Liverpool maintained their excellent start to the season with a 2-0 win at home to Bologna on Wednesday night, although one Reds player continues to spark much debate and discourse.
Darwin Nunez was brought into the starting line-up in place of Diogo Jota in the only personnel change from last weekend’s victory at Wolves, but the Uruguayan was substituted after an hour against the Serie A side.
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Steve McManaman has urged the 25-year-old to ‘get up into shape‘, while Steve Nicol lamented that our number 9 looked ‘lost‘, but a former Ballon D’Or runner-up continues to give his backing to the ex-Benfica marksman.
Speaking about Nunez on ESPN FC, Jurgen Klinsmann said: “I absolutely believe he has the talent and the qualities to play at the highest level in the Premier League and also in the Champions League. It’s just a question of consistency. He still hasn’t figured out yet how to be consistent at the highest level.
“He gives you brilliant games and then you don’t see him for a couple of weeks. I hope that he can work that out down the road but I still believe that he has everything in order to be a top-class striker.”
Klinsmann has hit upon the crux of the eternal Nunez debate with his comments – we know that the Uruguay international has the raw materials to be one of the foremost strikers in European football, but more than two years on from joining Liverpool, he’s still fending off the same accusations of erraticism.
Unfortunately he didn’t really seize his chance to prove a point to Slot last night, completing just four passes in 60 minutes on the ptich against Bologna (Sofascore) and failing to read a promising through ball from Dominik Szoboszlai during the first half.
Jota seems likely to come back into the starting line-up for the trip to Crystal Palace on Saturday, yet we still wouldn’t back against our number 9 to come off the bench and produce a match-winning moment, having done so on more than one occasion in the past.
You can view Klinsmann’s comments on Nunez below (from 1:50), via ESPN UK on YouTube:
