Jurgen Klopp has quietly found a surprising new…

Jurgen Klopp has quietly found a surprising new Liverpool playmaker

Darwin Nunez has faced almost constant criticism since joining Liverpool. Severe scrutiny is the price to pay when playing for one of the world's biggest football clubs, and he did himself no favours by being sent off in his first start in England.

Much of the ridicule of Nunez’s performances stems from him missing big chances in big moments. An optimist would point out that at least he was in the right place, that the opportunity would not have occurred without his pace and movement. Level-headed analysis like that doesn’t attract much engagement on social media though.

The former Benfica man often gets mocked for poor decision making in the final third too, with his team-mates missing out on great chances thanks to his inability to complete a pass. However, where Nunez has undoubtedly squandered several high value opportunities for Liverpool, there are no major issues with the creative side of his game. On a pro-rata basis he has been one of the most productive players in the 2022/23 Premier League.

Nunez’s record of two assists (plus one against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup) suggests otherwise. These are a poor method of measuring a player’s creativity as they rely upon a team-mate converting their shot, though. The 23-year-old’s record with clear-cut chances is all the proof we need of this.

This metric concerns opportunities where you would expect the player having the goal attempt to score. Trent Alexander-Arnold leads the way for Liverpool this season, with 13 in all competitions, ahead of Mohamed Salah on nine. Nunez is next, with eight, though only two of them have become assists. Andy Robertson has created one fewer clear-cut chance but has set up four goals for his efforts.

An even more granular way of looking at the data is to consider expected assists. This is where the player creating a chance is awarded its expected goal value to put on their ledger. In the Premier League, Nunez has amassed 3.3 xA this season (per FBRef), putting him within touching distance of Alexander-Arnold (3.8), Salah (3.7) and Robertson (3.4).

But that trio have all played significantly more football. Nunez is averaging 0.33 expected assists per 90 minutes, a mark no Liverpool player with at least as much playing time can match. Only Diogo Jota from the whole squad is ahead of him, and only by 0.03 having sadly played just 196 minutes so far this season.

If we look back across the last five years, we find it’s rare for a member of Jurgen Klopp’s squad with at least 900 minutes to better Nunez’s creative output this term. Alexander-Arnold hit a stunning 0.41 average last season, while no Liverpool player matched the Uruguayan’s 0.33 rate in 2020/21 or the campaign in which the Reds won their 19th league title.

Nobody did the season before that either – with James Milner surprisingly top, on 0.27 – while Philippe Coutinho logged a 0.38 average in half of 2017/18 before departing for Barcelona. It being rare for a player to surpass Nunez’s current mark but the Brazilian doing so in a similarly small sample suggests it will be hard for Liverpool’s number 27 to maintain his form until the end of the campaign.

Yet he had a near identical record at Benfica, averaging 0.32 expected assists per 90 across his two Primeira Liga campaigns with them. The standard in England is higher but so is the ability of Nunez’s new attacking team-mates and the quality of coaching he receives from Klopp. He may be able to continue at his current level after all.

We shall see if the Reds’ summer signing can retain his place among the Premier League’s creative elite in due course. At present, only Bruno Fernandes (0.35 xA per 90) and Kevin De Bruyne (0.51) are ahead of Nunez in the standings. Criticise his finishing if you must but his ability to create chances is up there with the very best.

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