Many expected striker Darwin Nunez to start for Liverpool in the FA Cup match against Plymouth on Sunday. But the Uruguayan was subbed on in the second half instead. What could have been the reason for the decision to not play Nunez from the start of that match?
The Reds shockingly lost the match to the Championship side. Manager Arne Slot made 10 changes to the lineup from the team that defeated Tottenham 4-1 in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final. And surprisingly Darwin Nunez still did not bag a starting berth for the fixture, much to the surprise of many.
Despite the 10 players rested for the Merseyside derby, Liverpool’s lineup against Plymouth should have been stronger for many reasons. They faced an early setback when Joe Gomez was brought off due to injury, leading to academy full-back Isaac Mabaya making his debut. Trey Nyoni was given an opportunity to start, with Curtis Jones unavailable.
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Why Darwin Nunez was not in the starting lineup?
It has been revealed that Darwin Nunez missed the buildup to Liverpool’s FA Cup trip to Plymouth. He traveled to Spain earlier in the week for the birth of his second child.
In his Tuesday press conference ahead of the Merseyside derby, Slot explained that the striker was given a short break. His partner, Lorena Manas, had chosen to give birth in her home country, Spain.
The manager said:
“I think people are aware of Darwin’s situation – he became a father one or two days before the game, and that took place in Spain, so he arrived a bit later.”
Speaking on the loss, Slot explained that he initially planned to field a stronger team. However, he still believes the squad should have been capable of winning the game.
The fact that they lost to Plymouth, and the loss to PSV in match day 8 of the UCL league phase shows that the players who are not regular starters really need games to perform at their best and show what they can do.
He further conveyed that it is harder to get the best out of them when they hardly play any matches. The Reds’ cup exit has been widely seen as a blow to the prospects of other members of the squad who currently have concerns over their limited game time, with Nunez being one of those.
However, Slot rejected the notion that eliminating the FA Cup from Liverpool’s calendar would ultimately benefit the club and allow them to focus on other competitions.
Nunez is anticipated to be part of the squad for Wednesday’s Merseyside derby at Goodison Park. The forward will be hoping he can return to the starting lineup against Everton in the Premier League.
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