Such is the extent of scrutiny over Darwin Nunez‘s each look that it might be no shock if, within the occasion he grabs the winner in opposition to Man Metropolis on Sunday, he lifts his shirt to disclose his personal ‘Why all the time me?’ message.
Solely, on the proof on Wednesday’s 2-2 draw at Villa Park and the heavy criticism he confronted for his enter, there can be no assure he’d even rating it.
There isn’t any assure he’ll even make it onto the pitch, both.
Nunez’s left-footed effort, blazed over the bar with the purpose gaping halfway by the second half, was statistically the sixth-worst miss on this Premier League marketing campaign thus far.
It was price 0.75 xG, with Marcus Tavernier (0.94), Nicolas Jackson (0.90), Cole Palmer (0.89), Emerson (0.76) and Dominic Solanke (0.76) the one gamers to squander larger probabilities in entrance of purpose.
In equity to Nunez, it was a tougher likelihood than has been made out: he was large of the purpose, underneath stress from centre-back Axel Disasi, on the stretch whereas operating at full pelt and capturing together with his weaker foot.
There’s definitely an argument to be remodeled whether or not Dominik Szoboszlai even wanted to make the cross to him, having discovered himself in a one-on-one with Emi Martinez with the choice to fit it or dink it over the goalkeeper.
However this recent storm Nunez has confronted comes with a ferocity borne of numerous different missed probabilities comparable to this, and the esteem of a £85 million price ticket.
A club-record signing taking part in up entrance for the very best facet in England ought to be nearing the top of February with significantly greater than six objectives in 35 video games and have began significantly greater than 12 instances within the Premier League and Champions League.
As a substitute Nunez finds himself on the periphery and, when referred to as upon, invariably disappoints.
Whereas his league-high price of 0.99 massive probabilities missed per 90 minutes since becoming a member of Liverpool in 2022/23 is much like that of Erling Haaland (0.95, per Sky Sports activities), in contrast to his Man Metropolis counterpart he doesn’t have the freakish purpose price to counterbalance that.
Nunez suffered with comparisons to Haaland as each arrived within the Premier League on the identical time throughout a revival of the traditional centre-forward, however he’s now over midway by his third season on the membership and has barely progressed.
Even past these obvious misses – of which Wednesday’s was removed from his worst, as Luton followers will fondly recall – there stay the identical flaws that defied Jurgen Klopp after he instigated his signing from Benfica.
The Uruguayan was all the time an odd selection to exchange Roberto Firmino as the focus of Liverpool’s assault and the membership has suffered the consequences ever since.
Klopp repeatedly harassed the necessity for Nunez to align together with his calls for off the ball, whereas what has been described as a reluctance to be taught the English language shared all through the squad and workers has made tactical directions more durable to convey.
And whereas he has now earned a repute as a hard-runner, ever prepared to press, he nonetheless resembles a starkly completely different profile to Firmino earlier than him and now each Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz.
On multiple event Slot has referred to the variations between Nunez and Jota and Diaz, with the latter duo becoming the mould of a ‘nine-and-a-half’ in comparison with a standard No. 9.
His desire for Diaz – a pure winger solely this season transformed into the central position – over Nunez has made it patently clear which profile of striker he plans to construct round at Liverpool in the long run.
Diaz, although removed from the perfect resolution, is extra comfy dropping deep and occupying areas that may enable Liverpool’s common goalscorers to flourish.
His system could also be markedly completely different, however it’s no fluke that Slot’s wingers, in Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo, are the first supply of objectives simply as Salah and Sadio Mane have been when dovetailing with Firmino underneath Klopp.
Whereas it was advised previous to his arrival at Anfield that Slot noticed Nunez as his new undertaking up entrance – having coaxed free-scoring kind out of a equally troubled striker at Feyenoord in Santiago Gimenez – there may be now each indication that can be minimize quick in the summertime.
“Gamers miss probabilities, that I can settle for, however what was more durable to simply accept was his behaviour after that likelihood,” Slot advised reporters on Thursday morning, having had time to digest the outcome at Villa.
“It bought an excessive amount of in his head the place he wasn’t the same old Darwin that works his arse off and makes certain he helps the group.”
Slot added: “I’ll inform him you may miss an opportunity, however you can’t miss out on work price.
“That’s the lifetime of a striker – he is aware of, he’s 25, he can have missed and scored probabilities in his profession, so no downside in any respect.
“It’s a part of the job of a No. 9 that you simply typically miss when folks count on you to attain, however it isn’t a part of the job to decelerate the work price and that’s one thing we’ll speak about.”
There’s very a lot a way that Nunez let his coach down together with his utility in opposition to Villa, however it’s notable that this was not the primary time he has seemed lower than .
Whether or not by design or not, this drop in work price has coincided with the collapse of a proposed transfer to the Saudi Professional League late within the winter switch window, with experiences indicating that Liverpool rejected a switch.
It was claimed that Al-Nassr made two bids, the second price upwards of £62.4 million, and have been in superior talks with the participant himself solely to be thwarted by Liverpool’s reluctance to promote at a time after they would wrestle to exchange him.
There have been two takeaways from that, nonetheless: firstly, Nunez was clearly prepared to barter his departure with the carrot of a rumoured £558,000-a-week little question interesting; and secondly, the membership would doubtless have countenanced a sale at a extra handy level.
That may certainly come in the summertime, as like with Christian Benteke earlier than him a Liverpool supervisor’s makes an attempt to remould his facet round a traditional No. 9 have merely not labored out for Nunez.
A change within the dugout, from Brendan Rodgers to Klopp, helped facilitate Benteke’s swift exit and there can be little shock if the identical performed out on the finish of Slot’s first marketing campaign on Merseyside.
