Darwin Núñez Player Thread (F)

* In all my time watching the Reds nobody saw a picture of what to do faster, or with more clarity than Kenny.

Only 1 king kenny.

Whether he's scoring or not, Nunez is a threat that worries the opposition.

He's also the only player, so far, this season to hit double figures in term of assists for us.

Goal involvements from our front five 23/24

Salah 26 (18 goals, 8 assists)
Nunez 18 (8 goals, 10 assists)
Gakpo 11 (9 goals, 2 assists)
Jota 11 (9 goals, 2 assists)
Diaz 7 (6 goals, 1 assist)

Nunez has proved to be a valuable member of the side, with his speed and assists. His goal scoring ratio should improve in time.

Whether he's scoring or not, Nunez is a threat that worries the opposition.

He's also the only player, so far, this season to hit double figures in term of assists for us.

Goal involvements from our front five 23/24

Salah 26 (18 goals, 8 assists)
Nunez 18 (8 goals, 10 assists)
Gakpo 11 (9 goals, 2 assists)
Jota 11 (9 goals, 2 assists)
Diaz 7 (6 goals, 1 assist)

The lad is class and will only get better.

Talking about his goal involvements and general all round play, doesn't fit the narrative of the press and pundits.

The lad is class and will only get better.

Talking about his goal involvements and general all round play, doesn't fit the narrative of the press and pundits.

The press and pundits, always have to have some excuse to criticise. Hopefully the lad will prove them wrong.

I agree.....we need to talk about Darwin.
As you acknowledge and it's clear to one and all he has undoubted qualities and his goal scoring record isn't overly shabby...but, and this is the point, it could and should be much, much better. When any of us are attempting to master something, we look for steady improvement, some sort of metric that tells us we are on the right track and making progress. If that data doesn't show improvement then we would conclude that whatever strategy we were committed to is very likely to be the wrong one, and it would be a good idea to change tack and try something else.
I mentioned in a post a few weeks ago (half jokingly) that Darwin needed to grasp basic physics, namely atoms don't readily pass through other atoms...so as hard as you kick it, a ball won't pass through the goalkeeper. Keepers are both trained and have an instinct of where to position themselves to give themselves the optimum chance of being in the way of any strike at the goal. My point being, it's not just bad luck that Nunez keeps hitting the keeper, it's that he's hitting it at where you would expect the keeper most likely to be.
All the other legendary goalscorer's you mentioned had one noticeable attribute that Darwin seems to lack.....and that is seeing the picture in your head before doing it*..anticipating what to do with the ball before you get it, so that when it arrives at your feet or head, you know exactly where you want that ball to end up. As you say, if this is not coming naturally to him, then he has to have it coached into him, and repeat it in training until it becomes second nature.
If he is to fulfil his potential he needs to convert more of the (glaring) chances he gets....he works hard to get the opportunities, it's just those all important mental adjustments he needs to learn and master......If he can, then there's no reason he can't join that list of exceptional Liverpool strikers.

* In all my time watching the Reds nobody saw a picture of what to do faster, or with more clarity than Kenny.

I think this is a good description of what seems to be happening with him. What comes to mind when you see him miss is that he receives the ball and then thinks about what he wants to do and this causes a lot of ''panic'' in his game. Botched controls, shots with more power than accuracy and at times he'll favour squaring the ball to a teammate despite the better option being to take the shot. All of this, as far as I'm concerned falls under the ''panic'' I'm talking about and I think that, like you said, not visualizing quickly enough what he needs and wants to do before the ball gets to him is the core issue.

He has all the tools to succeed and he is performing extremely well despite not scoring as much as he's supposed to. I am confident that Jürgen and the rest of the staff can work with him and slowly but surely correct this. In the meantime, I'll take the assists and overall chance creation he is responsible for because of the plethora of smart and effective runs he makes.

Whether he's scoring or not, Nunez is a threat that worries the opposition.

He's also the only player, so far, this season to hit double figures in term of assists for us.

Goal involvements from our front five 23/24

Salah 26 (18 goals, 8 assists)
Nunez 18 (8 goals, 10 assists)
Gakpo 11 (9 goals, 2 assists)
Jota 11 (9 goals, 2 assists)
Diaz 7 (6 goals, 1 assist)

And why it’s silly for anyone to suggest there’s any sort of discussion needed regarding his output or his future here. Klopp obviously rates him. Good enough for me. He seems to be getting beat by the same stick that Bobby was beat with. Guess it has to be put to use on someone.

And why it’s silly for anyone to suggest there’s any sort of discussion needed regarding his output or his future here. Klopp obviously rates him. Good enough for me. He seems to be getting beat by the same stick that Bobby was beat with. Guess it has to be put to use on someone.

There's nothing silly about it at all. The debate isn't about whether he's an effective as a striker, his all round contribution is excellent and his record of assists already bares that out. But there is a legitimate conversation to be had as to how he might be able to increase his goal scoring tally.
No one is beating him with a stick.

There's nothing silly about it at all. The debate isn't about whether he's an effective as a striker, his all round contribution is excellent and his record of assists already bares that out. But there is a legitimate conversation to be had as to how he might be able to increase his goal scoring tally.
No one is beating him with a stick.

You aren’t reading this thread or the game threads then.

No need to take anything personally. You have your opinion just like I do. You think there needs to be a “discussion” and I’m not sure who you think needs to be involved in this discussion. Klopp and Darwin? A bunch of us on a forum that will never have any input into his development?

He’s creating chances, causing chaos and working his ass off. That’s good enough for me, and for people that are nitpicking his finishing, well I’m well within my rights to believe they are being unduly critical.

Both Isak and Alvarez missed MULTIPLE GLARING CHANCES today.

Do you think pundits mentioned it? Nope. Not part of the narrative. They create what ever story they want about what ever team or players they want, and ppl just fall for it acting like its some kinda of education opinion.

You aren’t reading this thread or the game threads then.

No need to take anything personally. You have your opinion just like I do. You think there needs to be a “discussion” and I’m not sure who you think needs to be involved in this discussion. Klopp and Darwin? A bunch of us on a forum that will never have any input into his development?

He’s creating chances, causing chaos and working his ass off. That’s good enough for me, and for people that are nitpicking his finishing, well I’m well within my rights to believe they are being unduly critical.

Firstly let me assure you, Im not taking anything personally. Second, I read, and broadly speaking understand the treads.
When I say we need to talk about Darwin, This is play on words relating to the movie title We need to talk about Kevin...Obviously I don't mean with Klopp, or the player....I don't even mean need...this whole forum doesn't need to exist.
For what it's worth I'm also not interested in being drawn into conflict about it....as you say they are just opinions and are of no importance to anyone.
You are again right....You are well within your rights to believe anything you like....just like everyone else on this Planet.
I stand by my opinion that it is not "Silly" for any of us that want to discuss whether Nunez needs to, or would be better off, by refining his finishing.
I have stated he is effective and is already a great asset, his goal tally is not too shabby and he is a menace for defenders to deal with. Like you I think he's the dog's boll*cks.
What I am talking about is specific, and that is the ongoing inability to convert glaring chances into goals. It's not just a media obsession, we're all aware of it...he misses quite a lot. Is this "nitpicking?"...Yes it is actually, if that's how you want to describe it...nitpicking into whether coaching might assist him in turning those more likely to score than not chances, into back of the net goals. In laymen terms, is there an issue with him missing sitters?...There might be and that's what's up for comment....alternatively there might not be...But again that's out there to be discussed or ignored.

I understand how tribal thinking works, but it's always odd that if someone points out that there maybe an area for a player to improve, it's perceived as an attack on that player...when it's actually the opposite.

Anyway....Life's too short........Have a good day fella.

Both Isak and Alvarez missed MULTIPLE GLARING CHANCES today.

Do you think pundits mentioned it? Nope. Not part of the narrative. They create what ever story they want about what ever team or players they want, and ppl just fall for it acting like its some kinda of education opinion.

All strikers miss glaring chances...all keepers make glaring errors...The question relating to Nunez, and it is only a question. Is doe's he miss more than he should?

All strikers miss glaring chances...all keepers make glaring errors...The question relating to Nunez, and it is only a question. Is doe's he miss more than he should?

That brings into question does he miss or does the keeper save? Although both result in us not scoring, they aren't actually the same in my eyes. Prime example, Shevchenko in Istanbul with Dudek's double save. First one is a bad miss, second one is a great/lucky save.

https://www.premierleague.com/players/70287/Darwin-N%C3%BA%C3%B1ez/stats?co=1&se=578

In the League this season he's hit the target 24 times out of 58 shots as well as hitting the woodwork 5 times. So he's basically hitting the target with every other shot but only scored 5 goals. So he knows where the goal is, maybe not where the keeper is.

So yes he does miss more than he should but there's other reasons for that other than he's not a great finisher.

Firstly let me assure you, Im not taking anything personally. Second, I read, and broadly speaking understand the treads.
When I say we need to talk about Darwin, This is play on words relating to the movie title We need to talk about Kevin...Obviously I don't mean with Klopp, or the player....I don't even mean need...this whole forum doesn't need to exist.
For what it's worth I'm also not interested in being drawn into conflict about it....as you say they are just opinions and are of no importance to anyone.
You are again right....You are well within your rights to believe anything you like....just like everyone else on this Planet.
I stand by my opinion that it is not "Silly" for any of us that want to discuss whether Nunez needs to, or would be better off, by refining his finishing.
I have stated he is effective and is already a great asset, his goal tally is not too shabby and he is a menace for defenders to deal with. Like you I think he's the dog's boll*cks.
What I am talking about is specific, and that is the ongoing inability to convert glaring chances into goals. It's not just a media obsession, we're all aware of it...he misses quite a lot. Is this "nitpicking?"...Yes it is actually, if that's how you want to describe it...nitpicking into whether coaching might assist him in turning those more likely to score than not chances, into back of the net goals. In laymen terms, is there an issue with him missing sitters?...There might be and that's what's up for comment....alternatively there might not be...But again that's out there to be discussed or ignored.

I understand how tribal thinking works, but it's always odd that if someone points out that there maybe an area for a player to improve, it's perceived as an attack on that player...when it's actually the opposite.

Anyway....Life's too short........Have a good day fella.

Good post mate and for me there is a discussion to be had, if not now definitely in the summer, regards to his development as a finisher.

Both Isak and Alvarez missed MULTIPLE GLARING CHANCES today.

Do you think pundits mentioned it? Nope. Not part of the narrative. They create what ever story they want about what ever team or players they want, and ppl just fall for it acting like its some kinda of education opinion.

Spot on.

The thing I would like to see him improve on is his offsides, gets caught off a lot, just time his runs that wee bit better and he will be in on goal much more, and then score more goals or setup more goals.

But thats something experience brings to most strikers games.

The thing I would like to see him improve on is his offsides, gets caught off a lot, just time his runs that wee bit better and he will be in on goal much more, and then score more goals or setup more goals.

But thats something experience brings to most strikers games.

To be fait to him I feel like our players have been holding onto the ball a bit too long recently... even when shooting, I am screaming at the TV for them to release the ball or shoot... and he's a very fast player so even that extra second or less the passer takes he's gone from onside to offside.

The thing I would like to see him improve on is his offsides, gets caught off a lot, just time his runs that wee bit better and he will be in on goal much more, and then score more goals or setup more goals.

But thats something experience brings to most strikers games.

Only recently this has happened his running was fantastic before that so not sure if.he is just being a bit over keen and eager or as someone said not spotting his run quick enough

I think one thing we can all agree on is he's very very raw but has shown in flashes he has every single attribute to be a top forward.

Just remains to be seen if will fulfil that potential but it will be fun along the way either way.

Spot on.

On the broadcast I watched the Alvarez miss was discussed as a glaring miss. I don't remember Isak missing a sitter, there was a decent half chance I would think he'd score more times than not....but not a blatant sitter.

Needs a bit of luck or a scrappy goal similar to Cody's against Newcastle.

Needs a bit of luck or a scrappy goal similar to Cody's against Newcastle.

That miss hit by Gakpo that day was a blessing. Their keeper was on fire and chances are he would've saved Cody's effort had he hit it cleanly....

Back on topic and on DarWIN Fúñez. His goals will come. His head has never dropped once and he's always available to cause chaos in the opposition box. Yes he can be frustrating, but have patience. The rewards will come...

and it is only a question. Is doe's he miss more than he should?

He carves a lot of chances for himself. He has a lot of half chances. Probably more than other strikers. You can view it as bad that those are "missed" (a lot get saved by the keeper) Or you can view it as a good sign that he creates chances for himself and gets himself in positions to even get those chances.

It really depends on what narrative you want to push of believe. Life..and football isn't black and white. There are nuances. And the media decides how they want you to view things.

They did not spend more than a couple minutes on the multiple big chances Alvarez missed yesterday. Alvarez has 6 goals and 6 assists this season. I'll leave it there.