Darwin Nunez's form will encourage Liverpool boss Arne Slot
Nunez has had mixed performances this season for Reds
Darwin Nunez must love Mo Salah more than most Liverpool fans. Because the Egyptian king’s prolific scoring is masking the struggles of the Reds’ No.9.
St James’ Park is usually a happy hunting ground for the Uruguayan but Wednesday’s game was a tough night for him. It brought into focus his overall struggle since his arrival at the club in 2022. There’s so much to like about Nunez.
His energy, his ability to drag defenders out of position, his physicality, his passion and his seemingly never-say-die attitude. Yet he has scored just three goals so far this season on the back of a decent return of 18 last term, although he went a period of 10 games without a goal as Liverpool’s hunt for the Premier League title faltered.
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It’s not just his lack of goals, either. Roberto Firmino was not a prolific No.9 for the Reds. He brought so much more to the attack. Nunez does that, too. But in this Liverpool side they need a No.9 who scores.
The likes of Salah are picking up the slack, scoring from positions that sometimes he has little right to do and then showing lethal form when chances present themselves. But when you look at the stats it often doesn’t match what we are seeing with our eyes. You get the feeling that Nunez is missing loads but he’s not.
Salah has missed nine ‘big chances’ this term according to the Premier League’s official website. Nunez has missed three in 11 appearances. It’s 50 for Nunez since he arrived at the club and 46 for Salah in the same period.
Nunez’s XG over the last three Premier League seasons is about 14 above the 22 goals he has scored. Salah’s tally is closer to seven more than the 50 he has scored. The major difference is that Salah’s goal tallies cover up any chances missed. If he squanders an opportunity in a game, he so often either scores the next one or pulls off a finish out of nowhere.
Nunez must step up in front of goal this season ( Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
It’s more the perception. If Nunez missed three big chances and scored two, nobody would care. But too often he is missing opportunities and not following it up with goals.
Nunez is 25 now. He came from Benfica with a big price tag attached, a deal which could rise to £85m but with certain clauses which have yet to be triggered.
Liverpool have faith in him. One of the big things asked of Arne Slot in the summer was to try to get the best out of the Uruguayan. He was a signing pushed by former manager Jurgen Klopp but the club believe in him, too. Yet if Liverpool are to fight on four fronts this season with a healthy lead in the Premier League title race and one foot in the Champions League, they’ll need Nunez to step up.
Salah is delivering now but he may yet hit a quieter spell. These are a big few months for Nunez.
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