The Liverpool duo closing in on a prolific partnership.
Liverpool’s famed front three split up last summer when Sadio Mane opted to leave for Bayern Munich after six years at the club, leaving their star man Mohamed Salah without his main attacking wingman and Roberto Firmino down the pecking order.
To replace Mane, £85m was spent on Benfica forward Darwin Nunez, but the Uruguayan has toiled in his first season in England and has struggled for consistency as he adapts to a new team and league.
Of course, people will point towards the fact that he tops the big chances missed leaderboard for all the forwards in Europe – which isn’t a stat you want following you around – but his overall effectiveness in games has gone under the radar.
Brigning in Cody Gakpo was another move to help re-imagine their attack post-Mane, but he too has struggled. Netting just one goal in seven games.
But it’s not all bad news. According to statisticians OptaJoe, Salah and Nunez are the best chance creation duo in the league this season, meaning Liverpool may already have their Mane replacement in their squad. It’s just a matter of converting those chances.
In the Premier League, Nunez and Salah are creating a goalscoring chance for one another every 52 minutes they are on the pitch together, on average. That means the duo has the best rate of any duo to play 1,000+ mins together so far this season.
That’s a better rate than Harry Kane and Dejan Kulusevski, Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne and Aleksandr Mitrovic and Andreas Periera. Nunez has five goals and three assists in 15 games in the league, whilst Salah boasts eight goals and four assists in 21 games – but considering that chance created stat they should have had far more.
People will point towards a lack of goals from Nunez, but it’s fair to say he’s come into a side that are struggling, plus he’s had to adapt to a new league and learn English. There’s been teething problems, but he’s slotted into the Liverpool side fairly well, be it off the left or down the middle, and his chance creation certainly backs that up.
Another issue is the signing of Gakpo, who has been playing down the middle since arriving in January. Nunez will have to chalk up some form to displace him from the No.9 role. Once Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota make a full return from injury there will be a battle for that spot on the left wing too.
The goals will most likely come if Nunez and Salah continue what they’re doing. They have the potential to form a successful partership and if they can convert those big chances the pairing can help fire Liverpool back into contention next season, or, mount a top four charge from now until the end of May.
SOURCE: liverpoolworld.uk
