer,” he said. “But everyone has their own role and their own contribution.”
The 27-year-old talks about it not as a side activity, but as a growing force.
“I think the group of guys is getting bigger and bigger. And I think it also brings a certain cohesion, of course.
“Also outside of football, obviously, to get along well with each other. But also just to give each other strength, in moments like these when we really have to be there for each other.
“And that we can form a unity together. Not only on the pitch, but also outside it.”
Unity will be tested now. Sweden, revitalised under Graham Potter and bristling with attacking talent, opened their tournament by crushing Tunisia 5-1. The Dutch, still smoothing out their own rough edges, must respond.
Sweden threat led by familiar face
If the Netherlands needed any reminder of the danger Sweden pose, they only had to watch Alexander Isak’s opening performance. The Liverpool forward, paired with Viktor Gyokeres in a potent front line, looks sharp again after a brutal first season at Anfield that was wrecked by an ankle injury and fibula fracture.
For Gakpo, there is no mystery about what awaits them.
“Special player, and we were very happy that he returned (from injury),” he said of his club teammate. “And at the end, I think he was fit, he scored some goals, and he played well.
“And obviously he started the tournament very well with his performance. And I think everybody knows how good a player he is, so we have to look (out for) him.”
That warning is as much for his own dressing room as anyone outside it. Koeman’s side cannot afford to give Isak the spaces Japan enjoyed in transition. Another open, chaotic contest might be exactly what Sweden want.
Leaving Liverpool troubles behind
For Gakpo, this tournament also offers something more personal: a clean break from a bruising club season.
“Last season at Liverpool is not something a lot of people want to look back on, I think, unfortunately,” he admitted. The campaign ended with the sacking of manager Arne Slot and a sense of drift at Anfield.
“But that's just football as well. And we just have to move on. Here it's obviously a completely different environment, it's a completely different team.”
That reset is timely. With the Dutch attack under the microscope after the Japan draw, Gakpo’s influence between the lines and in front of goal becomes crucial. He speaks like a player determined not to let club frustrations bleed into his national-team form.
The Netherlands know the equation now. Beat Sweden, and the group opens up again. Fail, and the path becomes treacherous.
Inside the camp, they will keep gathering, keep talking, keep praying. On Saturday in Houston, they will find out whether that inner bond can withstand one of the sharpest attacking units in the tournament – and whether faith, in all its forms, can help drag a faltering campaign back on course.
