Liverpool continued their 100% start to the Champions League campaign with a 1-0 victory over Girona on Tuesday night, but they were made to work hard for the three points by the diligent Spanish team. A penalty from Mohamed Salah was enough to secure the win and ensure Arne Slot's men maintained their winning start to the competition and extended their lead at the top of the table.
It's the latest instance in a remarkable start to the season in general for Liverpool. Under Slot, the club have been near-perfect. Aside from two draws and one defeat in the Premier League, they've been unstoppable and sit top of both their domestic and European league. The former Feyenoord manager has taken to English football like a duck to water and has done an excellent job stepping into Jurgen Klopp's role at Anfield following the German's departure.
As things stand, Liverpool are in an excellent position to grab some major silverware in Slot's very first season in charge of the club. Their win over Girona highlighted one major issue in the side, though, and it's one they'll need to sort out quickly if they want to get their hands on some trophies. That problem is Darwin Nunez.
Mo Salah scores against Girona Related
Girona 0-1 Liverpool Player Ratings and Match Highlights
A Mohamed Salah penalty was all Liverpool needed to secure all three points against Girona in the Champions League.
Darwin Nunez Had a Terrible Night Against Girona
He was an outlier in the Liverpool team
Darwin Nunez
While they were forced to work hard for their win, the majority of Liverpool's side had a solid night. Alisson was incredible in his return from injury, Andy Robertson was dynamite down the left flank and Salah was great as per usual. No one in the starting lineup had a lower SofaScore rating than 7.2. Except from Nunez, that is.
The Uruguayan had a really rough night leading the lines for Liverpool and was subbed off in the 71st minute with a SofaScore rating of just 6.1. It's indicative of the disappointing performance by Nunez. He missed two massive chances to get on the scoresheet, only managed to complete just 50% of his passes and only recorded 16 touches on the ball throughout.
It didn't stop there. Nunez lost the ball on five different occasions and was almost a non-factor defensively, winning just one of his ground and aerial duels combined. He was a passenger in Slot's team, so it wasn't a surprise to see him become the first Liverpool player subbed off in the game.
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Nunez Has Had a Tough Season
He's a shell of his former self
Darwin Nunez
Following his arrival in England back in 2022, it hasn't always been smooth sailing for Nunez. His incredible workrate saw him producing, though, and he was a real problem for his opponents. Dubbed 'Captain Chaos' for the energy he would bring to a football pitch, the forward was unpredictable and added a level of dynamism to the Liverpool side that made him a key figure.
This season has been completely different, however. While he's considered one of the best strikers in the Premier League, he's not been half as electric as he was in the past and has struggled to provide much of an impact for Slot's team so far in the campaign. After recording 50 goal contributions across his first two seasons in England, he's chalked up just five so far this campaign. It's nowhere near the level he was once at and fans have grown frustrated.
After another disappointing performance against Girona, in which Salah needed to deliver the goods from the penalty spot to bag all three points for Liverpool, it's become clear that the club need to figure something out with Nunez or else risk missing out on silverware.
Liverpool Should Find an Upgrade For Nunez
A prolific goalscorer could be the difference between success and failure
Liverpool boss Arne Slot in the dugout
Very little has gone wrong for Slot following his arrival at Liverpool. His team has been on fire so far, but unless they work something out up front, there could be trouble on the horizon. Salah's performances have meant the Reds haven't suffered as a result of their forward's struggles in front of goal, but if the Egyptian slows down at any point, they could find the goals drying up.
MixCollage-06-Dec-2024-08-21-PM-8530 Related
Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez’s 2024/25 Premier League Stats Compared
Liverpool fans grown frustrated at both the strikers for different reasons
As such, the club need to think about finding some form of upgrade for Nunez and with the January transfer window approaching, now's the perfect time to start considering a move for a prolific striker. Adding more firepower to the team could be the difference between lifting trophies by the time May rolls around and finishing the campaign empty-handed.
All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt, SofaScore & WhoScored and accurate as of 10/12/2024