by Arne Slot seems to see something in Darwin Nunez that Jürgen Klopp could no longer see. This is the new claim from a journalist.
De Telegraaf journalist Marcel van der Kraan understands that Arne Slot saw something in Darwin Nunez that Jürgen Klopp didn’t see. The German apparently “wrote off” the striker, but his successor thought that was too much.
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Instead, Slot lets Nunez play in a new role – that of a striker who wants to defend.
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“Nunez had been written off by Jürgen Klopp, but the first thing Slot saw: This boy can run,” Van der Kraan said, per Voetbal Zone. “’I need that to hunt down opponents.’” That’s something Nunez is great at.
“You saw Nunez lay a fantastic ball for Salah [against Arsenal]. With those two strikers, Slot was so busy in the summer to make sure he played evenly.”
Darwin Nunez under Arne Slot
This is interesting considering Nunez was Klopp’s personal signing. He was the striker he wanted at Liverpool and who he thought could be a huge success.
But the Uruguayan wasn’t quite what we all hoped he would be. He is too unpredictable in front of goal, too inconsistent and anything but “reliable” as a goalscorer.
On the other hand, his energy, desire and work rate are spectacular. That’s what made Nunez so popular with the Anfield crowd – and Slot was quick to capitalize on it.
He has been a brilliant defensive weapon in recent games. Especially against Chelsea, Nunez often ran all the way back to challenge opponents on the edge of Liverpool’s penalty area.
He won three tackles in 61 minutes – only Trent Alexander-Arnold won more. Against Bournemouth, Nunez won four tackles in 72 minutes. Here too, only one player won more (Alexis Mac Allister).
It’s even positive how many fouls he commits. There were two against the Cherries, three against Chelsea and four against Arsenal. It’s a sign of how much intensity Nunez brings to games.
While we hope he tones it down to avoid falling into refereeing duties, Liverpool have certainly benefited from Nunez’s constant harassment. Slot has made it a real weapon – and it should only get better from here.
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