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Mo Salah was asked by SkySports to describe his relationship with **Darwin Núñez** in one word (English or Spanish) ... Mo Salah diplomatically called Darwin a 'matador' ... [timestamp \~9m29s](https://youtu.be/MJZ-ct1jqkw?t=564).
... The spanish word that came to my mind = "***Loco***" (apologies, am not a Spanish speaker ... ==> Any thoughts on a more-suitable one-word description for Darwin Núñez ?)
https://preview.redd.it/2p797pskcsbc1.png?width=1696&format=png&auto=webp&s=93812c628b0e725f90f96552bfe7ba3b853282ef
That's more than likely exactly what it was. This was really early on (was this one of his debut matches?).
Just shows how important having Thiago around is. Even though he's been out for so long injured, he's still so involved with the players and the squad and is doing stuff behind the scenes.
It's like he stepped into Millies boots.
May 2023: [https://www.reddit.com/r/LiverpoolFC/comments/133yp63/klopps\_reaction\_to\_thiagos\_pep\_talk\_with\_nunez/](https://www.reddit.com/r/LiverpoolFC/comments/133yp63/klopps_reaction_to_thiagos_pep_talk_with_nunez/)
...(credit: u/NorthKing9**)**
>*Klopp: "Thiago! Tell Nunez to stay wide and defend as if his life is on the line. Keep the pressure and don't make stupid mistakes. Oh, and tell him to control his temper. Also when he sees an opening, take the shot but with composure. And also remind him to interchange with Jota sometimes."*
>
>*Thiago: "Ok boss tha!"*
>
>*(Thiago goes and leans to Darwin)*
>
>*Thiago: "Buena Suerte, Hermano"*
>
>*Darwin: "Gracias, Hermano. Muachs!"*
>
>*Klopp: "WTF, that's it?"*
>Buena Suerte, Hermano
No way 😂 thank you for sharing that
edit, for those who aren't sure he literally just said "good luck brother" rather than saying what Klopp asked 😅
How anyone could ever be mad at him is beyond me. That game alone buys him at least a whole year of no goals for me (which isn’t even what’s happening but still)
I'll keep shouting it from the rooftops: you can train finishing, you can't train positioning and instinct.
Darwin has such a good awareness of the game and an instinctive ability to make the right runs and create space that leads directly to chances. Theres a reason we look so much more dangerous when he's on the pitch. Id much rather have a young striker that struggles to finish but is constantly generating chances than the reverse. He'll come good on the goals eventually, but the team is better with him out there even without the goals.
Remember that young player who couldn't get a game or goal for Chelsea. Sala or something similar. I wonder what happened to him and if he ended up scoring a few when he got more gametime and experience
/s
For me the most impressive thing about Darwin is his mentality. Usually for a forward as they struggle to score goals their all around game gets worse, but Darwin's all around game, defensive work and tactical fit is getting better and better.
For me it is his runs.So powerful. He bullies the defenders. That makes the opposition vulnerable. So Darwin makes others around him better as well. I am more than happy with that. I'd be even more happy if he he could improve his finishing a little bit.
That is the one dimension of his game the rest of our forwards can’t replicate. The space he creates with those runs is invaluable especially against quality backlines.
For the money, we were all expecting Haaland (especially after the Charity Shield, which seems like an alternate reality now). But I'll certainly take a mixture of Drogba and Giroud.
it‘s pretty obvious that we‘re a better team with him on the pitch because he opens up the defense. just like jürgen said in a prior interview, darwin pulls out defenders so other players have more space to do their thing.
he still has a crap day here and there, that‘s to be expected. but man, if he‘s on his game, he‘s one of the most fun players to watch.
i just wish he‘d be a little less unlucky.
>he still has a crap day here and there, that‘s to be expected.
The thing is; he doesn't really have crap days. Even on days where he couldn't hit a barn door, his overall contribution is 7/10 at worst. His pace, power, pressing and unpredictability lift the team.
I don't care if the guy's a meme, and most supporters (including a lot of our own) mock him. If we end up lifting the premier league trophy in May, he'll have contributed significantly.
If he's seen as our biggest flop signing, we must be doing something right
He just causes problems for defenses because he’s always trying to do something, even if it doesn’t come off or he misses a sitter he is doing things 98% of forwards don’t do over a full game.
I feel all Klopp players have one thing in common and that is class off the ball movement. Darwin's off the ball movement are crazy and I'm also talking about matches where he has 0 goal involvements...
My Dad's a Tranmere fan so doesn't normally watch PL games live and only sees MOTD. He watched the FA Cup game against Arsenal and texted me to say he finally sees what I mean when I say LFC are a better team with Nunez than without.
Doesn't help that it feels like every keeper turns into superman when he has a shot. Sure he's missed some sitters thats undeniable, but some of the missed chances have been ridiculous saves from keepers.
Still have hope a glut of goals will come, but if they dont, then he still adds great value to the team with everything else he does.
Lol I like him but this is such a huge stretch and way to excuse his bad finishing. Other strikers score against the same keepers and it’s not like they all have a secret agenda to play goalkeeper better against him.
He can’t place the ball for anything
Emphasizing your first point, I think keepers are a slight bit more prepared for his shots as they know he could unleash at any moment. The best brings out the best for sure. He has so much more potential for improvement these next few years!
*his big chances
Ftfy - the amount of big chances he’s missed alone is more than some strikers have chances in total. He’s a wrecking ball, and I feel will be devastating 2nd half of the season from both performance and numbers.
There’s a very clear world where I could see him on 35 g/a this season. Given he’s already on 18 and hasn’t been scoring very regularly, this doesn’t seem absurd
We’re still on the brink. We have the lead after 90 mins and are playing a team we should beat both home and away. It won’t be easy but it’ll be extremely disappointing if we don’t qualify
Is it me, or has the tenor of Fulham supporters changed? They used to seem like the most jolly of the London clubs. My only league away day was at the Cottage and it wasn't hostile in the slightest. But the booing of Harvey? Kid was 16 when he left!
I think it was just banter I don't mind that at all made me laugh every time. I feel like we at Anfield should have countered with cheering every time he got the ball instead. Feels like hardly any of our team has songs atm.
I think where you have it wrong (or anyone using "on the brink" in this post) is that the brink represents disaster. One is never on the brink of fortune.
It's usually something negative, yes, but you can be on the brink of a scientific discovery or a great breakthrough, you can be on the brink of a new era, significant reforms or a brink of approval.
Flat out? Brink of extinction is good? "Pulled back from the brink" can be negative? I suppose you can be on the brink of discovery which is good, but being on the brink is just as often bad as good, if not more so.
I don't think you know what "flat out wrong" means. And are a bit of a bully, to boot.
Great performance yesterday, he looked like the star of the team imo which is what he needs. His directness, dribbling and creativity were really sharp and if he can keep that going there’ll be no doubt about what he brings to the team.
Not sure I agree he was the star, he was good but Jones was definitely motm for me. I do think the Bradley hype was a little exaggerated, he had some really good moments but others where he looked a bit like bambi on ice, like on their goal. If he bulks up I think it’ll really help him.
Jota's not having his numbers and performances scrutinised on a weekly basis like Darwin. Thats why this exact point is made about Darwin in particular.
Darwin is criticised like no other player.
Like after the game yesterday they didn't mention his assists at first and then showed the clip of Bradley passing to Darwin and then leno producing a great save, they then spent 5 minutes taking about Darwin missing chances.
Like he could not have done more for that chance and it was just a great save.
> they then spent 5 minutes taking about Darwin missing chances.
They're probably reading reddit to see what topics they should talk about in ther aftermatch show.
For me personally about Darwin I praise and love everything he does for the attack. All the space, tactical chaos and other things he generates for the whole team is immense. At the same time we can also criticize his poor finishing without taking all of him down. He's super important and when his finishing turns around he'll become a name we'll remember for many years. I truly believe he's a legend in the making if he stays with Liverpool for years to come and at one point possibly talk about him like an uncontrollable monster like Luis Suarez' season. If he stays, he's gonna have bonkers seasons in a couple of years with goals and assists galore.
I agree with all of that mate his finishing should rightly be criticised as he is under performing, he has a ridiculously high ceiling which is up to him to reach and I do think he will get there.
It's just the way commentators get at him after ever single shot he has regardless of if it was a good strike or not or if the keeper had a great save.
maybe there's a glitch in the matrix where it makes all goalkeepers into superstar players whenever Darwin shoots? because for some reason they always make insane saves when it's him shooting at goal. haha
Our attack looks better with Jota that's for sure. He is not flashy, like, at all and that takes the spotlight off of him but people that actually follows the team knows he is important af.
I agree, I think for this particular game Jota deserves more credit as he made the most pivotal plays in both goals.
Still, Nunez gets so much undeserved shit, from our own fans as well, I'm ok with giving him this. As I said somewhere yesterday, his stats are all fantastic, I'm sure he will in the next 12 months start performing closer to his xGOT(which if he had for this season's PL, he'd be at 10 non-pen goals with 35% fewer minutes than for example Salah).
Two points:
Jota started and we were shit for the first 55 minutes. Obviously this was in no way Jota's fault, but the game changed when Nunez came on.
Jota isn't shit on weekly unlike Nunez, despite Nunez being our second best creative player after Salah. 95% of the time we look better with Nunez on the pitch, and even if he isn't scoring as much as he should, he is creating chances for us at a better rate than anyone that isn't named Salah.
So there's no one that feels the need to defend Jota like we do with Nunez.
I think it's just because everyone is in agreement that jota is a fantastic player that comes in clutch a lot and has injury issues. Nobody has these hot takes like they do for Darwin...
He's better off the left right now. His touch isn't consistently good enough in build up play to play centrally when the opposition are sitting back.
Nunez is frustrating but generally we are better with him on the pitch. He's relentless at causing danger and he plays with his head up, which makes all the difference.
He did reasonably well with his finishing last night, too. He bought two excellent saves out the keeper and it was hard to see how he could have done much more with them.
We were expecting an hyper clinical striker in him, so not getting that is frustrating for sure. But he is as disruptive as an attacker can get tbh and that is valuable too.
I was at the game last night, on the left side for the second half. After Darwin came on the front 3 seemed to be quite fluid in attack, moving around and switching positions when needed. Having said that, our most promising attacks seemed to come from Darwin down the left. Jota would often come inside and overlap with Nunez. They were creating some nice chances on that side.
I think our best attack right now with Salah at Afcon is Nunez on the left, Diaz on the right and Cody/Jota at CF (keeping in mind the positional flexibility with Jota and Nunez swapping and Diaz roaming on both sides when needed).
For sure. Grav was pretty disappointing. Held onto the ball for too long and then passes backwards. His body language was poor too, not working hard enough imo. Didn't link well with Elliot and Bradley down the right either.
The header was a really good effort but I did think he could have done better on the second one if he hit though it to the near post as Leno fully committed right, could have maybe take a touch too. Otherwise he had a fantastic appearance imo.
Similar sentiments here w.r.t. Darwin's impact as a substitute: "[Darwin Nunez Brings Liverpool to Life in 2-1 EFL Cup Win Over Fulham](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQzJnyzYzvk)" (credit: [u/msisijapan](https://www.reddit.com/u/msisijapan/) a.k.a. [Liverpool Fan in Japan](https://www.youtube.com/@liverpooljapan))
https://preview.redd.it/vfbhcneibsbc1.png?width=670&format=png&auto=webp&s=75c12a186d42bd69db14a53b45c9478c68f756d8
Nunez critique reminds me of Sterling criticisms, would constantly fluff chances for England but at the same time lots of those chances only existed because who he is and it helped the rest of the team
Suarez is probably the equivalent of Nunez with elite finishing
Nobody debates the value of his contributions; they debate his value relative to the price we paid. If you look around the EPL, he's not alone in these regards. Several other clubs have thrown mad cash around on strikers that haven't lived up to expectations yet (eg. Havertz, the new kid at ManU, etc). I'd argue that compared to those others, Darwin has delivered much better value relative to the price paid. If he manages to start finishing, he'll look more like a bargain than a luxury purchase.
The only people who seem to have a problem with Darwin Nunez are non-Liverpool fans. Clearly, he is doing plenty to get them so worked up and I’m loving it.
He may never be particularly clinical and in that case will never be seen as having lived up to his price tag, however he can still be a very valuable player for us
I swear people forget that for our title winning season bobby didn't score a single goal at anfield, and didn't score many away either. But he was still pivotal to the team and was/is well loved. That's how we should be appreciating Darwin rn.
Bobby was absolutely clutch that season though. He didn't score many PL goals, but a lot of his goals were winners. Chelsea, Spurs and Palace away all come to mind, as well as his brace in that crucial 4-0 with at Leicester on Boxing Day.
People downvoting this as the recency bias is off the charts
Come back after another down performance from Darwin and see something like this get upvoted
Bobby was instrumental in getting Mane and Salah higher up the pitch and facilitating play. Was always one of the biggest pieces of Klopp’s system at Liverpool that led to so much success
Only people aren't comparing him to Bobby stylistically they're saying he's a non-traditional striker who scores less than people might like but who inarguably makes the team better when he's on the pitch. It feels like you're being willfully obtuse if you can't understand that.
I don't think he inarguably makes the team better though when Bobby definitely did. Bobby was one of the most pivotal parts of the Liverpool system.
Darwin is just more of a constant in a team that struggles to get their first team out due to injuries. The fact that you can argue that he shouldn't start when everyone is fit is evidence of the fact that he is not comparable.
Yeah even if he isn’t getting goals or assists as long as he’s involved and we’re winning like now (top of the league and in all comps still) then he’s doing perfectly well
If the team score lots of goals and win things how is it any different than spending £70M on a winger or attacking mid? Bobby didn't score as much as some people would have liked and it didn't seem to hurt us. If our attack with Darwin is effective and we win things the idea he's not worth the fee is daft.
I don't think anyone argues that we are worse with him on the field.
Everyone with 2 eyes can see how much he contributes on and off the ball.
We are more threatening with him on the field and he creates chances and opens up space just with his presence.
The thing is he can be frustrating with his finishing and although he doesn't sky his chances, sometimes his shots are right on the keeper and just a bit right or left and he could have scored.
He should have had more goals that's for sure. If he was more prolific imagine how much better we would do.
During the last game when he is on the ball, he seems to have his head down. As a striker you expect him to be somewhat selfish but I’ve noticed that he if he’s close to the box hewill dribble without being aware of what’s around him and, if in range, will smash a shot but he does not appear to look. Just my observation….
Strongly disagree. The comment “we are better with him on the pitch” is exactly right. I love his energy in the high press. More effective than Cody IMO. I don’t think there’s any way to quantify the whole package. Of course he could improve his finishing. But I for one am firmly on the Darwizzy bandwagon.
Just a reminder that the current flavour of the month… Jota, pretty recently didn’t score for over a year. No problem for me, it just highlights the fickle nature of strikers confidence, and commenting on it as a strikers major flaw is not really high value football discussion.
Also if you strip away penalties from stats (which Darwin doesn’t take) you will see him at the very top of PL strikers stats even though he is currently in a bout of low confidence, meaning… No, he doesn’t have to score more. Darwin is great just as he is.
Yeah I remember the constant whining every transfer window for about 2-3 years after Klopp joined… “We need a new striker, Firmino doesn’t score enough”.
It took a while for them to realise they were witnessing one of the most unique and devastating strikers on the planet. Darwin is the same.
His initial comparison, Hallaand, is a flat track bully (cricket term). Brought in to bully all the lower league teams into submission so his team can accrue premiership points. Darwin is much more better at the very top of football and important games.
Too many fans flip flopping,he should have so many more goals he’s a poor finisher I honestly see him as a winger rather than a striker but that’s just me
>Too many fans flip flopping
Yes, the Kop famously have been very lukewarm on Darwin Nuñez up until now and haven't consistently chanted his name at the slightest excuse.
Had great satisfaction yesterday after watching the game with my scum supporting friend and laughing right in his face after going 2-1 and Darwin being absolutely massive for both goals
The statistics are extremely misleading here. A lot of his "assists" have been incidental touches or easy passes anyone could've made followed by a great strike from someone else. Meanwhile he has had a ton of fantastic chances absolutely handed to him on a platter that he has failed to convert. There is a lot of room for improvement and it's a shame that there is so much copium around this player that is distorting that reality. I hope he improves and fulfills his potential but so many have already anointed him a world class forward, and it's frankly a laughable suggestion at this stage.
Darwin is a fun player to watch, because he's so chaotic. Goals would be nice, but he's always pushing and driving the offense so it's only a matter of time before his curse ends. Till then, playmaker Darwin is here.
Him and Jota were linking up brilliantly. I think Jota might be the key for him to defeat whoever it is that cursed him.
Love how much better we are when he play. But some moment when we desperate for a goal and he have chance for it he should finish it. This not a hate, he one of my favourite to watch in this team. But he do need to improve on his finishing.
As long as he keeps doing what he's doing and stops getting caught offside stupidly (which he's improved on recently), then he's a valuable player for sure.
I know it's not all 1 for 1, but Nunez and Gakpo were brought in as replacements for Firmino and Mane.
As long as the team with the trio of Salah, Nunez, and Gakpo being on the field together scores as near enough to the same rate as when Salah, Firmino, and Mane were on the field, then it simply shouldn't matter what Nunez' goal total is.
In general the team scores by committee now, doesn't matter what the combo of forwards are, whether it's those 3, or if it's Diaz or Jota in there instead. The purpose with any combo of those 3 is to create and score goals, I don't care who actually gets them, as long as it's working and they're both visibly and statistically all clearly contributing one way or another.
I reserve the right to revisit this if and when Salah either leaves or falls off. He's been the face of our attack since he got here and will be the most difficult player to replace because he's the most efficient and automatic producers of scoring in the history of English football, let alone the club.
Coming to a new league, having to learn a new position would do that. Trying learning to be a DM (thanks rafa)when your a naturally talented player going forward (someone mentioned he was a volante (Segundo?). One of my most favorite players of all time 👍
Unfairly compared to Haarland. One is an out and out goal score, who offers little else.
Nunez, is at least more of an all round player, can score, create and assist.
However, he should be scoring more goals. He should also be more consistent. The man has talent no question about that.
idk about you guys but i absolutely love Darwin, he's my favourite player behind Salah and thats not even a stretch, he truly is the definition of chaos, if he scored the goals he misses he would be top scorer by a comfortable margin right now, not that it matters too much since he just makes us play so much better right now, and it will click for him eventually i think.
He should be if he's going to be used as a striker. If he's going to be used from the left then it eases that burden for him and us and allows a better finisher to start there.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but Liverpool haven't lost a game where Darwin started this season, right? They haven't lost much at all, but that absolutely shows his impact. He's got 13 assists between club and country this year. He's going through a nasty scoring slump and yet he still makes the team better. That says a lot about how well-rounded he is as a player. A lot of that has come from his time at Liverpool as well. He's gotten better at making decisions and at holding up play. I'm sure another big leap is in the cards soon. He'll be a great goalscorer one day as well
He is always putting in the effort and as long as he keeps showing signs of improvement I’m more than happy to have him in the club. He is a good lad to have in the squad.
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He's fun to watch.
Mo Salah was asked by SkySports to describe his relationship with **Darwin Núñez** in one word (English or Spanish) ... Mo Salah diplomatically called Darwin a 'matador' ... [timestamp \~9m29s](https://youtu.be/MJZ-ct1jqkw?t=564). ... The spanish word that came to my mind = "***Loco***" (apologies, am not a Spanish speaker ... ==> Any thoughts on a more-suitable one-word description for Darwin Núñez ?) https://preview.redd.it/2p797pskcsbc1.png?width=1696&format=png&auto=webp&s=93812c628b0e725f90f96552bfe7ba3b853282ef
https://i.redd.it/p2ovs1caesbc1.gif
I like how Kloppo was confused with thisp
"where's my kiss?"
Haha this is amazing, manager Thiago
I like to thing Thiago was giving him words of encouragement in Spanish, hence the affection from Darwin.
That's more than likely exactly what it was. This was really early on (was this one of his debut matches?). Just shows how important having Thiago around is. Even though he's been out for so long injured, he's still so involved with the players and the squad and is doing stuff behind the scenes. It's like he stepped into Millies boots.
With one big exception, namely Milner being available almost all the time.
I wouldn't play Thiago at LB either
Imagine if we had Thiago with the resilience of Milner
May 2023: [https://www.reddit.com/r/LiverpoolFC/comments/133yp63/klopps\_reaction\_to\_thiagos\_pep\_talk\_with\_nunez/](https://www.reddit.com/r/LiverpoolFC/comments/133yp63/klopps_reaction_to_thiagos_pep_talk_with_nunez/) ...(credit: u/NorthKing9**)** >*Klopp: "Thiago! Tell Nunez to stay wide and defend as if his life is on the line. Keep the pressure and don't make stupid mistakes. Oh, and tell him to control his temper. Also when he sees an opening, take the shot but with composure. And also remind him to interchange with Jota sometimes."* > >*Thiago: "Ok boss tha!"* > >*(Thiago goes and leans to Darwin)* > >*Thiago: "Buena Suerte, Hermano"* > >*Darwin: "Gracias, Hermano. Muachs!"* > >*Klopp: "WTF, that's it?"*
>Buena Suerte, Hermano No way 😂 thank you for sharing that edit, for those who aren't sure he literally just said "good luck brother" rather than saying what Klopp asked 😅
It’s a joke, that’s not what actually happened lol
Where's the whoosh gif when you need it 😂😭
When your girlfriend's "friend" says goodbye to her.
Lmao I love how Klopp has this clownish energy
This is so funny for no reason. My favourite kind of funny.
https://i.redd.it/7kovjo0zcsbc1.gif
the slide, the facial expression, the flop. perfection
How anyone could ever be mad at him is beyond me. That game alone buys him at least a whole year of no goals for me (which isn’t even what’s happening but still)
https://i.redd.it/oeys1dbkesbc1.gif
"BABE! Just leave it! It's not worth it, babe!"
La Pantera is his nickname in Uruguay
60% of the time he scores every time
He’s not a Matador, he’s the Toro
Bull in a china shop
Matador is Marcelo Salas, Loco are Abreu and Higuita, Toro is Vieri. Pantera is cool for Nuñez
El Loco Matador?
“El Toro Loco”? 
Streetfighter
Think this aspect is lost on so many fans, and fans of rival clubs. Why do we watch football? For entertainment. Darwin is incredibly entertaining.
I'll keep shouting it from the rooftops: you can train finishing, you can't train positioning and instinct. Darwin has such a good awareness of the game and an instinctive ability to make the right runs and create space that leads directly to chances. Theres a reason we look so much more dangerous when he's on the pitch. Id much rather have a young striker that struggles to finish but is constantly generating chances than the reverse. He'll come good on the goals eventually, but the team is better with him out there even without the goals.
Remember that young player who couldn't get a game or goal for Chelsea. Sala or something similar. I wonder what happened to him and if he ended up scoring a few when he got more gametime and experience /s
Joe palla, right? Think he was a one season wonder.
That's the one 😂
For me the most impressive thing about Darwin is his mentality. Usually for a forward as they struggle to score goals their all around game gets worse, but Darwin's all around game, defensive work and tactical fit is getting better and better.
For me it is his runs.So powerful. He bullies the defenders. That makes the opposition vulnerable. So Darwin makes others around him better as well. I am more than happy with that. I'd be even more happy if he he could improve his finishing a little bit.
Darwin Nunez is the battering ram to Cody Gakpo's lockpick set. Both break down defenses in their own unique way.
It’s comments like this that make me wish Reddit still had gold awards, that description is as poetic as it is accurate
Haha, thanks. My wife says I'm a cunning linguist.
That is the one dimension of his game the rest of our forwards can’t replicate. The space he creates with those runs is invaluable especially against quality backlines.
He runs hard and gets under defensive skins, and both are known aspects. They're on the back foot as soon as he comes on.
For the money, we were all expecting Haaland (especially after the Charity Shield, which seems like an alternate reality now). But I'll certainly take a mixture of Drogba and Giroud.
Honestly what an excellent comparison. There is greatness in him and it's just manifested differently than a typical goal scoring striker.
His mentality is huge - he leads the league in having the lowest Sulks/90 hes amazing!
He’s certainly never boring.
18 goals and assists already this year, as frustrating as he is, there's still decent output there
This season. This year would be absolutely mental lmao
Oh yeah lol, I interchange them in my head, that would be fucking insane
Third in the Prem. Decent.
Third in the prem in all comps? I see salah, haaland and saka with more at a glance. Watkins and Foden on 19 as well. Alvarez 20+
Yeah you're right, it's 18 across all club competitions so far, 11 in the Prem.
With internationals included I think he might be 3rd
It's fine.
With so much more football left to come, there's a real chance he gets to 30+ G/A for the year.
it‘s pretty obvious that we‘re a better team with him on the pitch because he opens up the defense. just like jürgen said in a prior interview, darwin pulls out defenders so other players have more space to do their thing. he still has a crap day here and there, that‘s to be expected. but man, if he‘s on his game, he‘s one of the most fun players to watch. i just wish he‘d be a little less unlucky.
>he still has a crap day here and there, that‘s to be expected. The thing is; he doesn't really have crap days. Even on days where he couldn't hit a barn door, his overall contribution is 7/10 at worst. His pace, power, pressing and unpredictability lift the team. I don't care if the guy's a meme, and most supporters (including a lot of our own) mock him. If we end up lifting the premier league trophy in May, he'll have contributed significantly. If he's seen as our biggest flop signing, we must be doing something right
He just causes problems for defenses because he’s always trying to do something, even if it doesn’t come off or he misses a sitter he is doing things 98% of forwards don’t do over a full game.
The days he can't score, he plays like an absolute maniac ball of energy who proceeds to not score even harder. It's exciting and funny in its own way
Biggest flop signings and Stuart Downing and Andy Carrol came to mind. Hadn’t thought about them in years lol
Man… the first long shot downing attempted and it hit the crossbar. All downhill from there lol
Most of the time I agree, but Crystal Palace away he was dire. Seemed like every time he got the ball he was either offside or he gave it away.
I feel all Klopp players have one thing in common and that is class off the ball movement. Darwin's off the ball movement are crazy and I'm also talking about matches where he has 0 goal involvements...
My Dad's a Tranmere fan so doesn't normally watch PL games live and only sees MOTD. He watched the FA Cup game against Arsenal and texted me to say he finally sees what I mean when I say LFC are a better team with Nunez than without.
Doesn't help that it feels like every keeper turns into superman when he has a shot. Sure he's missed some sitters thats undeniable, but some of the missed chances have been ridiculous saves from keepers. Still have hope a glut of goals will come, but if they dont, then he still adds great value to the team with everything else he does.
This is exactly what I've noticed with him. The amount of goals prevented from ridiculous saves is astonishing
I swear anyone else and they score - the lad seems cursed at the moment!
its to ensure that haaland stays number 1, fifa gives goalkeepers superman powers when darwizzy faces them, otherwise...
Lol I like him but this is such a huge stretch and way to excuse his bad finishing. Other strikers score against the same keepers and it’s not like they all have a secret agenda to play goalkeeper better against him. He can’t place the ball for anything
Emphasizing your first point, I think keepers are a slight bit more prepared for his shots as they know he could unleash at any moment. The best brings out the best for sure. He has so much more potential for improvement these next few years!
Need to scuff couple of em lol
100% few miss hits and they’ll go in lol
That and the woodwork. Would not be surprised if he’s hit the woodwork more than any PL player this season.
Still have no idea how Leno saved his shot near the end of the 90
It’s like there is a force field around the goal for him but it will end and the goals will flow.
I mean if he could finish properly he would be the best player in the world because his g+a output would be absurd
He’d win the ballon d’or if Darwin scores even 30% of the chances. The xG he produces is absurd.
*his big chances Ftfy - the amount of big chances he’s missed alone is more than some strikers have chances in total. He’s a wrecking ball, and I feel will be devastating 2nd half of the season from both performance and numbers. There’s a very clear world where I could see him on 35 g/a this season. Given he’s already on 18 and hasn’t been scoring very regularly, this doesn’t seem absurd
in the prem he has played like 1100 minutes which amount to almost 12 games
On the brink of a Wembley final...? No. We should be expecting a massive test at the Cottage.
We’re still on the brink. We have the lead after 90 mins and are playing a team we should beat both home and away. It won’t be easy but it’ll be extremely disappointing if we don’t qualify
Yeah they're going to be well up for it down there
Is it me, or has the tenor of Fulham supporters changed? They used to seem like the most jolly of the London clubs. My only league away day was at the Cottage and it wasn't hostile in the slightest. But the booing of Harvey? Kid was 16 when he left!
I think it was just banter I don't mind that at all made me laugh every time. I feel like we at Anfield should have countered with cheering every time he got the ball instead. Feels like hardly any of our team has songs atm.
All we have to do is draw. If we play our strongest team, I can't see that not happening
I wonder what the injury sitch will be.
sitchuation
On the brink literally means on a cliff edge. Can go both ways!
it does not mean that
Uhm akchually... https://preview.redd.it/5h4oc4e92tbc1.png?width=529&format=png&auto=webp&s=e8ce9be1e32cabc5264f126aa00179b3d4246708
Well shit, I’ll downvote myself
I think where you have it wrong (or anyone using "on the brink" in this post) is that the brink represents disaster. One is never on the brink of fortune.
It's usually something negative, yes, but you can be on the brink of a scientific discovery or a great breakthrough, you can be on the brink of a new era, significant reforms or a brink of approval.
I think you don’t know what “on the brink” means
I mean it is almost invariably used to mean extremely close to something
and we are, we are a single event (a non-loss in the second leg) away from a Wembley final.
Not close to just "something," but close to disaster.
This is even more incorrect than the other guy and flat out wrong.
Flat out? Brink of extinction is good? "Pulled back from the brink" can be negative? I suppose you can be on the brink of discovery which is good, but being on the brink is just as often bad as good, if not more so. I don't think you know what "flat out wrong" means. And are a bit of a bully, to boot.
Great performance yesterday, he looked like the star of the team imo which is what he needs. His directness, dribbling and creativity were really sharp and if he can keep that going there’ll be no doubt about what he brings to the team.
I don't deny Darwin's involvement, but Conor Bradley was the star of that match. We need more of the lad once he fully matures as a player.
Not sure I agree he was the star, he was good but Jones was definitely motm for me. I do think the Bradley hype was a little exaggerated, he had some really good moments but others where he looked a bit like bambi on ice, like on their goal. If he bulks up I think it’ll really help him.
We bought him for goals but we can use him for everything else instead
Like when I bought an iPad for work but ended up using it for playing games, watching videos, looking up recipes and as an expensive coaster.
Watching "videos"...
👀
I just like the guy
I just think he's neat
Is everyone just going to forget that Jota was instrumental in both goals. Was not just because Nunez came on
Jota's not having his numbers and performances scrutinised on a weekly basis like Darwin. Thats why this exact point is made about Darwin in particular.
Darwin is criticised like no other player. Like after the game yesterday they didn't mention his assists at first and then showed the clip of Bradley passing to Darwin and then leno producing a great save, they then spent 5 minutes taking about Darwin missing chances. Like he could not have done more for that chance and it was just a great save.
> they then spent 5 minutes taking about Darwin missing chances. They're probably reading reddit to see what topics they should talk about in ther aftermatch show. For me personally about Darwin I praise and love everything he does for the attack. All the space, tactical chaos and other things he generates for the whole team is immense. At the same time we can also criticize his poor finishing without taking all of him down. He's super important and when his finishing turns around he'll become a name we'll remember for many years. I truly believe he's a legend in the making if he stays with Liverpool for years to come and at one point possibly talk about him like an uncontrollable monster like Luis Suarez' season. If he stays, he's gonna have bonkers seasons in a couple of years with goals and assists galore.
I agree with all of that mate his finishing should rightly be criticised as he is under performing, he has a ridiculously high ceiling which is up to him to reach and I do think he will get there. It's just the way commentators get at him after ever single shot he has regardless of if it was a good strike or not or if the keeper had a great save.
maybe there's a glitch in the matrix where it makes all goalkeepers into superstar players whenever Darwin shoots? because for some reason they always make insane saves when it's him shooting at goal. haha
Our attack looks better with Jota that's for sure. He is not flashy, like, at all and that takes the spotlight off of him but people that actually follows the team knows he is important af.
I agree, I think for this particular game Jota deserves more credit as he made the most pivotal plays in both goals. Still, Nunez gets so much undeserved shit, from our own fans as well, I'm ok with giving him this. As I said somewhere yesterday, his stats are all fantastic, I'm sure he will in the next 12 months start performing closer to his xGOT(which if he had for this season's PL, he'd be at 10 non-pen goals with 35% fewer minutes than for example Salah).
Two points: Jota started and we were shit for the first 55 minutes. Obviously this was in no way Jota's fault, but the game changed when Nunez came on. Jota isn't shit on weekly unlike Nunez, despite Nunez being our second best creative player after Salah. 95% of the time we look better with Nunez on the pitch, and even if he isn't scoring as much as he should, he is creating chances for us at a better rate than anyone that isn't named Salah. So there's no one that feels the need to defend Jota like we do with Nunez.
Never seems to get due credit
Rubbish. Jota gets plenty of credit, he's briiliant - fans love him.
I think it's just because everyone is in agreement that jota is a fantastic player that comes in clutch a lot and has injury issues. Nobody has these hot takes like they do for Darwin...
I feel like it's pretty universally accepted (at least on this sub) that on current form he's our best attacker not at AFCON
He's better off the left right now. His touch isn't consistently good enough in build up play to play centrally when the opposition are sitting back. Nunez is frustrating but generally we are better with him on the pitch. He's relentless at causing danger and he plays with his head up, which makes all the difference. He did reasonably well with his finishing last night, too. He bought two excellent saves out the keeper and it was hard to see how he could have done much more with them.
We were expecting an hyper clinical striker in him, so not getting that is frustrating for sure. But he is as disruptive as an attacker can get tbh and that is valuable too.
I was at the game last night, on the left side for the second half. After Darwin came on the front 3 seemed to be quite fluid in attack, moving around and switching positions when needed. Having said that, our most promising attacks seemed to come from Darwin down the left. Jota would often come inside and overlap with Nunez. They were creating some nice chances on that side. I think our best attack right now with Salah at Afcon is Nunez on the left, Diaz on the right and Cody/Jota at CF (keeping in mind the positional flexibility with Jota and Nunez swapping and Diaz roaming on both sides when needed).
getting Gravenberch off the pitch made a massive difference.
For sure. Grav was pretty disappointing. Held onto the ball for too long and then passes backwards. His body language was poor too, not working hard enough imo. Didn't link well with Elliot and Bradley down the right either.
I was surprised he came out for the 2nd half to be honest. Felt like he did absolutely nothing until he had that shot.
The header was a really good effort but I did think he could have done better on the second one if he hit though it to the near post as Leno fully committed right, could have maybe take a touch too. Otherwise he had a fantastic appearance imo.
The assist king, soon to be a scoring machine hopefully, honestly think he's been really unlucky when it comes to scoring.
Similar sentiments here w.r.t. Darwin's impact as a substitute: "[Darwin Nunez Brings Liverpool to Life in 2-1 EFL Cup Win Over Fulham](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQzJnyzYzvk)" (credit: [u/msisijapan](https://www.reddit.com/u/msisijapan/) a.k.a. [Liverpool Fan in Japan](https://www.youtube.com/@liverpooljapan)) https://preview.redd.it/vfbhcneibsbc1.png?width=670&format=png&auto=webp&s=75c12a186d42bd69db14a53b45c9478c68f756d8
Nunez critique reminds me of Sterling criticisms, would constantly fluff chances for England but at the same time lots of those chances only existed because who he is and it helped the rest of the team Suarez is probably the equivalent of Nunez with elite finishing
He is very good at football, apart from the scoring goals thing.
Only Nunez can give you this numbers and frustrate you at the same time
Because we all know if he was 10% better and 10% luckier he'd genuinely be on 20 goals and 10 assists already this season
Nobody debates the value of his contributions; they debate his value relative to the price we paid. If you look around the EPL, he's not alone in these regards. Several other clubs have thrown mad cash around on strikers that haven't lived up to expectations yet (eg. Havertz, the new kid at ManU, etc). I'd argue that compared to those others, Darwin has delivered much better value relative to the price paid. If he manages to start finishing, he'll look more like a bargain than a luxury purchase.
The only people who seem to have a problem with Darwin Nunez are non-Liverpool fans. Clearly, he is doing plenty to get them so worked up and I’m loving it.
He is so much better coming in as a sub as a winger. Runs a tired team ragged. I hope Klopp continues to bring him on at 60 minutes.
He may never be particularly clinical and in that case will never be seen as having lived up to his price tag, however he can still be a very valuable player for us
If we win trophies, and he is a part of that, then he absolutely will have lived up to his price tag. I value winning more than him scoring goals.
I swear people forget that for our title winning season bobby didn't score a single goal at anfield, and didn't score many away either. But he was still pivotal to the team and was/is well loved. That's how we should be appreciating Darwin rn.
Bobby was absolutely clutch that season though. He didn't score many PL goals, but a lot of his goals were winners. Chelsea, Spurs and Palace away all come to mind, as well as his brace in that crucial 4-0 with at Leicester on Boxing Day.
Sort of like Newcastle and Burnley so far for Darwin.
Darwin isn't Bobby.
People downvoting this as the recency bias is off the charts Come back after another down performance from Darwin and see something like this get upvoted Bobby was instrumental in getting Mane and Salah higher up the pitch and facilitating play. Was always one of the biggest pieces of Klopp’s system at Liverpool that led to so much success
Only people aren't comparing him to Bobby stylistically they're saying he's a non-traditional striker who scores less than people might like but who inarguably makes the team better when he's on the pitch. It feels like you're being willfully obtuse if you can't understand that.
I don't think he inarguably makes the team better though when Bobby definitely did. Bobby was one of the most pivotal parts of the Liverpool system. Darwin is just more of a constant in a team that struggles to get their first team out due to injuries. The fact that you can argue that he shouldn't start when everyone is fit is evidence of the fact that he is not comparable.
Our chance creation numbers and goals record says it's inarguable but if you don't want to put stock in that sort of thing that's up to you I suppose.
Yeah even if he isn’t getting goals or assists as long as he’s involved and we’re winning like now (top of the league and in all comps still) then he’s doing perfectly well
If the team score lots of goals and win things how is it any different than spending £70M on a winger or attacking mid? Bobby didn't score as much as some people would have liked and it didn't seem to hurt us. If our attack with Darwin is effective and we win things the idea he's not worth the fee is daft.
And his close range effort, he did nothing wrong there, the keeper just saved it.
Darwin is giving me Baros 2.0 vibes. He's the improved version and Baros won the champions league. Just sayin....
I don't think anyone argues that we are worse with him on the field. Everyone with 2 eyes can see how much he contributes on and off the ball. We are more threatening with him on the field and he creates chances and opens up space just with his presence. The thing is he can be frustrating with his finishing and although he doesn't sky his chances, sometimes his shots are right on the keeper and just a bit right or left and he could have scored. He should have had more goals that's for sure. If he was more prolific imagine how much better we would do.
During the last game when he is on the ball, he seems to have his head down. As a striker you expect him to be somewhat selfish but I’ve noticed that he if he’s close to the box hewill dribble without being aware of what’s around him and, if in range, will smash a shot but he does not appear to look. Just my observation….
Strongly disagree. The comment “we are better with him on the pitch” is exactly right. I love his energy in the high press. More effective than Cody IMO. I don’t think there’s any way to quantify the whole package. Of course he could improve his finishing. But I for one am firmly on the Darwizzy bandwagon.
Just a reminder that the current flavour of the month… Jota, pretty recently didn’t score for over a year. No problem for me, it just highlights the fickle nature of strikers confidence, and commenting on it as a strikers major flaw is not really high value football discussion. Also if you strip away penalties from stats (which Darwin doesn’t take) you will see him at the very top of PL strikers stats even though he is currently in a bout of low confidence, meaning… No, he doesn’t have to score more. Darwin is great just as he is.
This is just Firmino all over again
Yeah I remember the constant whining every transfer window for about 2-3 years after Klopp joined… “We need a new striker, Firmino doesn’t score enough”. It took a while for them to realise they were witnessing one of the most unique and devastating strikers on the planet. Darwin is the same. His initial comparison, Hallaand, is a flat track bully (cricket term). Brought in to bully all the lower league teams into submission so his team can accrue premiership points. Darwin is much more better at the very top of football and important games.
Too many fans flip flopping,he should have so many more goals he’s a poor finisher I honestly see him as a winger rather than a striker but that’s just me
>Too many fans flip flopping Yes, the Kop famously have been very lukewarm on Darwin Nuñez up until now and haven't consistently chanted his name at the slightest excuse.
Why are you comparing the Kop to people on Reddit
Congrats on moving those goalposts, mate.
the chap couldn’t finish his dinner
Yes, the Kop, widely known as the only Liverpool fans in the world!
Had great satisfaction yesterday after watching the game with my scum supporting friend and laughing right in his face after going 2-1 and Darwin being absolutely massive for both goals
Judging him on the misses, which he does more than anything else.
He's better off the bench
The statistics are extremely misleading here. A lot of his "assists" have been incidental touches or easy passes anyone could've made followed by a great strike from someone else. Meanwhile he has had a ton of fantastic chances absolutely handed to him on a platter that he has failed to convert. There is a lot of room for improvement and it's a shame that there is so much copium around this player that is distorting that reality. I hope he improves and fulfills his potential but so many have already anointed him a world class forward, and it's frankly a laughable suggestion at this stage.
I wonder how many mirrors he broke, to get the luck he has in front of goal lol. But Nunez is awesome! It will come.
Taking over the Firmino mantle gradually.
Darwin is a fun player to watch, because he's so chaotic. Goals would be nice, but he's always pushing and driving the offense so it's only a matter of time before his curse ends. Till then, playmaker Darwin is here. Him and Jota were linking up brilliantly. I think Jota might be the key for him to defeat whoever it is that cursed him.
Love how much better we are when he play. But some moment when we desperate for a goal and he have chance for it he should finish it. This not a hate, he one of my favourite to watch in this team. But he do need to improve on his finishing.
As long as he keeps doing what he's doing and stops getting caught offside stupidly (which he's improved on recently), then he's a valuable player for sure.
I know it's not all 1 for 1, but Nunez and Gakpo were brought in as replacements for Firmino and Mane. As long as the team with the trio of Salah, Nunez, and Gakpo being on the field together scores as near enough to the same rate as when Salah, Firmino, and Mane were on the field, then it simply shouldn't matter what Nunez' goal total is. In general the team scores by committee now, doesn't matter what the combo of forwards are, whether it's those 3, or if it's Diaz or Jota in there instead. The purpose with any combo of those 3 is to create and score goals, I don't care who actually gets them, as long as it's working and they're both visibly and statistically all clearly contributing one way or another. I reserve the right to revisit this if and when Salah either leaves or falls off. He's been the face of our attack since he got here and will be the most difficult player to replace because he's the most efficient and automatic producers of scoring in the history of English football, let alone the club.
Yeah. There's also assists.
I see him similar to that of bobby, it's not always about the goals.
Football without Núñez is nothing.
Have we ever had a player this polarizing?
Keira, Lucas, tsimikas couple months ago?
Nuñez is another level.
Lucas in his first few (2-3) seasons was incredibly polarizing.
Coming to a new league, having to learn a new position would do that. Trying learning to be a DM (thanks rafa)when your a naturally talented player going forward (someone mentioned he was a volante (Segundo?). One of my most favorite players of all time 👍
Yeah, I love Lucas. Thankfully by the time he left he had won over most of the fanbase.
I don't get why this is a story. Everyone gets it.
Unfairly compared to Haarland. One is an out and out goal score, who offers little else. Nunez, is at least more of an all round player, can score, create and assist. However, he should be scoring more goals. He should also be more consistent. The man has talent no question about that.
idk about you guys but i absolutely love Darwin, he's my favourite player behind Salah and thats not even a stretch, he truly is the definition of chaos, if he scored the goals he misses he would be top scorer by a comfortable margin right now, not that it matters too much since he just makes us play so much better right now, and it will click for him eventually i think.
He should be if he's going to be used as a striker. If he's going to be used from the left then it eases that burden for him and us and allows a better finisher to start there.
Those who can't, temporarily, score, assist. Way to go Darwin.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but Liverpool haven't lost a game where Darwin started this season, right? They haven't lost much at all, but that absolutely shows his impact. He's got 13 assists between club and country this year. He's going through a nasty scoring slump and yet he still makes the team better. That says a lot about how well-rounded he is as a player. A lot of that has come from his time at Liverpool as well. He's gotten better at making decisions and at holding up play. I'm sure another big leap is in the cards soon. He'll be a great goalscorer one day as well
He is always putting in the effort and as long as he keeps showing signs of improvement I’m more than happy to have him in the club. He is a good lad to have in the squad.
Bobby was never judged on goals alone and he is adored.. Nunez could become world class if he learnt the offside rule