Liverpool fans want to sign quality strikers, so why is the jury still out on Darwin Nunez?
The Uruguayan arrived at Anfield last summer with all the flair you’d expect from a centre-forward who could break the club’s transfer record.
This was seen, rightly or wrongly, as a distraction from how Jurgen Klopp usually sets up his front line.
The tall, powerful and speedy centre-half is a far cry from Roberto Firmino’s role at Liverpool and marked the start of a 12-month transition in that area of the pitch.
The signing of Cody Gakpo came six months later and ensured healthy competition for places even after Firmino’s departure. Despite this, Nunez scored 15 goals in all competitions in a worst ever start to the campaign with a red card on his home debut.
Why do so many view his debut season in such a negative light?
Event start
LONDON, ENGLAND – Saturday 6 August 2022: Liverpool’s Darwin Núñez celebrates scoring his side’s first goal during the FA Premier League match between Fulham FC and Liverpool FC at Craven Cottage in a 1-1 draw. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Nunez came off the bench to score a timely equalizer at Craven Cottage on the opening day of the 2022/23 season to announce himself from the traveling support.
A smart goal that we have seen again since then against Real Madrid. The goal was a classic example of how lethal Liverpool’s new number 9 can be when he appeals to his instincts. His save from Joachim Andersen’s header nine days later at Anfield was an example of the other side for him and showed the edge he plays on, which can make him so destructive at times.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – Monday 15 August 2022: Liverpool’s Darwin Núñez reacts after being red carded and sent off during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Crystal Palace FC at Anfield.
Any early attempts at a Premier League debut goal were quickly wiped out with a three-match ban, but Nunez was not kept away for long.
He was on the score sheet four times in five games in October, two of which came off the bench.
But while he was quietly going about his business, a lab-grown attacker stole all the headlines on the other side of the M62. Arriving in England at the same time as Erling Haaland was always going to present its own challenges, but really he shouldn’t have belonged to us.
Great Expectations
LEEDS, ENGLAND – Monday 17 April 2023: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp (L) celebrates with goalkeeper Darwin Núñez after the FA Premier League match between Leeds United FC and Liverpool FC at Elland Road. Liverpool won 6-1.
158 minutes per goal is an entirely appropriate return given the inconsistency of his season, but perhaps breaking club records naturally brings its own pressures.
When Liverpool go big, they tend to notice it, and the continued brilliance of Alisson and Van Dijk proves it. At 22 and at a time when the Reds had plenty of attacking options, he didn’t need to be the striker version of Alisson or Van Dijk, but he still had to give the manager something to work with.
There was no shortage of strikers who, despite relatively humble beginnings, went on to illustrious Anfield careers.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – Saturday, January 18, 2014: Liverpool’s Luis Suarez looks depressed after Aston Villa’s 2-2 draw at Anfield in the Premier League. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Still considered by some to be the greatest player in the club’s modern history, Luis Suarez scored 17 goals in his first full season at the club – and on the pace he joined in January.
Sadio Mane scored just 13 goals in his first campaign for the Reds and his strike partner Roberto Firmino scored 11 last year. When Nunez signed, Klopp insisted the club was buying a work in progress to manage expectations from day one.
Big fees don’t always mean explosive early impact, and by signing the Uruguayan on a six-year deal, Liverpool have secured a striker of the future as well as the present.
Celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal in the Premier League match at St. James’s Park in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Picture date: Sunday August 27, 2023. It goes without saying that 2023/24. In 2018, he needs to hit and another 15 goals won’t be enough to keep him safe from scrutiny. However, his late work at Newcastle was a timely example that he can deliver exactly what is required and is not just the “chaotic” option on the bench that he is so often portrayed as.
The word “raw” is a similar adjective thrown around when discussing Nunez’s qualities, but Klopp’s quote of “a work in progress” is a sign that signing a striker to rival Haaland’s output was never intended in the first place.
The 22-year-old himself said in February: “Something similar happened to me already at Benfica. The first year was very bad for me and the second year I exploded.
PRESTON, ENGLAND – Monday 7 August 2023: Darwin Núñez of Liverpool applauds the supporters after the 98 friendly between Liverpool FC and SV Darmstadt at Deepdale. (Photo by David
“Here, I think the same thing will happen. Hopefully next season will be like that. I’ll do my best and hopefully I’ll have some luck.”
If that’s his way of thinking, who are we to doubt him?
If he thinks his 15-goal season was “really bad,” we’ll have fun finding out what he’s capable of when he “explodes.
