Liverpool manager Arne Slot admitted he has struggled to find a way to maximize striker Darwin Nunez amid surge speculation about his future at Anfield.
Nunez, signed for £85m in the summer of 2022, has struggled to maintain a permanent role in Slot’s line-up, starting just seven times in the Premier League this season and contributing four goals in 26 appearances in all competitions.
Reports have linked Nunez with a move away from Liverpool, with Al Hilal and even Manchester United aiming to test the Reds’ resolve, and Slot has now confessed that the 25-year-old is not a natural fit for their style of play. favorite.
“Darwin is a striker that we have to use in a certain way and we haven’t been able to get the best out of him yet this season,” Slot said.
“Again against Accrington Stanley you saw he has a lot of pace but, unfortunately for him, most teams fall behind a lot against us. “If you look at the goals he scored for us, I remember the one he scored for us.” (Aston) Villa when he got around the goalkeeper on a counterattack, that’s his main strength.
“He has other qualities as well, but we are still working to put him in the best possible positions against a low block. That means the right timing, the right crosses, the right position to start and making the right run.”
Slot, however, defended Núñez’s disappointing performance in front of goal by arguing that teams defend in greater numbers against Liverpool than against other opponents.
“The way teams defend our No. 9 is something you have to give them credit for,” Slot said. “It’s never, ‘Here Darwin, you can score.’ Every time we put in a cross I see a defender on top of it. I see it, the referees unfortunately don’t see it.
“For us, in general, it is more difficult to score against a team like (Nottingham) Forest because every time we had the opportunity they had six, seven, eight, nine or ten players standing in the big area.
“And the only time (Chris) Wooden had the opportunity to be there almost alone. We weren’t very close to the ball. They only had one opportunity, we had 15. But with the 15 we had there was always someone near the ball or on top of one of our players. Darwin will score his goals. “He already did it and he will do it again.”
