Darwin Núñez | Liverpool player | Fighter

I said it before and I’ll say it again. Klopp is leaving because he has messed up the rebuild.

Nunez, Gakpo, Diaz and a forever injured Jota is way off peak Salah/Mane/Firmino.

Their best midfielder this season is a 31 year old who has zero appearances in the CL. They were outplayed by an 18 year old with no partner today.

Can’t keep any CB fit to pair with an aging van Dijk and Robertson has declined massively.

He is squeezing every bit of juice and energy out of them but the quality just isn’t the same. It says a lot when Nunez is probably the best attacker they have post-Salah.
 
Maluco said:
I said it before and I’ll say it again. Klopp is leaving because he has messed up the rebuild.
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Nar, he’s thought about it before but convinced himself to stay, you can say he’s messed up but they are looking good in Europe and are top of the league.
The big issue for Liverpool is that Klopp can get these players to collectively be much better than the sum of their parts, and despite how much Liverpool fans cream their pants over Edwards, it’s gonna be an absolute nightmare getting any manager even slightly close to Klopp in terms of getting players to look better than they are.

As you say, when you start looking player to player, it’s tough to understand how they can be so good, how can these players go toe to toe with City and even have more possession? the answer as always, is Klopp.

Liverpool fans are in for a rude awakening, similar to the one we got after Fergie.
 
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DennisReynolds said:
Got two assists today (plus 1 for Utd).

Gakpo is the real problem for Liverpool, he's atrocious.
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@Kostov and @OverratedOpinion were waxing lyrical about Gakpo back in Summer 2023, found myself in a few bizarre debates arguing Garnacho was a far better talent and prospect whilst they argued Gakpo would make us a much better team.

Always looked incredibly average to me, someone who should be playing for the likes of Fulham.
 
Maluco said:
I said it before and I’ll say it again. Klopp is leaving because he has messed up the rebuild.

Nunez, Gakpo, Diaz and a forever injured Jota is way off peak Salah/Mane/Firmino.

Their best midfielder this season is a 31 year old who has zero appearances in the CL. They were outplayed by an 18 year old with no partner today.

Can’t keep any CB fit to pair with an aging van Dijk and Robertson has declined massively.

He is squeezing every bit of juice and energy out of them but the quality just isn’t the same. It says a lot when Nunez is probably the best attacker they have post-Salah.
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Loco, the best mid in this game for them (and amongst the best in general) and in the season is Macca. My fanboyism is as clear as your agenda against the Ginger one.

I do think that this Liverpool team needs more brains and less run, for instance back to the Ginger fella, Mac Allister lots of times positioned himself open in space, or take a step back when somebody ran on a flank to combine and receive a pass a few metres away from the great area and his mates instead went full throttle into the little area with a basket cube over their heads, this time and again, specially Gomez, the kids and sometimes Diaz.

It's a pity that even if playing similar roles Thiago is always injured to pair with Macca, I would have liked to at least try it, even if it's not the typical British approach and a bit risky in EPL terms, yet imposible with Thiago being injured the whole time.

Time will tell if Dom matures, he has a great physique and very good technique, very young and with logical ups and downs in his first season. Diaz is someone that has to slow down, be smarter, the pace and skills are there, the brain till now not so much, but time will tell.

They haven't yet find major names to replace Mane, Salah is in his last years and the jury is out there if Jota can pull out a Firmino.
The back needs someone young of great quality to pair with the Dutch too, but there still is material if someone like Xabi arrives with a couple of names with him.
 
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Maluco said:
I said it before and I’ll say it again. Klopp is leaving because he has messed up the rebuild.

Nunez, Gakpo, Diaz and a forever injured Jota is way off peak Salah/Mane/Firmino.

Their best midfielder this season is a 31 year old who has zero appearances in the CL. They were outplayed by an 18 year old with no partner today.

Can’t keep any CB fit to pair with an aging van Dijk and Robertson has declined massively.

He is squeezing every bit of juice and energy out of them but the quality just isn’t the same. It says a lot when Nunez is probably the best attacker they have post-Salah.
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You say all of that and yet they could genuinely have won four trophies this season if they'd have beaten us yesterday.

It's not exactly post Fergie levels of messing up a rebuild is it.
 
Has MacAllister killed him yet? Guy was repeatedly shouting at Nunez to recycle the ball and play it safe. His reaction to Rashford's goal was understandable.
 
AndySmith1990 said:
You say all of that and yet they could genuinely have won four trophies this season if they'd have beaten us yesterday.

It's not exactly post Fergie levels of messing up a rebuild is it.
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They haven't had the "post" period yet. That's next year.
It seems Impossible to believe they can produce a Moyes and Woodward style horror show but on the other hand you'd have to be outrageously deluded to think any new manager strolls in and keeps them as competitive from day 1.
 
Regulus Arcturus Black said:
@Kostov and @OverratedOpinion were waxing lyrical about Gakpo back in Summer 2023, found myself in a few bizarre debates arguing Garnacho was a far better talent and prospect whilst they argued Gakpo would make us a much better team.

Always looked incredibly average to me, someone who should be playing for the likes of Fulham.
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We were debating Garnacho vs Gakpo last summer? I'd take Gakpo over Antony that is for sure, but Garnacho? Strange debate if it ever happened.
 
Kostov said:
We were debating Garnacho vs Gakpo last summer? I'd take Gakpo over Antony that is for sure, but Garnacho? Strange debate if it ever happened.
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Overrated opinion argued Gakpo > Garnacho, you just argued that we massively missed out on Gakpo and that he would’ve been the difference between a title challenge and a top 4 challenge.
 
Isn't he quite comfortably their second best forward now after Salah? He's way ahead of Diaz in terms of productivity at least. Maybe Jota is better when he plays, but he has a problem with availability.
 
Gakpo, Nunez, and Diaz are a few rungs below Salah on the ladder - that's a huge drop off in quality.

Jota is marginally better but is more of a scorer rather than creator.

As this is the Nunez thread, I'll just add - he's a donkey.
 
Just remember Nunez was our main target at one point til Liverpool got him and Gapko was a secondary target

whilst I think Nunez still is useful and can go up a few levels I’m glad we needed up with Rasmus
 
I rate Darwin, think he's a good player and will be decent for them in the long run... but he was poor yesterday, i mean if you're bullied off the ball by Victor Lindelof, you're not having a good game.
 
As soon as he started at Liverpool you knew he was never going to reach Firmino's level. Decent player but aside from being quick there's nothing elite about him.
 
I didn't rate Bobby no goal that much but Nunez is certainly below him. He's like a drill you can't control, if he misses your team gets fecked. Sometimes good sometimes malakia.
 
Regulus Arcturus Black said:
Overrated opinion argued Gakpo > Garnacho, you just argued that we massively missed out on Gakpo and that he would’ve been the difference between a title challenge and a top 4 challenge.
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Considering that we had to resort to loaning Weghorst, I do think that getting Gakpo in January would have improved us. Title challenge from this point looking it back, I was in absolute cookoo land.
 
AndySmith1990 said:
You say all of that and yet they could genuinely have won four trophies this season if they'd have beaten us yesterday.

It's not exactly post Fergie levels of messing up a rebuild is it.
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He knows that you can’t keep up those levels, especially with inferior players. Running them into the ground will only end one way.

For someone who did the Alisson/van dijk moves the last time, I would say that Darwin, Diaz, Gakpo are all missteps and a club like that can’t afford that many missteps.

He knows they are a level below.
 
Nunez has been one of the best attackers in England this year. The guy has 31 goal involvements (one every 79 minutes) across all competitions and is a huge pain in the ass to play against with his physicality and constant running. He's about as good as Firmino's top level already and has room to go higher at 24. Where the rebuild hasn't gone well is the rest of the attack, as Gakpo is poor, Diaz is always injured and isn't a reliable scorer, and Jota is a great scorer but can't stay healthy and doesn't have the all around game of either Mane or Salah even when fit.

People are so attached to the idea of Nunez as a donkey or a bust but that's just not reality at this point. Unfortunately he's a really really good player and I can only hope Barcelona or Real Madrid come calling in the next couple years with their distinct attractiveness to South Americans (he'd actually be a great foil for Mbappe/Vini, willing to put in the hard yards but also capable of scoring and setting them up).
 
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11101 said:
As soon as he started at Liverpool you knew he was never going to reach Firmino's level. Decent player but aside from being quick there's nothing elite about him.
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They aren't comparable though. Totally different players types. Darwin has a lot more endproduct in him and brings chaos to compensate for his flaws in playmaking, close control and distributing.
 
Powderfinger said:
Nunez has been one of the best attackers in England this year. The guy has 31 goal involvements (one every 79 minutes) across all competitions and is a huge pain in the ass to play against with his physicality and constant running. He's about as good as Firmino's top level already and has room to go higher at 24. Where the rebuild hasn't gone well is the rest of the attack, as Gakpo is poor, Diaz is always injured and isn't a reliable scorer, and Jota is a great scorer but can't stay healthy and doesn't have the all around game of either Mane or Salah even when fit.

People are so attached to the idea of Nunez as a donkey or a bust but that's just not reality at this point. Unfortunately he's a really really good player and I can only hope Barcelona or Real Madrid come calling in the next couple years with their distinct attractiveness to South Americans (he'd actually be a great foil for Mbappe/Vini, willing to put in the hard yards but also capable of scoring and setting them up).
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Disagree with this. Some fans are too caught up on goals/assists instead of the overall package. Firmino was a more well rounded player in his prime.

He's not worth what they paid for him. He's way too erratic. He's also a bit of flat track bully. A lot of his goals have come against the lower half teams and weaker Europa League opposition.

He actually reminds me of Bruno Fernandes. Both put up good numbers, yet still have deficiencies in their game that fans overlook.

A 52% pass completion and duel success of 37.5% vs United yesterday. That's very poor.

I wouldn't want to mark him, as he will keep you honest. He works hard and makes good runs off the ball. But is limited.
 
The Hojlund vs Nunez discussions over the next few years are going to be interesting. I think he's fine and will evolve his game over time to be more effective but Hojlund will be the better player.
 
FootballHQ said:
Don't think he's anywhere near good enough to lead Liverpool in the post Salah era.

He'll score 10-15 in a season purely for getting into decent positions in the box but his overall play is far far too erratic in the key games. Not just the bad pass for 3-3 but he's caught offside constantly which kills plenty of attacks.

People underestimating what a unique player Salah will be to replace as Gakpo is a very average player indeed and Diaz is exciting but has his days when he takes far too many touches on the ball and attacks fizzle out.

Think they drop down a few places in the league purely on no more Salah.
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They've downgraded from Mane - Firminho - Salah
 
Fallon d'Floor said:
Disagree with this. Some fans are too caught up on goals/assists instead of the overall package. Firmino was a more well rounded player in his prime.

He's not worth what they paid for him. He's way too erratic. He's also a bit of flat track bully. A lot of his goals have come against the lower half teams and weaker Europa League opposition.

He actually reminds me of Bruno Fernandes. Both put up good numbers, yet still have deficiencies in their game that fans overlook.

A 52% pass completion and duel success of 37.5% vs United yesterday. That's very poor.

I wouldn't want to mark him, as he will keep you honest. He works hard and makes good runs off the ball. But is limited.
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Firmino was a much better player technically and more well rounded in his combination play.

But Nunez is actually an underrated chance creator and his workrate and physical qualities are a nightmare to deal with. I think its actually a matter of people underrating him last year because they were so caught up with the lack goals/assists and didn't see the overall package, which is that even when the end product wasn't there he was a very disruptive player that did a lot to bother and unsettle defenses. Now the end product has come up and he's a real problem.

The caveat is that he works very well in Klopp's frantic system and might not work so well in a system where the possession play emphasized more patience and less chaos. I think its a bit unclear how he'll fare under the next manager.
 
Powderfinger said:
Nunez has been one of the best attackers in England this year. The guy has 31 goal involvements (one every 79 minutes) across all competitions and is a huge pain in the ass to play against with his physicality and constant running. He's about as good as Firmino's top level already and has room to go higher at 24. Where the rebuild hasn't gone well is the rest of the attack, as Gakpo is poor, Diaz is always injured and isn't a reliable scorer, and Jota is a great scorer but can't stay healthy and doesn't have the all around game of either Mane or Salah even when fit.

People are so attached to the idea of Nunez as a donkey or a bust but that's just not reality at this point. Unfortunately he's a really really good player and I can only hope Barcelona or Real Madrid come calling in the next couple years with their distinct attractiveness to South Americans (he'd actually be a great foil for Mbappe/Vini, willing to put in the hard yards but also capable of scoring and setting them up).
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Thsi feels like you're just looking at his stats without looking at his actual contribution depending on the games and competition. I feel he definitely looks like his donkey-self when faced with just slightly harder opposition.

He's not the worst player out there of course, his physical traits mean that he'll have a decent career overall, but his technique is definitely not top class.
 
troylocker said:
They aren't comparable though. Totally different players types. Darwin has a lot more endproduct in him and brings chaos to compensate for his flaws in playmaking, close control and distributing.
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End product? He's a fairly shite finisher and the chaos he brings is for both sides.
 
Ish said:
Is everyone counting onanas palm save straight to Salah as part of Nunez’s 2 assists?
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I think different sites have different criteria for assists, but I've never understood how a goal from a rebound/shot parry could be assisted by the player who shot first. For me, an assist must have an element of intentionality from the assister, and therefore shooting at goal automatically excludes the possibility of it being an assist.
 
Powderfinger said:
Nunez has been one of the best attackers in England this year. The guy has 31 goal involvements (one every 79 minutes) across all competitions and is a huge pain in the ass to play against with his physicality and constant running. He's about as good as Firmino's top level already and has room to go higher at 24. Where the rebuild hasn't gone well is the rest of the attack, as Gakpo is poor, Diaz is always injured and isn't a reliable scorer, and Jota is a great scorer but can't stay healthy and doesn't have the all around game of either Mane or Salah even when fit.

People are so attached to the idea of Nunez as a donkey or a bust but that's just not reality at this point. Unfortunately he's a really really good player and I can only hope Barcelona or Real Madrid come calling in the next couple years with their distinct attractiveness to South Americans (he'd actually be a great foil for Mbappe/Vini, willing to put in the hard yards but also capable of scoring and setting them up).
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I agree he's not bad, but Real? He wouldn't get anywhere near their team.
 
Any team needs a player like him. He always causes problems with his constant runs. Not the most clinical finisher for sure but his work always creates him chances
 
Rooney in Paris said:
I think different sites have different criteria for assists, but I've never understood how a goal from a rebound/shot parry could be assisted by the player who shot first. For me, an assist must have an element of intentionality from the assister, and therefore shooting at goal automatically excludes the possibility of it being an assist.
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Yeah agreed with all that. I know fantasy football counts those rebounded shots as an assist now (makes zero sense!) but i wouldn't really consider that "an assist". Oh well, i was just trying to remember where these 2 assists came from, and then realised it must be the shot for Salah's goal and the pass to MC...
 
DJ Jeff said:
I agree he's not bad, but Real? He wouldn't get anywhere near their team.
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Teams with star wide forwards usually want a hard working CF who can occupy and disrupt defenders, create space for the others to exploit, and play just enough to fit into the team.

I don't see many better candidates than Nunez among strikers entering or in their prime.
 
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