Arne Slot has admitted he saved Darwin Nunez on “for fairly a very long time” towards Girona as he hoped the Uruguayan may rating a much-needed objective for his confidence.
Whereas Liverpool’s first 1-0 win wasn’t a classic efficiency, it was definitely a efficiency worthy of three factors towards a Girona facet that have been compelled to take a seat in their very own closing third for almost all of the second half.
Mo Salah‘s penalty was the one objective of the sport, but it surely got here at a time when Liverpool have been knocking on the door and seemed to be on the point of breaking the opposition down.
Because the Reds striker, Nunez couldn’t capitalise on his staff’s dominance and missed two large probabilities, based on FotMob, earlier than coming off after 70 minutes.
Having not scored since Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Aston Villa on November 9, Slot was requested after the match if he agreed that his ahead is low on confidence.
The coach replied: “What I can agree on is that he missed a couple of probabilities then it’s at all times a query, ‘Does this have something to do with decrease confidence or is that this the state of affairs the place he’s in for the time being?’
“I feel each striker all around the globe has intervals the place each ball goes in and generally he has a interval the place you attempt so laborious however you aren’t in a position to rating.
“The nice factor is that now we have many gamers that may rating for us. Right this moment, Mo once more, however I might like to have seen Darwin rating as a result of I feel each striker desires to attain and wishes objectives. That’s why I saved him in for fairly a very long time.
“He was a risk however sadly couldn’t rating as a result of sure, Alisson made numerous saves, however I feel in the event you made highlights of this recreation, we’ll see a couple of probabilities that we had as nicely which is one thing, is regular.
“What just isn’t regular is that we concede so many probabilities.”
As Slot says, strikers do undergo barren patches of their careers, however what worries followers about Nunez isn’t simply his lack of objectives.
The 25-year-old isn’t performing nicely in his all-round play both, for the time being.
In opposition to Girona, he accomplished simply half of his eight passes, worse than his 67 % completion charge towards Newcastle.
Followers don’t want statistics, although, to see that the much-supported striker is underperforming.
His link-up play has by no means been world-class, however when the objectives dry up too, you must query what he brings {that a} gifted teenager like Jayden Danns can’t.
Girona 0-1 Liverpool
