It’s a fool’s notion to claim that a football team, however well they are playing, are bankers for a title before reaching the midpoint of a campaign.
However, Liverpool fans should rightly celebrate the way in which Arne Slot has taken to life in Jurgen Klopp’s old chair. While things are going well for the Reds at the moment, a lot can change in the business months of the season.
But Liverpool should still stand proud as one of the most exciting and impressive clubs of the 2024/25 campaign so far, top of the Premier League and Champions League tables and firing on all cylinders, with the defence imperious, the midfield industrious and the attack deliciously potent.
Most of the attack, anyway…
Liverpool's frontline in 2024/25
Obviously, Liverpool’s attacking success leans heavily into one third of the frontline, with Mohamed Salah currently riding the crest of one of the biggest waves of his career – and there have been many, many waves.
Mohamed Salah
22 (20)
16
12
Cody Gakpo
22 (11)
8
2
Luis Diaz
21 (14)
9
2
Darwin Nunez
19 (11)
3
2
Diogo Jota
10 (9)
4
2
Federico Chiesa
3 (1)
0
1
With Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz both principally playing at left wing this term, rotating, it’s rather concerning that Liverpool’s central striking position is the area most notably lacking in goals.
To his defence, Diogo Jota has been injured for the past few months and bagged four goals from just nine starts beforehand, but Darwin Nunez has now played plenty of football under Slot’s wing and is yet to prove himself as a high-class focal frontman, even if he has some neat attributes.
Why Darwin Nunez could still succeed at Liverpool
It’s beginning to feel like Nunez will never be the kind of assured goalscoring presence that Manchester City’s Erling Haaland is, but that’s okay.
He’s still got a wealth of qualities that make for a high-class footballer, it’s just whether Liverpool can continue to operate with him as their central talisman, especially if Salah leaves at the end of the season, meaning that the need for goals from other areas will be heightened.
This season, for example, Nunez might have only posted three goals and two assists across 19 outings, but he’s also succeeding with a Liverpool-career-high 55% of his dribbles in the Premier League, as per Sofascore, while also winning more duels on average than across either of his first two seasons.
For all his issues, Nunez still manages to provide some underlying data that speaks of his capacity for a brighter future, ranking among the top 4% of forwards across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for shots taken, the top 4% for touches in the attacking penalty area, the top 17% for progressive carries and the top 6% for tackles, as per FBref.
A carry is considered progressive if the ball is moved towards the opponent’s goal at least 10 yards from its starting point or is carried into the penalty area.
But is this enough? As per The Athletic’s James Pearce, it’s possible that Slot prioritises the signing of a new striker in the coming windows, for Nunez, talented as they come, can’t seem to harness and focus his own quality.
To be honest, it might be that the Uruguayan needs to be sold, with suitors sure to circle from various circles of the footballing world. Reading between the lines, it feels like Slot wouldn’t be wholly against the idea, were the right offer to arrive.
Why Slot should sell Darwin Nunez
Nunez is certainly a divisive member of the Liverpool squad. Many fans adore the 25-year-old for his work rate, personality and multi-dimensionality in attack, but others are frustrated by an unending search for consistency in front of goal.
Unfortunately, unless Nunez showcases a whole new level of potency and consistency at the front of the Liverpool line-up, it’s going to be hard for him to stake a claim for a fourth successive term at the club as the designated number one at number nine.
Some might claim that Nunez requires a certain system to flourish, operating as the spearhead of a frenetic, high-intensity line that allows him to capitalise and rise chaotic phases, but Klopp and now Slot have both tried to bring the best out of the Uruguayan, who has failed to hit the desired heights on both accounts.
Last season, Liverpool-focused writer Sam McGuire called the South American a bit of a “problem” within the Merseyside squad, and for all his ability, if he can’t finish his dinner, then it is indeed an issue going forward.
Especially when considering that Gakpo and Diaz both earn less than him, with the former on £120k-per-week and Diaz taking home just £55k-per-week, as per reports. Nunez, meanwhile, rakes in a reported £140k-per-week.
Both wingers have enjoyed a rich vein of form this season and they are jockeying with each other for a starting berth on the left flank, though that is to the detriment of neither, which makes an interesting comment on the regard that Liverpool fans have for the respective stars.
Nunez, conversely, feels like he’s only occupying the striker’s position because Jota has been sidelined with an injury.
Slot featured the Portugal international prominently throughout the opening months of the campaign and you’d wager that he will do so again once he has returned to full fitness.
Jota has returned to training as he strives to hit full match fitness in the coming weeks. Nunez will be eyeing the forthcoming Premier League fixture at home to Fulham, who are missing key defenders through injury, with an air of suppressed desperation.
He knows that an upswing is needed quickly if he is to finally reach the heights that Klopp envisaged when bringing him to Merseyside for a record fee.
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Liverpool are growing frustrated with the misfiring Darwin Nunez.
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