When Liverpool signed Darwin Nunez from Benfica in the summer of 2022, there was a lot of excitement, but also some apprehensions as well.
Club legend Sadio Mane had just departed that summer for Bayern Munich and Nunez was seen as a pseudo replacement for the Senegalese superstar. At the time, he was coming off of a brilliant 34-goal campaign for the Portuguese side and he had impressed several of the top clubs with his play.
His physical gifts, young age profile and experience in Champions League football made him an attractive prospect for Jurgen Klopp's swashbuckling tactics.
Nunez provided a spark off in the Premier League opener of the 2022-23 season away to Fulham and it appeared like Liverpool might have something on their hands after all.
Yet, as we would quickly come to find out, there was still a lot of growing pains to follow soon thereafter. That began with a brazen red card after clearly losing the plot against Crystal Palace with a Zidane-esque headbutt.
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This saw his integration into the club and English football halted and it took him awhile to make good on some of the talents we knew were there.
He finished his first season at Liverpool by scoring 15 goals in all competitions, a decent, but not full return on investment for FSG. However, the consensus was he was still in his early twenties and there was lots of room to grow.
So we went into his second season with the Reds with even higher expectations as he was now settled in at the club and was looking to kick-on from his solid foundation.
The 2023/24 probably saw both the best and worst of Nunez as he was the second leading scorer and assister for the Reds behind only the great Mohamed Salah.
He scored some very good goals and his pace and power allowed him a plethora of chances whenever he needed them.
However, despite finishing with a respectable 18 goals in all competitions, we all saw the amount of goals he left on the pitch with his finishing inconsistencies. If he had tucked away even 12% more of his chances he was looking at a 25+ goal campaign.
Darwin Núñez
This is what we would come to expect from him on a game-by-game basis; lots of running, lots of shots, an occasional goal or golazo and a lot of "Oooo how did you miss??". Captain Chaos indeed.
Liverpool's late season collapse was not aided by the Uruguayan going cold in front of net either and it brought the topic of if he would ever find the next gear in his career to the forefront.
He was, and still is, a nightmare for defenders to handle, but sometimes, it feels like he is too much for himself to handle as he often carries himself too far or makes the wrong decision at the wrong time. I have previously said that I love that he puts himself in positions for so many shots, but now, as his near barren third season rolls on, it's becoming harder to defend the lack of numbers.
One thing you cannot fault Darwin Nunez about is his work-rate and passion to help the team in anyway that he can.
We've seen him tracking 40 yards back to keep harassing a ball-carrier and working his tail off in Arne Slot's new disciplined system at Liverpool.
He is always a willing runner and he often does the dirty work that other forwards either cannot or simply, will not do if they can help it. Nunez puts the badge before the name which is commendable.
The frustration comes from the fact we are not talking about the defensive midfielder Darwin Nunez. He is Liverpool's No. 9, a sacred role in English football. Carrying that number comes with a responsibility to shoulder big scoring burdens which he has not done this season.
There is no long even an occasional goal to fend off the naysayers and as the pressure mounts, you can tell it is getting to him.
Darwin Nunez
He's wears his emotions on his sleeve which I respect but he is definitely hearing the negativity around him.
Luckily we have seen Salah back to his best and players like Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz among others have picked up the scoring burden to allow the Reds to keep their hot start to the season going. Projecting forward though, at some point we are going to need something from Nunez.
With the end of the calendar year fast approaching, a nice stretch of 3-4 games with a scoring burst would do wonders for his own psyche and the club as well.
The gifts are all there for him as a player. He needs to find a way to turn his hard work into tangible numbers or the calls for his departure will only get louder, and perhaps will start coming from inside the club.
He's a likable guy who works his butt off for the club, and i WANT him to succeed to reward his efforts, but this goodwill is quickly drying up, just like the goals have for Nunez. Here's hoping that changes.