Darwin Nunez received a lot of criticism after his missed situations, but that was clearly not all in the Uruguayan striker’s performance.
100 million euros, that’s the number that Liverpool made Darwin Nunez their rookie in this summer’s transfer window. The Liverpudlians have been waiting for the 23-year-old to shine to help the club continue the successes of last season. But so far, what remains after Nunez’s performances are missed situations.
No one has missed more scoring opportunities than Nunez in the Premier League this season with 15 times according to Opta statistics. Put the fee the Reds have spent next to Nunez’s 10 goals in all competitions this season, many will immediately refer to Erling Haaland’s 28 goals for Manchester City since the start of the season. Some even said that Nunez was too much like Andy Carroll, and probably all understood the significance of that comparison.
The negative comments above are clearly unfair. Nunez presents himself as a modern striker like Mohamed Salah or Sadio Mane, not the traditional model one finds in Haaland.
Back in the day, football followers considered goals to be the biggest measure for a striker and Haaland, Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo made the above point even more convincing. But that is the exception, not the norm, because not every player can do that.
Harry Kane has scored 17 goals for Tottenham Hotspur this season but is barely mentioned when placed next to Haaland. That is why Nunez is so heavily criticized when he only has 10 goals. But it is also necessary to recognize one thing, Liverpool are having too many difficulties in their system when a series of pillars are down in form and injured.
The pressure on Nunez’s shoulders is clearly greater as the Uruguayan plays a dual role. However, 10 goals is not a bad number. In the Premier League era, only Robbie Fowler, Fernando Torres, Daniel Sturridge, Salah and Diogo Jota have achieved the feat in fewer games for Liverpool.
Going deeper into Nunez’s 15 missed chances, 8 of them hit the target and 2 hit the crossbar or post. In part, the player born in 1999 was more unlucky than bad.
Talk to the seniors at Liverpool and they’ll tell you how much they love Nunez’s movement, speed and power and the way he works after each big miss. The red card against Crystal Palace has greatly reduced Nunez’s confidence, but the fans sympathize and support Nunez whenever he plays.
These parameters will greatly support Nunez’s on-field performance because he simply has great potential. A player is only 23 years old and the story is that he needs more confidence in front of goal. Time can completely help Nunez solve the problem when he is working with Jurgen Klopp.
Watching Nunez play, many people will certainly not understand why he does not score many goals. Nunez has lightning speed, which defenders hate, and the ability to run and finish well. When the ball reaches his feet, Nunez will be really dangerous with his kit.
Turning the matter over, it will be an alarm signal for Liverpool if Nunez does not often have many good opportunities, but fortunately he is extremely favored by his teammates. Nunez is not only Liverpool’s most involved player in finishing and creating chances, but also in the Premier League this season. That shows that Nunez is always ready to move forward in search of goals.
Many believe that the lack of experience in top leagues like the Premier League will greatly affect Nunez’s ability to convert opportunities. But not so, finishing skills are something players need to deal with on the training ground and of course Nunez is no exception. And as said, the important thing is only the mentality, Nunez can completely achieve 20 to 25 goals a season if he plays confidently.
Nunez is very young and situations like the present are clearly not uncommon. However, it should be recognized that the Uruguayan player possesses a very diverse finishing ability when he can kick well with both feet and in the air. And there’s nothing better than providing real-world examples to see how diverse Nunez is.
Let’s start with the 23-year-old’s goal against Wolves in the FA Cup. It was Nunez who opened the attack with a successful challenge for the ball in the middle of the field.
Nunez then immediately moved, and can be seen signaling his teammates where he wants to receive the ball. A person without the determination to score would certainly not make such a sequence of movements, and certainly would not actively signal for Trent Alexander-Arnold to pass the ball.
Nunez moved away from the defender very quickly and it opened up the space. The shot that followed was clearly excellent. Many have spoken of Nunez’s lack of confidence, but he clearly doesn’t shy away from scoring or playing safely.
Nunez not only made situations away from the opponent’s defenders like above, the Uruguayan striker also showed this when he scored against Southampton. If you look closely, it is easy to see that Nunez always tries to move away from the defender, and at the same time opens up space for his teammates to give him the ball to finish.
People will also talk about how Nunez’s ball feels in one-touch play, but ultimately getting the ball in the net is more important than whether you score with your feet or your back. And most of all, Nunez knew how to open up opportunities for himself in those phases before finishing.
Although there are many advantages in situations that open up opportunities for themselves, Nunez is not really mature in making a final decision. This is because, there are many situations where Nunez has enough space and time, but the 23-year-old player makes not very wise decisions. A good example of this is the situation in the game against Aston Villa.
With his speed, Nunez is completely capable of surpassing Ezri Konsa in this fast racing situation. With his right foot, Liverpool’s number 27 can completely bring the ball to his right foot if he continues to push the ball in the direction of the golden arrow and occupy a large space in the front of the goal.
Even if he can’t finish, leaving Konsa can completely help Nunez fish a penalty situation if he continues to go into the box. But in the end, Nunez chose to go in the direction of the white arrow and finish from a distance before the ball entered the penalty area. It’s exactly what Nunez did against Brentford and Manchester City in the League Cup.
In situations like these, what strikers need is calm. And to improve this, there is no other way but to practice. Putting yourself in these situations during practice sessions will help Nunez gain experience to come up with solutions for each situation. The 23-year-old’s problem is that he doesn’t really feel comfortable and, as said, Nunez needs to practice it more.
Even looking at Liverpool’s winning goal against Leicester City. Although it was an own goal from Wout Faes, the big credit still belonged to Nunez after the striker plowed the ball just right to beat Danny Ward. Although he still got the goal, but if he rewinded the situation, Nunez could have handled it better with a dribble past the goalkeeper to the left to widen the angle of the shot.
If we only talk about finishing situations, it is difficult to prove how comprehensive Nunez’s thesis is. But with that said, this player’s speed is a particularly dangerous weapon and can put any defender in trouble.
Liverpool’s No 27 is often found on the left and his pace is especially useful in quick counter-attacks. In the match against Leicester, Wout Faes had many difficulties when racing with Nunez. The Uruguayan easily overcame the Foxes defender before dragging the ball to the bottom of the line and stretching it in for Mohamed Salah.
Although right-footed, Nunez can be seen using his left foot very well in passing or shooting situations and that is a big advantage for this striker. However, there are still situations where Nunez does not have the decisiveness needed for Liverpool to finish the opponent. The most obvious is certainly the match against Manchester City in the English Premier League this season.
In the 87th minute, when Liverpool had a 3-on-1 situation with Man City and Nunez was the one holding the ball. With just one movement of his head up to watch, Nunez could have put Salah into a goal, but in the end the former Benfica player chose to finish on his own before being pressured by two City players. Kill and steal the ball.
It is difficult to blame a striker when he wants to finish the ball himself, but in some cases it is clear that a pass is better than a shot. With great expectations placed on his shoulders and a price tag of 100 million euros, it is clear that Nunez needs to show his worth. But people also forget that the striker born in 1999 has only played in championships that do not possess impressive professional quality.
At the age of 23, there is still too much time left for Nunez to become a world-class striker with all the qualities he possesses. And playing for a club like Liverpool is obviously helpful for the future of this player. The current story will take place on the training ground, practicing non-stop, finding confidence and continuously honing your skills. Only then can Nunez achieve what all expect from him.
