Liverpool head coach Arne Slot defended Darwin Nunez and declared that there are many parameters he uses to judge attackers. Slot outlined that goals are not the only factor he uses to make any assessment, as other factors also matter.
The 25-year-old has struggled with scoring easy chances since joining the Reds under the legendary manager Jurgen Klopp from Benfica. Nunez joined Liverpool in the summer of 2022 and is playing his third season with plenty to prove this season.
The Uruguayan international has received strong backing from the Kopites despite his scoring struggles and the relentless social media backlash. Social media can impact the mental psyche of the players and many toxic accounts use their platform to create nuisance.

Nevertheless, true Liverpool fans have backed the 25-year-old unconditionally but they want him to improve his composure and finishing. Nunez missed many crucial chances in the recent games against Newcastle United and Girona which proved costly to the team.
Liverpool dropped points at St James Park against Newcastle which incurred the wrath towards Nunez from many online fans. The game involved late decision-making mistakes from Caoimhin Kelleher which cost the club two points in a tough away fixture.
Speaking to the press (via Liverpoolfc.com), Slot defended Nunez by outlining his incredible work rate for Liverpool which is an essential parameter. He said:
“For me he has impacted [the team]. If you only look at goals, yeah, he hasn’t scored the amount of goals he wants to score or we want our No.9 to score, but he does have impact in his work-rate and that’s not only for the other team: not to create a chance but it’s also for us, if we lose the ball and he is then aggressive that we can get the ball back and still create our chances. So, he is part of a team that is scoring a lot of goals and winning a lot, but of course as a No.9 you want to score more goals and that’s definitely what he wants as well.”
Slot further elaborated on the method he uses to judge the attackers while highlighting the fans’ support towards Nunez. He added:
“But, until now, I am not only judging Mo on his goals, I’m not only judging Darwin on his goals, I also judge them on their work-rate and what they bring to the team [and] that has been positive until now, except for us and he himself wanting to score more goals. Maybe mainly also because the fans support him so much, maybe he wants it even too much, to score that goal for himself and also the fans because they have been very supportive for him.”
Núñez divides fan opinion, but Slot unites the players and fanbase by offering him strong backing. It is hard to tell what the future holds but Nunez is a Liverpool player right now and deserves support.
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While the Uruguayan’s goalscoring record is not at the level we want, it is wrong to imply that it is a disaster. The 25-year-old has scored 36 goals and provided 19 assists from 115 appearances for Liverpool until now.