After Arne Slot opened up about Darwin Nunez’s struggles in front of goal, is the Liverpool striker just a victim of perception?
THINGS to glean from Arne Slot’s press conference today:
Darwin Nunez likes, maybe needs, the fans’ support.
Slot wasn’t happy with his output in the final quarter of Tuesday’s win over Girona.
Nunez is feeling something from his lack of goal return recently.
Something is the only way to put this. You can’t speak for the feelings of others, definitely not for their point of reference.
But it’s clear Nunez has thoughts and feelings relating to his football, his career, perhaps his identity.
Slot is more nuanced with his comments than we sometimes realise. His portrayal of a slightly stereotypically frank Dutchman can overlook when he uses press conferences to lay down gauntlets to individuals and the collective.
His messages this season have been pointed around putting the team first. Nunez has taken this too literally at times.
Still, he occupies the position of least clarity. The question is whether he is the reason for that or a result of it.
We’re slowly seeing where the patterns and partnerships are crucial in a Slot team. The cube of centre-backs and centre-midfielders. Which way the number ten pulls.
Central to it all is Mohamed Salah. Whether it’s being hit by a slaloming 60-yard pass from Virgil van Dijk or driving towards defenders who then lose all common sense and foul him, he is pivotal to every aspect of Liverpool attack.
One recent thing to emerge from interviews and media has been the confirmation that Salah looks constantly for the back post run of the left forward. Luis Diaz is also quoted talking about his responsibility as a more central forward when this happens.
It seems Nunez feels slightly lost in this.
The Uruguayan is averaging 2.08 shots per game in the Premier League this season with an average xG of combined chances being 0.22. The league average for shots per game from strikers is 2.31 and the xG is 0.36.
Last season, he posted an average of 4.25 shots per game with an xG of 0.57.
All of this is shrouded in the context of Liverpool winning. Life is good, so why complain if it’s generally working?
The answer is as simple as the number on his back.
Darwin clearly sees himself as a number nine and a Liverpool-worthy one. Like Harry Kane wearing 10 or Luis Suarez seven, numbers can be a tell. He’s no shrinking violet, either, let’s be honest.
This isn’t the slight mischief of Roberto Firmino taking the number under Jürgen Klopp and the world being put on notice that a tactical evolution is taking place.
The point is that Nunez will be defined and ultimately define himself by how often he’s contributing with goals. It’s understandable, but it remains a striker’s curse.
Diogo Jota’s use as a sole central option has been underplayed. Jota has also lacked his usual sense of goalmouth proficiency, but is justified by things like his Palace goal, the front post run at Old Trafford or the assist versus Wolves.
Strikers are not selfless beings. They are thieves of the limelight, narcissistic and dripping in main character energy.
Liverpool have more than one of them, usually he can be found propping up the coffee bar at Kirkby.
None of this is music to the ears of Darwin Nunez. The reality is there’s no easy solution for him.
Nothing has ever been straightforward for this Liverpool player.
He, Slot and Liverpool need to find a solution.
Buy Dan Morgan’s book ‘Jürgen Said To Me’ on Klopp, Liverpool and the remaking of a city…
