Jurgen Klopp finally owns the star that elevates Darwin Nunez this season.
It will always be difficult for Darwin Nunez to fill the immense void left by Sadio Mane after the Senegal star moved to Bayern Munich last summer. Mane would go on to become one of Liverpool’s all-time greats after 120 goals and having won a series of trophies.
But it means that when Nunez arrives from Benfica for a record fee that is likely to run up to £85m, the pressure on him is enormous. That really happened because there was a period when the Uruguayan striker received a lot of criticism.
Disaster struck on his home debut when the 1999-born striker head-butted Crystal Palace defender Joachim Anderson and was sent off. After serving a 3-match suspension, the striker struggled in front of goal and missed many unfortunate opportunities, scoring only 2 goals in 8 Premier League matches.
Returning from the World Cup, the Nunez tournament played 3 matches in the group stage but failed, blockbuster Liverpool no longer kept confidence. For most of this season, what Nunez showed was associated with two words ‘disappointment’. But the recent Manchester United destruction performance made the public have a different view of the Uruguayan star.
Nunez was simply brilliant and scored with two precise headers. He combined well with Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah. Time and again, Nunez managed to find favorable positions to score. That is a plus point and will help the South American striker gain more confidence if he knows he has reached the milestone of 14 goals in 31 matches in all competitions this season.
A key part of Nunez’s recent improvement in form has been the arrival of Gakpo, who joined Liverpool in January from PSV for £44m. The signing of Gakpo has allowed Nunez to move into a preferred position on the left wing, with the Dutchman operating in the centre.
In the Premier League matches where Nunez played on the left wing of attack, he scored 5 goals in 7 games. Considering the statistics of playing 12 matches in the middle position but only scoring 3 goals, Nunez has clearly found an appropriate operating area to unleash.
According to Opta, prior to Gakpo’s arrival, Nunez had 43% of touches on the left side of the field, a figure that has increased to 60% since the number 18 joined. In addition, the former Benfica star also contributed a goal or assist every 103 minutes, a more impressive achievement than the 125 minutes before the Dutchman played at Anfield.
This explains why a small tactical adjustment from Klopp has had a formidable impact on the attack that is gradually creating the harmony of the club. Apparently, Gakpo is helping Nunez’s rise. More than anyone, Klopp is pleased with the contribution of this duo because it helps him shape a new trio alongside Salah in the future.
