Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has stated that he wouldn’t have wanted to come up against Darwin Nunez as an opponent very frequently.
Nunez was signed from Benfica by the Reds during the summer transfer window for £85 million. The Uruguayan is a physically strong player and possesses great skills along with goalscoring prowess.
He has made six appearances for the Anfield-based side this season, scoring two goals and providing one assist. While his form hasn’t been extraordinary, the player’s talent is noticeable.
While speaking to The Daily Mail, Carragher pointed out that he, like any other defender, would have found Nunez a unique problem to deal with as he said:
“I would have found him a handful, I think anyone would, It is just where Liverpool can have that connection with him. But the size, the pace, the power of him, he has a great goal-scoring record, you don’t want to be coming up against him too often.”
Before arriving in the Premier League, Nunez scored 48 goals and provided 18 assists in 85 games for Benfica. He also scored against the Reds in both legs of their quarter-finals clash in the Champions League last season. However, Jurgen Klopp is still working to find the best system that would bring the best out of the forward.
Liverpool’s form this season hasn’t been the best in general. In six Premier League games, the Reds have managed only nine points and currently sit in ninth spot in the league table.
They lost their opening UEFA Champions League game against Napoli by a massive margin of 4-1. However, Klopp’s side returned to winning ways with a 2-1 triumph against Ajax on Matchday 2.
Jurgen Klopp analyzed Liverpool’s performance against Ajax
While the Reds had to wait for a 89th-minute winner from Joel Matip to get the better of Ajax in the Champions League, they dominated the Dutch side for the majority of the game. The Reds’ had the majority of the possesion (57 percent) and had a whopping 24 shots as compared to the Dutch side’s three.
While speaking to the media after the game, here’s what the German tactician had to say (via the Liverpool Echo):
“The story of the game is typical. We did a lot of good stuff and played a really good game; we had something like 25 shots, which is good against a strong side full of confidence, and we caused them a lot of problems. Our high press was good; the midfield press was good.”
The former FSV Mainz 05 coach continued by saying:
“And then, 1-0 up, you concede with the first chance of the opponent … the equaliser. That’s what I mean, it’s typical, a proper setback. The reaction was okay, not perfect but okay.”
Liverpool will have to wait until October when they face Brighton & Hove Albion to get back on to the field.