Didi Hamann has questioned the finishing ability of Darwin Núñez, but is it worth noting that in his final season for Benfica last term, he was truly clinical.
There’s a lot to like about Darwin Núñez. The Uruguayan international, who joined Liverpool from Benfica as a replacement for Sadio Mané last summer, stands around 1.85m tall yet has remarkable pace attached to his game, and he’s also got plenty of fire based on the evidence supporters have witnessed so far.
The South American is a rough diamond, and one who would be regarded as one of the very best strikers around if he could just finish his chances, according to Dietmar Hamann. The ex-Reds midfielder spoke to the Liverpool ECHO this week, and expressed his concerns about the chaotic attacker.
“If Núñez would be able to convert some of his chances, he would be one of the best in the world,” he said. “Whether he can improve or how much he can, I’m not too sure as I’ve never been a center forward, but he has to improve his finishing. If you get chances and don’t convert them, then all of the hard work is for nothing.”
Hamann’s criticism reflects the narrative that has surrounded the 23-year-old since his arrival on English shores. People can see his potential and elite ceiling but it has been difficult for supporters to ignore his wastefulness when he’s been presented with opportunities to find the net.
Indeed, no player in the Premier League has missed more big chances than Núñez and his total of 16 this term, ahead of Erling Haaland in second and Mohamed Salah in third, level with Ivan Toney on 12 big chances missed.
It is a matter that Jürgen Klopp has attempted to resolve behind the scenes. Speaking to Sky Sports recently, the Reds striker admitted that his displays have to improve — particularly in front of goal — and that his manager has presented him with advice when attempting to score.
“He has told me that I have to be calm in games when it comes to finishing,” said Núñez. “He wants me to take a second longer, because if I shoot with anger, or I rush it, then it will always go badly. He asks me to take an extra second, with calmness, and I will score.”
Klopp’s words of wisdom should help, but the whole situation is curious once considering how Núñez performed for Benfica last season, as he truly painted himself as one of the deadliest poachers on the continent.
In the Portuguese Primeira Liga, he converted 27.2 per cent of his shots into goals, which placed him top of his division once compared with every other player to have posted at least 55 attempts on goal. In fact, no player across Europe’s top six leagues converted their shots into goals to a more efficient level than Núñez.
For perspective, Mané posted a conversion rate in the Premier League of around 18 per cent last season, and Salah averaged marginally less. Diogo Jota converted roughly 17 per cent of his shots, which truly emphasizes Núñez’s figure of 27.2 per cent. The large majority of offensive players tend to convert around 15 per cent to 20 per cent of their shots into goals — even the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane.
Núñez also showed up as a natural at hitting the target. He posted a total of 85 shots in the Primeira Liga, hitting the target with 44 of them which equated to 51.8 per cent. Again, for context, Salah, Mané, Jota and Luis Díaz all found the target with between 36.3 per cent and 37.4 per cent of their shots in the Premier League.
Across Europe’s top five leagues, only a select few players took more than 50 shots and found the target with 50 per cent or more of them: Neymar, Martin Terrier, Moussa Diaby, Memphis Depay, Francesco Caputo, Vinícius Júnior, Wissam Ben Yedder, Juanmi and the player with the highest average, Son Heung-min.
There is enough reason to suggest that Núñez is far more clinical than he’s shown so far. The concerns held by Klopp and Hamann are understandable, but it could be a matter of time before the club’s record signing explodes in front of goal. The likelihood is that his finishing ability ranks somewhere in between his performances for Benfica last season, and for Liverpool this term.
