Darwin Nunez is living through the days of being ridiculed at Liverpool for his performances below expectations since joining the club for a price that is not cheap in the summer of 2022.
“You’re just another version of Andy Caroll.” Such taunts have been familiar to Nunez since he arrived at the Port City team. It is not clear if the former Benfica star will pay attention to that cynical statement, but it will more or less affect his psyche.
It’s the truth. Nunez is still immature and impatient in front of the opponent’s goal. When looking at Liverpool’s poor results, many people would agree that things would have been different if the Uruguayan striker had not missed delicious opportunities.
Although Liverpool are showing a very lack of ideas this season, Nunez is still considered Liverpool’s “chaotic agent”. Anytime The Reds created opportunities, Nunez was in the spotlight. He is clumsy, naive and lacks the sharpness of a top scorer. However, against Wolves in the third round of the FA Cup last night, Nunez showed a completely different face.
During the first half, Nunez was almost hungry for the ball. He had only 14 touches of the ball, lower than any other player on the pitch. However, Nunez had the best touch of the ball just before the break to help Liverpool bring the game back to the starting line. From defender Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross, Nunez moved smartly before finishing a left-footed diagonal touch into the net.
Nunez’s goal was clearly an instinctive strike. It came at the perfect time when Liverpool needed it most. Nunez didn’t have time to think about what to do. He watched and then swung his legs according to the feeling and succeeded. The image of Nunez running halfway around Anfield, shouting in celebration to the cheers of the crowd showed how much that meant to him.
Currently, Nunez has pocketed 10 goals in 23 appearances for Liverpool this season. Although not on the level of Erling Haaland, this is still an impressive figure for Nunez in his first season at Merseyside. Nunez’s brilliance made the debut of rookie Cody Gakpo completely overshadowed. Admittedly, despite being involved in Mohamed Salah’s second-half goal, Gakpo had a “quiet” game. Over time, the pressure on the Dutch star will certainly increase, and that is what Nunez has had to experience all this time.
Gakpo will need to learn to adapt to the new environment. Nunez is the brightest example for Gakpo to look at. If he doesn’t shine as quickly as expected, the former PSV striker will have to face extreme challenges, including being ridiculed by the fans. Lesson learned from Nunez is to let them poke fun. My job is to keep quiet and respond with a performance on the pitch. Liverpool know they have promising players in attack. When the team needed a goal against Wolves to clear their minds, Nunez was there and spoke up.
Gakpo probably will too. It’s only a matter of time.
