Darwin Nunez could not add to his six goals while wearing a Liverpool jersey as they lost 2-1 to Leeds United, but his work ethic shows why he can meet Jurgen Klopp’s aim.
Darwin Nunez gave a mixed performance in Liverpool’s 2-1 loss to Leeds United. And Jurgen Klopp has acknowledged that the forward needs to keep getting better.
During the game at Anfield, the Uruguayan lost a few scoring chances. Nunez missed four chances, including a crucial one where he should have increased his tally. The forward only needed to beat Illan Meslier after Mohamed Salah passed the ball through to him. But the Leeds goalkeeper rose tall to block his shot.
Ian Wright said on BBC’s Match of the Day :
“I think Nunez has got to do better there. He has to lift it over him.”
Nunez, however, gave four crucial passes and a creative spark to the Liverpool attack. Nunez became the center of attention. And players like Salah and Firmino fed off of him, allowing the Reds to be successful in transition.
Although he ultimately fell short of his target, Nunez’s performance had some excellent aspects. And Klopp told him to strive hard to meet his goals.
Jurgen Klopp has full trust on Darwin Nunez
Klopp said:
“Trust me. Nobody knows how good Darwin can get. He doesn’t know. He has to stay fit and be available all the time. We have to work on this, on all different areas.”
Nunez has shown his willingness to put in the effort necessary to advance by putting up a fantastic lung-bursting run to thwart Leeds’ attempt to counterattack on Saturday. A video of Liverpool dropping the ball from a corner and a quick Leeds break with Jack Harrison at the forefront went viral on social media.
Before being stopped by Nunez, who ran the entire field length to complete the stop, Harrison had advanced the ball around 50 yards. In the end, the Liverpool back line was able to defend successfully, thanks in part to the return of Thiago and Salah.
Nunez’s hard ethic should not be underrated. Though, he has shown a mindset that has Klopp confident that he would succeed.
Klopp added:
“Darwin came here after a short break in the summer. Arriving in Asia, he doesn’t speak a word (of English) and being young, Liverpool is a big club. It was a big step for him, and he was expensive. Then all of a sudden, he plays the first game, and everyone is looking at him. It’s like the whole place is dark, with only one light and a spotlight on you. We have to deal with that. We all expect them to deal immediately with it. Be prepared. ‘Did you cost that? Okay, you have to be prepared.’ It’s not like this. That’s the start. Trying to get fit, step by step, with new training and new, different things in training. Different demands.”
