By Harrison James
Four goals in seven appearances so far this season for Darwin Nunez who has made a fantastic start to the 2023/24 season. A summer working hard under the coaching staff seems to have improved the young striker’s composure in front of goal and his link-up play with his teammates. Of course, everybody wants to see Nunez on the scoresheet, but his ability to hold the ball up and find a teammate directly led to the third and final goal against Wolves and the penalty against West Ham which Mo Salah dispatched in the first half.
Last season was a mixed bag for the Uruguayan who was a rare piece of excitement in an otherwise dismal season for the Reds. After being sent off for a headbutt on his Anfield debut against Crystal Palace, Nunez scored 15 goals in 39 appearances last season. A decent return for the young striker who quickly became a fan favourite, before he lost his place in the side to new signing Cody Gakpo. The raw directness of Darwin’s play certainly impressed the fans, but it was clear he needed to improve his finishing and decision-making.
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It seems the summer working under Klopp has done Nunez a world of good. Two fantastic goals against Newcastle sealed a 2-1 comeback win at St James’ Park showing that Darwin has been working hard on the training ground to improve his finishing. The travelling fans were delighted to see the ball hit the back of the net from an angle and high-pressure situation where in previous times Nunez missed the target.
Darwin has built a great relationship with fellow South American Luis Diaz down the left-hand side of the attack. Both players act with a directness and pace that defenders simply cannot handle. The direct and explosive style of play is a contrast to the more measured approach of Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota. Jurgen Klopp has varied his attacking set-up this season, with Gakpo leading the line against Tottenham on Saturday. However, with the Netherlands international injured for a couple of weeks, Nunez will certainly be given his opportunity and must cement his place in the side.
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Another superstar South American that Nunez seems to play almost telepathically with is new signing and midfield maestro Alexis MacAllister who will be returning to his old stomping ground this weekend as The Reds play Brighton at The Amex. Nunez will surely start in Cody Gakpo’s absence and the Uruguayan will be looking to take advantage of the leaky Brighton defence who conceded 6 goals to Aston Villa in their most recent Premier League fixture. It remains to be seen whether Darwin Nunez will develop into the world-class striker we all hope he will be, but one thing is for certain, he brings excitement to the game that the fans have fallen in love with.
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