Uruguayan international Darwin Nunez, who led the team’s front line with a high volume of goals during his time at Benfica, has been plagued by poor decision-making at Anfield.
He has not been able to score as many goals as he has chances, as he has been hitting the ball to the goalkeeper or blowing up his shots in the decisive moments.
Since Arne Slot took over as manager, he has been asked to adapt to a new style of play as a centre-forward, and it is a strong impression that he is also struggling to adapt to this new style.
Compared to Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz, he is not as good at fluid play and is not as good at collecting the ball.
Nigerian defender Nedum Onuoha, who played for Manchester City and Queens Park Rangers during his playing days, acknowledged that the player has been working hard, but said that it is not enough at a top club.
“When you think about Liverpool and some of their goalscorers and those who have big impacts on games, obviously [Mohamed] Salah is the big shining light when it comes to goals, but also look at the likes of Jota, he’s one of the best finishers Liverpool have had in recent years,”
“You see an in-form [Cody] Gakpo, you see Luis Diaz playing down the middle, you see that the end-product is going to be there, whereas with Darwin Nunez, all the effort and stuff is there, but we’re talking about a team trying to win the Premier League title.”
“Effort shouldn’t be your strongest asset at that particular moment, you need the quality there. Would I feel confident seeing Nunez starting over Diogo Jota? Probably not.”
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The 25-year-old striker’s passion and pressure from the front is appealing. His ability to keep the heat on until the end of a match and get the supporters excited is also endearing, and his character is endearing.
However, he is best suited to a counter-orientated club and is a little too stifling to play to his strengths at a Merseyside club that is moving towards a more possession-orientated approach.
Will the Uruguayan striker wake up in the next six months and become an absolute force at Anfield?