Why £80m man Darwin Nunez is Liverpool’s answer to the Sagrada Familia

Striker’s first two seasons at Anfield saw him contribute 33 tackles across 65 games, this season he has 10 in six appearances

Darwin Nunez is Liverpool’s £80 million work-in-progress. Think of him as the footballing equivalent of Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia – always worth seeing, but incomplete and leaving you guessing as to whether there will be a finish.
Diogo Jota’s injury means Nunez is currently the only No 9 at Arne Slot’s disposal ahead of Brighton’s visit to Anfield, another opportunity presenting itself for the mercurial talent to cement his position as the favourite option.
As so often with Nunez, there has been as much to encourage his followers since he replaced the stricken Jota against Chelsea a fortnight ago to leave the detractors still in need of persuasion.
One goal and an assist in his six league games so far does not make a compelling case the South American is finally ready to make a consistent return on Liverpool’s hefty investment since his move from Benfica. He has only managed four shots on league duty so far. Contrast that to his first two seasons when Nunez attempted 192 shots over 65 games – an impressive average of just below three a game, even if those attempts included the good, the bad and the ugly. For most of his Liverpool career, Nunez’s biggest issue has been his conversion rate, with his shooting accuracy currently at 43 per cent. Now, he must be asking himself why the opportunities are drying up.
“There is definitely a reason for that – and that is the fixture list – Chelsea at home and Arsenal away,” explained Slot.
“If you have to play those two – and I don’t know if you are including RB Leipzig as well – then you probably have the answer.
“Those are the games that are much more equal so when you look, the strikers of Chelsea or Arsenal probably won’t have had that many touches in the box either.
“Strikers usually touch the ball in the opposition penalty area if you are stronger than the other team. But in these games we were equal with Chelsea and Arsenal but we were not dominating both games.”
What makes for more promising reading for Nunez is the area of his game which Slot and Jurgen Klopp were most keen to develop is showing signs of vast improvement – his pressing stats.
Nunez’s performance against Chelsea was arguably his most dynamic in terms of being Liverpool’s first line of defence.
Nunez’s first two seasons at Anfield saw him contribute 33 tackles across 65 games. This season he has 10 in six appearances. Of Liverpool’s forwards, only Luis Diaz is retrieving possession more.
The strike rate comparisons with Manchester City’s Erling Haaland have done Nunez no favours since the duo made their debut on the same day in 2022, but for context City’s No 9 has made just 11 tackles across the entirety of his Premier League career.
Since joining Liverpool, Nunez has been expected to be a different profile of striker. The enduring criticism of the deal which took him to Anfield will always be that he was not ready-made for Klopp’s system, thus distinguishing him from the more successful forwards like Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Diaz who hit the ground running upon arrival, or Roberto Firmino who was the archetype “false” nine despite never being a prolific goalscorer.
First, Klopp had to coach Nunez good habits, and now it seems Slot is doing likewise with the first tentative signs of tangible success.
“Yes, his work-rate definitely, he has done well,” said Slot.
“He came back quite late [to pre-season] and had to adapt a bit because we press a bit differently. The idea is still the same, to press high, but we’re using the press a bit more with the wingers inside and the No 9 has to defend a little more and he is now more involved in that pressing part. So that’s what he does quite well. I still see a lot of room for improvement.
“But the first thing, and the most important thing, is that his attitude is right and he wants to work. Now maybe he doesn’t have to run that much if he does it even better but that is normal if you have only played a few games.”
The next step for Nunez is to balance his adaptation to the synchronised pressing with the previous notable ability to regularly find himself in goal-scoring positions. Get that right, and the doubters may start to believe a fully formed centre-forward will finally emerge.
“It is not perfect yet. But the attitude he has is very positive,” said Slot.