Jurgen Klopp and Pep Lijnders have both had to correct themselves when talking about Darwin Nunez this season. Both knowing the scrutiny that the £64m man has faced ever since signing from Benfica in the summer, they have insisted that the striker will come good for Liverpool and will be regarded as another great Reds signing in the long-run.
Yet, no sooner have such words passed from their lips and they have quickly had to clarify such comments. The Uruguayan foward is already a great signing for Liverpool and the scary thing is he’s going to get even better.
In his first 17 games for the Reds, of which only nine were starts, the 23-year-old returned seven goals and two assists. A brace against Southampton, in Liverpool’s final game before the mid-season World Cup break, took such totals to nine goals from 18 games, and means he is now averaging a goal every other game for Klopp’s side. But boasting just 944 minutes of action, he is remarkably also averaging a goal every 104.56 minutes and a goal contribution every 85.55 minutes.
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It admittedly hasn’t been the smoothest of starts for Nunez, joining an out of form, fatigued and low on confidence side facing a transitional period, when he was already having to learn the language and adapt to a new league and culture. A three-match ban after being sent off against Crystal Palace on his home debut before two suspended matches following Queen Elizabeth II’s passing left the Reds without a Premier League game for a month did not help matters.
As a result, it was hard for him to find rhythm as he found himself understandably in and out of Klopp’s starting XI. With a few glaring misses during a six-game goalscoring drought, outside criticism and scrutiny would continue as he was repeatedly written off by opposing fans as just a, ‘s**t Andy Carroll.’.
But since Liverpool lost both Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota to injury in October, Nunez has made a mockery of such claims, having stood up, been counted, and gotten his feet firmly under the Anfield table in the process. Is it any wonder Kopites already adore him and chant his name at every opportunity?
He heads to the World Cup with seven goals from his last 10 appearances, and that’s despite the missed chances not quite being eradicated. As Klopp has said, imagine how many more he could have scored. As Lijnders would remind us, he’s a player who can create five chances on his own every game.
Of course, the 23-year-old didn’t need to do it on his own against Southampton as he put in not only his most eye-catching performance yet, but one which was also his most in-sync with his new team-mates. For both strikes, side-footing Harvey Elliott’s lofted pass home first-time and sliding in ahead of Mohamed Salah to connect with Andy Robertson’s low cross, he timed his runs to perfection.
Connections continue to grow with the likes of the Scot, the Egyptian and Roberto Firmino with every passing week, with his pace, power and work-rate a joy to beyond as Nunez remains the biggest of thorns in opposing backlines. And he is only going to get better the more he adapts, quickly transitioning from ‘£64m flop’ to ‘£64m bargain’ before our very eyes.
What makes his recent form even more impressive is that it has come on the left wing rather than in his favoured central role, belatedly being asked to operate out wide, cutting in as Liverpool initially struggled to adapt without Diaz and Jota.
Such a positional switch won’t be long term, with Klopp saying on Friday even in this temporary role, the Reds have wanted to give him ‘the freedom to feel like a striker’. With Diaz back running and hopefully soon back in contention in 2023, a return move to the Uruguayan’s natural position is looming in January.
Given a standing ovation as he left the pitch in the 87th minute after his match-winning brace against Southampton, make no mistake, ladies and gentlemen. Darwin Nunez has well and truly arrived.
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