26 Jun 2024 01:25:12
Has everyone been watching Nunez in Copa America, the lad is on fire for Uruguay! Biesla certainly knows how to get a tune out of him…admittedly he could have scored even more goals than he has if his finishing was a bit more clinical but he clearly trives under a different set up and in particular in a team which presses high! Optimistic for next season under Slot and let’s hope we play a system which will play to his strengths.
26 Jun 2024 07:06:36
Good to see him get a goal against Panama and hopefully he gets a few more for his confidence.
“he could have scored even more goals than he has if his finishing was a bit more clinical” sounds like a similar issue he’s had with us despite Uruguay setting up differently and Bielsa supposedly getting more of a tune out of him.
Biggest issue we might have is Uruguay have every chance of going to the final which is 15 Jul and the with 3 weeks break it means Slot won’t likely see Nunez u it’ll August which will be 2 weeks before the season kicks off.
Doesn’t leave the new manager much time to work with Nunez or build a system around him.
I’d imagine the system will be to the squads strengths and players will need to adapt and get onboard with it.
26 Jun 2024 08:59:39
The plus side of that is that Nunez comes back full of confidence and happy, JK, he could end up top scorer of the copa.
26 Jun 2024 09:31:31
Yes he could Patrik"if his finishing is a bit more clinical". But hey shudn worry cos Bielsa can get a tune outa him? ?. Bloke just needs to start putting more of the guilt edged clear cut chances his teammates are creating in the back of the net, no more excuses.
26 Jun 2024 11:16:26
I'm sure Anre Slot is watching. Positive signs.
26 Jun 2024 11:56:07
Darwin has always killed it with Uruguay so no surprise here. the question will always be whether he can translate such consistent goalscoring ability (which he has shown he has with Uruguay and Benfica) into consistent goalscoring in the PL, the highest level he has played at in club football. That's the only question for me personally.
26 Jun 2024 11:58:48
Think Nunez is always going to be the same Nunez . people looking at systems for him to thrive etc . but as everyone knows if his finishing was more assured clinical, he'd be a world beater.
26 Jun 2024 12:21:41
Patrik the more confidence he comes back with mate the better. Gakpo is in amongst the goals in the euros as well so good positive signs for them both.
Still no news on Salah and the Olympics and let’s also hope Jota is injury free come August and Diaz raring to go.
26 Jun 2024 13:46:36
I'm by no means a football tactical genius, but people keep talking about 'the system' to get the best out of Nunez. Did the system last season not create a huge amount of opportunities for him that he missed due to his poor finishing?
I feel like it is the individual at fault here, not the system and unless he improves his own abilities, whatever system we deploy will still end with him missing most chances.
26 Jun 2024 16:03:13
Stuie, Darwin needs to improve on his overall game. It is also true that the system is part of the problem hence, why people are talking about it. For ex. at Benfica, they never asked him to press, track back, defend, make tackles and so on. You know where else he does not do that? With Uruguay. All they ask him to do is be available for the team whenever they need him to relieve pressure or be there when the chances come and even tho he does not score them all, he scores/ scored enuff at both places. Don't forget that confidence is a huge thing cos at Uruguay, he has the confidence/ support of his whole team and countrymen.
Now with us, the slow possession system doesn't work at times cos we are/ were too busy passing the ball we win it. That was the hallmark of our offensive play cos why? We were NOT a possession team. So the chances we create for him/ he create for himself, of course he should score more but I think he just needs to calm down BUT that's hard cos he is running at full speed towards goal and trus me, it does not help. That's on him to improve on and for Slot to help him.
And one more thing, for a team that possesses a CF with the qualities Darwin possesses, why don't we cross the ball more? We have the two best deliverers of a football the PL (in Trent and Robbo/ Tsimikas) has ever seen yet we barely cross the ball to a player who is pretty good in the air. What's up with that? Also, were they coaching him on how to time his runs better? Cos he kept making the same runs and got caught offside. You can't just ignore that cos I've observed the same thing.
Now I am NOT saying Slot should play the way Uruguay plays or Benfica played when Darwin was/ is with them. All Im saying is that it's NOT always on the player. Coaches exist for a reason.
26 Jun 2024 16:34:52
That's all well and good Oli and you do raise some valid points, but at the end of the day, whether the ball is crossed he's one on one or on the edge of the box, regardless of how he got in that position with the ball at his feet, the aim is to put it in the net, and he more often than not can't seem to do it.
Confidence comes into it but he doesn't strike me as someone low on confidence, I just think he is a poor finisher when you drill down into it. You also noted his offsides which is a good point as well. I think next season is make or break for Darwin with LFC.
26 Jun 2024 19:14:04
That told you, Stuie ?.
The two best deliverers of a ball the PL has ever seen in Trent and Robertson/ Tsimikas?
What about de Bruyne and Beckham, Oli?
{Ed025's Note - i forgot to explain that Oli had been on really strong drugs when he said that about Robbo and Tsimikas Rigsby, the 2 of them couldn,t deliver a letter never mind a cross mate.. :)
26 Jun 2024 20:31:05
Robertson isn't that bad when he doesn't hit the first defender which isn't very often. But Tsimikas!
Trent is not as good as de Bruyne or Beckham either. I could add Henry, Bergkamp, Ronaldo and David Silva if we're talking about delivery.
26 Jun 2024 20:36:32
Stuie, Darwin does not lack confidence for sure BUT that has it's limits too as we have seen with him deleting his LFC stuff on SM due to the dog's abuse he was getting.
Also, I see your points as well. Im just giving you a diff. point of view cos these are very nuanced topics that don't just come down to one or two issues alone. Darwin has shown the ability to work on his game and improve, which he has done from two seasons ago to last season. He just needs to increase his output by another 5 to 10 goals and nobody's talking. IMO, That's how close he is to being a very good finisher, not a poor one. Peace.
26 Jun 2024 21:14:45
Slot may be able to get a tune out of him but the issue is the PL is FAST compared to international football.
You have less time to pick your spot. Less time to react to chances.
Clean slate, new coaches etc. I still think he needs to work hard at his game.
26 Jun 2024 22:25:19
I think that Slot will get far more financial backing from FSG than Klopp did at his beginning. Simply because of the financial health of the club back then and the situation now. But along with that financial support will be greater pressure to produce results and win things, on Slot. And if that happens, then Darwin will have to step up and become "the main man" because (Salah is leaving this summer or next) Slot can't afford to maintain a "wait and see" posture with Darwin for ever.
People rarely mention it, but Darwin was supposed to be our answer to the Haaland purchase by ManCity. It hasn't worked out that way, but it doesn't mean it can't be corrected or changed. But I disagree with people who say "it will depend on Slot and his tactics etc etc". I think more depends on Darwin himself than anything else.
26 Jun 2024 23:44:54
I’m not so sure that Darwin is as full of confidence all the time as you think, stuie, his performances near the end of the season were that of a player who was getting in his own head and thinking too much when he got the ball (as well as us being more slow and ponderous in possession in general, which obviously don’t suit a player like him) . It has happened before at Benfica, incidentally another season where he received negative press and fan attention, but when he got going the next season, he was relentless, scoring and creating for others. He is clearly an incredibly emotional and instinctive player, and needs the right environment to succeed, but also the right tactical setup.
27 Jun 2024 00:39:31
Nunez is up to ten goals away from being a very good finisher?
Is the reason that he doesn't get another ten goals because he isn't a very good finisher?
The finishing usually comes before the goals ?.