Cody Gakpo's Faith and Unity as Netherlands Face Sweden

Cody Gakpo leans on faith as Netherlands face must-win test against Sweden

In the heat of a Texan World Cup, Cody Gakpo says the bond holding the Netherlands together is being forged far from the cameras – in a quiet Christian prayer group that has become a heartbeat of Ronald Koeman’s squad.

The Dutch arrive in Houston needing a response. A 2-2 draw with a sharp, fearless Japan in Arlington has left the three-time runners-up under immediate pressure in Group F, chasing a Sweden side that opened with a statement 5-1 demolition of Tunisia.

Sweden look ominous. Graham Potter has reshaped them into an aggressive, front-foot team, led by the heavyweight attacking duo of Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres. They scored five in their first outing and could have had more. Now they stand between the Netherlands and control of their own destiny.

Gakpo, though, sounded anything but rattled when he spoke at the Dutch base in Kansas City on Wednesday.

“We have high hopes for ourselves,” the Liverpool winger said. “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.”

Behind that optimism lies a tight inner circle. Gakpo revealed that a group of 11 or 12 players regularly gather to pray together, a routine that has grown in size and significance as the tournament has begun to bite.

“We often end up in conversations in which we talk about faith and I’m often one of those who leads the prayer,” he explained. “But everyone has their own role and their own contribution.”

For Gakpo, it is more than ritual. It is glue.

“I think the group of guys is getting bigger and bigger. And I think it also brings a certain cohesion, of course,” the 27-year-old said. “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.”

That unity will be tested by familiar firepower in Houston. Standing in the opposite dressing room will be his Liverpool teammate Isak, a striker he knows well and respects even more.

Isak endured a brutal first season at Anfield after a big-money move from Newcastle, losing most of the campaign to an ankle injury that included a fibula fracture. He only re-emerged late in the season, but he returned with his edge intact.

“Special player, and we were very happy that he returned (from injury),” Gakpo said. “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.”

The Netherlands cannot afford to give Isak and Gyokeres the space Tunisia allowed. Japan exposed Dutch frailties in transition; Sweden have the weapons to punish any repeat. Koeman’s side need control, aggression, and a level of ruthlessness that was missing in Arlington.

For Gakpo, this World Cup also offers something more personal: a chance to step away from a bruising club season and reset.

“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, drawing a harsh line under a year that never truly settled.

“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.”

Different shirt, different pressure, same expectation. The Netherlands are not in crisis, but they are already on a tightrope in Group F. Sweden have the momentum, the goals, and a coach whose ideas are landing fast.

Koeman, Gakpo and that growing prayer circle now have to turn belief into points under the Houston lights.