Jurgen Klopp has hinted why he has left Darwin Nunez out of Liverpool’s starting XI in recent weeks.
The Uruguayan came off the bench to score in the 6-1 victory over Leeds United on Monday, but the trip to Elland Road was the third time the striker found himself utilised as a substitute from the Reds’ last four games.
Having missed the March international break with an ankle injury, it had originally been thought that the 23-year-old was being managed carefully following such a setback. But after returning to the starting XI against Chelsea earlier this month, Nunez again found himself on the bench against Arsenal and Leeds.
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Speaking ahead of his side’s home clash with Nottingham Forest, Klopp admitted that the striker, who is still learning English following his £64m move from Benfica last summer, isn’t necessarily happy at his recent role. But the German explained his reasoning for his recent usage of Nunez as Liverpool look to finish the season strongly.
“Darwin is a player with a different skillset to all our other players. That’s good, that’s good,” Klopp told reporters. “He’s a real handful, he’s a machine, and he will score a lot of goals.
“He’s scored already a decent number of goals. That’s all fine but yes, of course, he is still adapting. His English is still not great, if existing at all. We are working on that massively.
“It’s not helpful to go through a difficult debut season for the whole team. How can a striker shine when the whole team is struggling? That’s not possible but he had super moments for us, absolutely. But was injured in some moments, suspended in other moments. That’s not helpful but it’s no problem at all.
“This is a long-term project. I understand that he wants to play desperately from the beginning. That’s all fine. But we have to find for us a way that it works really for us again.
"And then we have to fit in the players that we can really use the specific strengths as well. I am completely fine with the situation but I understand that Darwin is not always fine. But it’s not that he smiles in my face when he realises that he will not start. ‘Oh thank you, boss.’
"It’s not like that but it’s absolutely fine. That’s how we have to deal with the situation. When we have five or six players available upfront, I have to make decisions. That’s good. That’s good and that’s how it should be. And then we’ll see.
“The boys, the door is miles open. The more sessions we have, the more sessions you have to show up.
“He came on (vs Leeds) and was exceptional. He was exceptional. Not only the goal he scored, before that as well. He was absolutely exceptional. It was exactly the right way.
“Everybody who came on was on fire. That’s what we need. We have five games in two weeks and Darwin will start games, definitely.”
Nunez has predominantly been used on the left-wing by Klopp since the mid-season World Cup in Qatar, having lined up his favoured central attacking role for the majority during the first half of the season.
And Klopp insisted the forward is just as effective in either position, before again admitting that Nunez needs to improve his English.
“He’s a centre-forward who plays on the left when he plays on the left,” he said. “That’s how it is. It needs a specific set up that he can play and defend in the centre. That’s how it is.
“Playing in the centre is not a problem, there he’s a machine. Then we have to make sure that we understand as a team. We were not stable for a real long spell in the season.
“On top of all the problems we have, the boys have to adapt to different defending, a different striker up top as well. If football would be that easy, you would just put the 11 players with the most potential on the pitch and hope it works out. You don’t need me or other managers.
“It’s about fine-tuning it and that is what we are still doing. This season, we don’t know where it will end up but after this season there is another season. And that is already in my mind as well. We have to build on what we do now and what we learn now.
“We learned a lot which we didn’t want to learn. Maybe we now have an opportunity to learn a few things we really can use. That’s how I see it. That means everything is fine.
“He can absolutely play both positions 100% and both positions really well. He did that for us already. I am completely fine.
“He has to learn English, that’s how it is. We can translate everything, but in training sessions we cannot have four languages and translate it. It’s a football language so it will help him massively.”
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