Liverpool head coach Arne Slot demands patience over Darwin Nunez as he has enjoyed limited game time during this season. Nunez made his third start of the campaign against Bologna, playing till the 61st minute of the game before substitution.
Liverpool beat Bologna 2-0 at Anfield in their second Champions League game of the season to maintain their strong form. The Reds have won eight out of their first nine games in all competitions under the head coach Arne Slot.
Slot has used Diogo Jota over Nunez in most of the games, implementing a less rotation policy to maintain consistency. Nunez suffered hate-filled irrational criticism since the latter stages of the last season forcing him to private his Instagram account.
The situation created a lot of rumours about his uncertain future at the club but the Uruguayan opted to stay. The 25-year-old has incredible talent and all-round ability to influence the game in Liverpool’s favour but his contributions are inconsistent.
Some of the criticism that Nunez received is justified as he missed many clear-cut chances last season for the Reds. Furthermore, the 25-year-old frequently finds himself caught in offside traps, as fans saw against Bologna on Wednesday.
Nevertheless, Nunez remains a key member of the senior squad and deserves the healthy support that he gets at Anfield. He has gained only 307 minutes from seven games in all competitions, scoring one goal and providing one assist.
Speaking to the media after the Bologna victory (via Liverpoolfc.com), Slot highlighted that no one should judge Nunez’s current form prematurely. He said:
“I don’t think it’s really honest to say he only scored one [this season] for Liverpool because you also have to look at the playing time he got and I think it was his third start of the season. I don’t look at it in the way you do that only focuses on the individual. I think in the first hour we didn’t create a lot of chances for him as well because we missed out on the last pass on numerous occasions and if we would have done better it probably would have led to chances for him as well.”
Slot’s comment shows that Nunez has the backing of his head coach and he will gain more game time soon. Liverpool faces a very tough fixture and they gained more games due to the change in the Champions League format.
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The rotation policy will provide ample opportunities to each player in the senior squad as fixture congestion draws near. Nunez can contribute consistently under the new tactics, taking inspiration from Ryan Gravenberch and Luis Diaz, who are thriving after adapting to Slot’s style.
