Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk demands consistency from Darwin Nunez after his fantastic performance and a wonder goal against Bournemouth. Nunez struggled with unwanted attacks on social media since the latter stages of the last season, seriously hurting his morale.

The Uruguayan faced more attacks after the surprise Nottingham Forest loss despite the collective struggle of the team with complacency. The 25-year-old earned his first start of the season against Bournemouth after a series of mediocre performances from Diogo Jota.

New Liverpool head coach Arne Slot opted to use Jota over Nunez due to the finishing abilities of the Portuguese. However, once Jota struggled with contribution, his limitations in the overall play caused a lot of problems for the team.

Nunez used his first start of the season with a fantastic overall performance alongside scoring Liverpool’s third goal against Bournemouth. The Uruguay international celebrated his fantastic goal with visible emotions overpowering him after months of struggle at the Merseyside club.

Speaking about Nunez (via Fabrizio Romano), Van Dijk highlighted that avoiding complacency and staying focused is the key for him. He said:

“Consistency is the key. He shouldn’t get carried away but he won’t and now is the time for him to recover and focus on the next opportunity he gets. That’s football. We will help him and the coach will help him, club and fans as well”.

Liverpool fans have always supported the 25-year-old, but toxic and unpredictable social media amplifies hate. People exploit any show of emotional weakness to create controversial narratives that fuel the bullying culture on these platforms.

Nunez needs to put the episode behind him and focus on the people that matter as Van Dijk has highlighted. The 25-year-old has the physical, mental and technical ability to dominate the frontline for the Reds, entering his prime years.

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Liverpool have a tough and congested fixture under the new Champions League format that would force plenty of rotation policy. Nunez and Jota will earn a lot of game time and need to contribute consistently for Liverpool to fulfil their season ambitions.