7 months ago
113 Graeme Souness has delivered an interesting verdict on one of Liverpool’s key players this week.
The Reds have hit a bit of a slump, haven’t they?
Jurgen Klopp‘s side were held to a 2-2 draw against Manchester United last weekend before being humiliated by Atalanta in the Europa League at Anfield on Thursday.
Liverpool are not out of anything yet, but there are a few worrying signs popping up, and that’s not ideal at all at this stage of the season.
One player in particular has come under enormous criticism recently, and Souness has had his say on him.
Graeme Souness names his one fear about Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez
Liverpool signed Darwin Nunez from Benfica in a club-record £85 million deal in the summer of 2022 (Sky Sports).
The Uruguayan was a superstar in the Portuguese top flight. He scored 34 goals in his final season at Benfica, including a couple against Liverpool in the Champions League, and that convinced Jurgen Klopp to sign him.
Nunez had a difficult debut season at Liverpool. He missed plenty of chances and managed just nine goals in the Premier League. That put him on the end of a ton of criticism.
This season, Nunez has been a lot better – he’s shooting more often. His numbers read 18 goals and 13 assists, which is a very good return for someone who has started just 31 games.
The common theme between the two seasons about Nunez is that he has missed a lot of big chances in both campaigns – 20 in the Premier League last season and 24 already this time around.
Souness has now had his say on Nunez. He thinks the 24-year-old is ‘nearly a ten out of ten in all aspects’ but he fears the Uruguayan’s finishing may never improve.
However, the pundit says every top club in Europe would still want him in their side.
In his column in The Daily Mail, Souness wrote: “Darwin Nunez has been singled out for example. But him missing chances will not be the reason Liverpool fail to win the Premier League title.
“Erling Haaland has missed big chances too but you’d be foolish to be critical of him.
“Nunez is very capable in nearly every part of his game: his athleticism, his willingness to do the hard yards, his aggression, he is nearly a ten out of ten in all aspects but I fear his finishing may always be the same.
“He may score you 15 goals one season and 40 the next but you would still want him on your team. Every top club in Europe would want him or Haaland in their squad.”
One Erling Haaland stat that should give Darwin Nunez hope
Most people on the planet will agree that Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland is the best goalscorer in the world right now.
The Norway international scored 52 goals in all competitions last season, and he already has 30 goals this time around. Despite all the criticism, that is a phenomenal return.
However, as good as Haaland is in front of goal, he misses many chances too.
In the Premier League last season, the Manchester City man missed 28 big chances, which was more than any other player in the entire division. He has hit the same figure this time as well, despite playing fewer games.
Darwin Nunez, who comes under more criticism than Haaland, misses fewer chances than the Norwegian, which should give him hope.
To add to that, Nunez offers so much more to this Liverpool team than Haaland does for Manchester City, which makes him a lot more valuable despite all the missed chances.
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