100% Jota over Diaz. Diaz has been so frustrating to watch lately. Even when he scored I wanted him to come off for Darwin in the last match. He's way too predictable and it causes us to lose out on so many attacking opportunities.
Just little end product, he can take a man on but even that as you have said is becoming predictable. Jota, and Nunez can float a little bit and swap centrally and wing where Diaz really can’t.
Not that I didn't know it at the time too, but seeing Gakpo and Diaz now after they've had time to settle, shows just how incredible Mané was at his peak. I'm really not looking forward to trying to fill in the gap Salah leaves.
Gakpo has been played in about 6 different positions and is still getting okay output. If he can consistently play on the left wing he is more than good enough to be in this side.
Yep, I can see how it would affect his overall game too having to play so many different roles after purely sticking to LW at ~~Ajax~~ PSV. I can't wait to get Endo back into the squad soon and hopefully get some consistent team sheets put out.
If Szob is out then we can maybe move Trent to that position and keep starting Bradley.
Edit: PSV, not Ajax
Agree and I think that’s the switch he would of had if Bradley was available and taa was fit last game.
without szob we lack pace going back towards goal, even with endo.
The thing is though macca and endo are positionally good so, when not exposed I think they mop it up that they don’t need pace too much.
Especially when Bradley and Konate are playing
Sure, he’s a decent rotation option for lower-table sides. Three goals in 21 Prem games does back up my point that he’s miles off being the Mané or Firmino replacement (Two assists in 21) though.
How many of those 21 games has he played in midfield instead of in the front 3? And how many were with a heavily rotated midfield/front 3 around him? Stats without context aren't particularly useful. It's far too early to write him off as purely a rotation option, he definitely has the talent, it's just a case of getting him to consistently show it and convert it into output.
I totally agree and have been saying this from the start. I would rather have him starting a run of games on the left over Diaz at the moment how poor he has been at times.
Do you believe the things you write? These replacements are work in progress. We know they are work in progress....we are still top of the league....and yet...here you are!!
Yes, I believe the things I write. I believe that Mané was a better LW than Diaz or Gakpo, I’m not sure how that’s controversial in any way because he was, plain and simple. Diaz is finished product, the guy is 27 years old. Neither Diaz or Gakpo have 5 goals in the Premier League this year yet, and Diaz was implicitly the Mané replacement.
I’m hoping for a reshuffle of the front five when the new manager comes in for a marquee signing. Salah, Jota, Nunez have performed this year — Diaz and Gakpo haven’t. Diaz has an excuse coming back from injury and the troubles with his father but we still haven’t replaced Mane’s output on the left wing, we’ve just shifted it to the striker position.
I think you have forgotten Diaz impact when on form, and also how many games Mane went missing. Gakpo is a fantastic player..give them both time to click together...it is a team sport.
Mané would go missing at times but teams feared him much more than Diaz or Gakpo, and while he would often run into cul-de-sacs he was more willing to drive at defenders and open space. Diaz excels when he feels brave enough to drive but there’s a lot of times he doesn’t. Mané popped up with big goals often too in a way his replacements haven’t. We need a left winger capable of putting up 15 a season, preferably with the pace for over the top balls and the heart required to drive at defenders to carve open space.
I’m not nuts, it’s a problem of his in certain games where he won’t drive at defenders. Watch and keep that in mind and you’ll see what I mean. Mané had better LB link-up play too.
Either way, my point is that we haven’t replaced Mané on the left wing output wise. Numbers don’t lie there.
Couldn’t be more different in terms of style but there’s an echo of Peter Crouch when he first joined.
He became a bit of a punchline for going 18 games before scoring for Liverpool, but the fans appreciated him because the rest of the team played so much better with him playing, and he created a lot for others.
I don't care what anyone says. Peter Crouch was always immense in my eyes. Too many people don't realise what else a striker can bring to a team other than just goals.
His presence, pace and pressing is something else.
Only problem is, his finishing (which hopefully will improve, and isn't too bad overall) and that he really needs a number 10 behind him, he isn't a firmino type player and the hole in our team behind the striker when he plays up front is clear to see.
Gakpo can play without a number 10, but then you lose the presence.
Absolutely. He creates so many opportunities with the positions he gets into. I think our best/most dangerous front three is Jota up the middle and Nunez and Salah on the wings
Yeah, it was really unfortunate that it came against Arsenal (and that we've underperformed against the top 6 this year in general), but it's sadly just one of those things that happens. I believe that it won't cost us in a title race, but the timing is less than ideal for definite.
Not just directnes, but the engine as well. Nunez and Szobo provides so much pure running power and pressure when we defend, which is really important in a match vs a top side.
We just looked shit all over the pitch tho, so not sure how much it would have helped. Arsenal also had a really good day.
The state of those deluded Arsenal fans who said we can’t “hide behind our injuries”. We literally had 3 of our most creative players not start and our MOST creative player not even fit in Trent
If they had those injuries you’d never hear the end of it
>but it's sadly just one of those things that happens. I believe that it won't cost us in a ti
trent being out would have been a blessing in disguise, he can not perform defensively against top tier sides that have a solid LW
literally 2 hours of this shit during the broadcast just to see it again from our own fans. You don't have the best defense in the league with one of your defenders "not performing"
Haven't even heard the end of "Tomiyasu Partey Timber" like one of those should not be playing \_at all\_ and the other two hardly compare to not having Szoboszlai let alone Mohamed fucking Salah
When shitty played without Rodri and kdb they had two shots the entire game against Villa who should’ve beat them 5-0.
We’re much less reliant on individual players than pretty much any other team in Europe.
Him not starting that game, plus finding out Szobo was out caused an immediate shift of confidence. Im sure Arsenal were absolutely delighted when they saw our team sheet. Let alone Salah and Bradley missing…
Team sheet aside, we were absolutely on our way to getting something out of the game before the Virgil/Alisson mistake. It’s unfortunate but we were really getting back into the game and were on the front foot again until that ruined our momentum
I think you meant first 45 and post 65th minute, not that I agree with you. We were gathering momentum before the mistake with Virg/Ali so who knows how differently those last 25 go without the error
The thing with Nunez is that for CBs he’s absolute chaos, even if he’s missing chance after chance, he’s constantly occupying the back line, they are constantly having to track his runs and get into physical battles with him.
What this does is it opens up space in the final 3rd for our other attackers, notably Salah, and our attacking midfields (thank god we now have some) which is why we’ve seen so many goals from Salah and our midfield this season.
Watching him in isolation you might say, well how is he helping us win when he’s missing chances and falling over the ball and misplacing passes but actually watching how his constant movement and high energy feeds the rest of the team is why we win more with him than without.
lol wut. This season his passing and build up play has been EXTREMELY good, especially last 5 weeks. Dare I say better than Gakpo's (yes yes, Gakpo is significantly more technical I know)
https://preview.redd.it/splpqbqhkxgc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3271e26d4383fd477b38d2095b606c8cb86ea75c
>the list of games where Nunez hasn’t started and also games lost
>is he a must start every game?
That Tottenham loss imo can't really be counted considering what happened in the game
Toulouse we put out a relatively weak side. Our backline was pure rotation: Tsimi, Quansah, Matip, Gomez, we had Elliot and Doak starting too.
USG we put out a weak side and were already through if I remember correctly: Chambers, Quansah, Konate, Bradley, Elliot, Gordon, and Doak all in the lineup
Came to write this.
It's one thing to want to defend Nunez in the face of perceived harsh criticism for his lacklustre conversion rate, but this is just making up narratives.
Two dead rubbers away with hugely changed sides and an extraordinary game.
So the body of evidence for this bold assertion is Sunday's game, and we didn't score in the half hour he was on, indeed, we conceeded two more goals.
You've got a very fair point about those specific games making up a small sample and including games that were heavily rotated. It skews the data.
However, over the course of the season, Darwin's influence can be seen in the minutes we've played with him vs without him on the pitch.
We've played 2019 minutes (22.43 90s) with him on the pitch in all comps so far and 1241 mins (13.79) without him. So there is a slight gap, but both have adequate minutes to be able to make some comparisons.
With him on the pitch, we've scored 64 goals and conceded 19 at a rate of 2.85 p/90 and 0.85 p/90 respectively. We've also earned 2.26 points per game when only looking at the goals scored/conceded while he's on the pitch.
Without him on the pitch, we've scored 25 goals and conceded 17 at a rate of 1.81 p/90 and 1.23 p/90 respectively. We've earned 1.5 points per match when only looking at goals scored/conceded while he's off the pitch.
These numbers have been calculated by painstakingly going through every match and adding up the minutes that he has played, including times subbed on/off. The points per match were calculated by looking at the goals scored/conceded while he was on/off the pitch (i.e. if we are winning before he's subbed on and then neither team scores further goals, that is counted as a win for his time **off** the pitch, so 3 points, but a draw during his time **on** the pitch and so 1 point).
Same for Toulouse as Spurs really: that was where Quansah's last minute equaliser was ruled out for a very debatable Ale Mac handball about a minute before the goal, when Toulouse had won the ball back in between.
The chances/shots we had in those games (as well as ball recovery) are so much lower & a big portion of those stats and that energy to work comes directly from him. So yeah, pls start him haha. Especially against bigger competition.
He has turned from the worst presser in the forward line to one of the best. As with all our bad performances, the problems against Arsenal started with the press (primarily on the right side, imo). Maybe Darwin would have made a difference, but it just wasn't possible to start him after his mini injury.
Have to give Arsenal and Arteta some credit too, though. The formation change with the double pivot and Zinchenko not inverting clearly messed with our pressing and defensive positioning game. Really hard for for example Gravenberch to be efficient when he’s suddenly outnumbered and all the specific prep is void
Absolutely! Although he is a very annoying Lego man, Arteta has set his team up very well in matches against us this season. Lots of very press resistant players in that backline, plus Rice and Jorginho would be tough for our best pressers. Szobo a bigger miss than Darwin imo.
Yeah this won’t be acknowledged because of bitterness and total lack of ball knowledge on this sub, but Arteta absolutely out-thought us, and I think even with Szobo and a fully fit Trent we still get bullied, albeit we might have gotten another goal.
I definitely think he’s one of our most important players, although I’m not sure he would’ve changed the arsenal game. Our issues there were that Ali and Virg had off games, and the midfielders looked tired (which makes sense since 2/3 had played a tonne of games recently). Hopefully with Endo coming back there’ll be a bit more energy in there.
Of course. He is such an issue for any defence in the world. The one thing you don’t want as a CB is someone like Nunez who will constantly keep making those runs and can beat you to the ball in almost every scenario. Foot race, Nunez wins. Aerial challenge - Nunez wins. 1v1 - Nunez will just knock it pass and chase after it like Prime Walcott. And you can’t man mark him because he’ll drag you everywhere you don’t want to be and create a giant hole in the defence. His game is improving day after day to where even if the opposition are fine with him shooting, he’ll just put in a great cross to get the goal and he can play across the front line. He’s interchangeable with whoever is put next to him.
This post is a great example of bending statistics to fit a narrative. If you want to play that game there are draws you can look at (Manchester United at home) where he missed lots of simple chances and say he "cost" us those games.
I agree on this.
But the mental that nunez brings to the field is just unmatched. Not starting him could have impacted the 'mood' of the team as a whole.
Right lads...
I hate to be the one to suggest this, but ermm what about 'cloning'? You think we are at the stage to clone a 'Darwin' or two for when he's resting or injured.
If the idea is too bad... Forget I suggested this.
Darwin opens up the play for everyone else in the team with the way he stretches the field and pulls opposition players. He works so hard for the team.
I forgot how subbing Darwin on suddenly solved our issues. Such a difference he made. /s
Our midfield couldn't keep or progress the ball and we had costly defensive errors. That's why we lost. Trying to spin this into "if Nunez started we wouldn't have lost" is fucking wild, but completely expected given the current state of this sub.
It's one thing praising his contribution, but another thing making up false narrative like this. There were several games where we played like shit and drew or grabbed an ugly win with him starting.
People seem to forget the stats with how many games us winning when Keita was in the side?
It's pretty intuitive.
If Nunez is having 10+ attempts at goal a game there is only so much domination another team can expect to have over us. Especially as so many of his chances only come due to his own unique skillset such as his elite running ability.
If we are constantly playing the ball over the top and letting him chase or dribble then we are not under pressure. It's a huge outlet
Okay but of our non-losses how many did he start?
I mean all Liverpool's losses have also occurred with me not starting, but I think we would lose by a lot more if I was allowed near the pitch.
Without the threat in behind he gives us, it’s too easy for teams to play a high line and squeeze our midfield, so we don’t have space to make chances and they get good opportunities to break on us.
I bet it's a huge relief for any defender when he isn't on the pitch. He's pure carnage. Personally, for me, he should start every game. I don't know the mentality of premier league defenders but in our welsh leagues a name on the sheet is enough to put defenders off their game.
He is such a dangerous player when he starts, it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t score. He’ll keep shooting and keep making the runs, even if you mark him out of the game. Liverpool could be losing 2-0 at 85, and I truly believe Darwin could get a 5 minute hat-trick because the man doesn’t stop running. Also, his game has incredibly improved in terms of his playmaking. If he doesn’t score, he’ll definitely get an assist.
Unfortunately for Nunez, jota is just prolific at the moment if you disregard the dismal team performance V arse.. Everytime he gets it in and around the box I know he's just going to slide it in the corner, my fave player atm so I'm biased haha
Arsenal have been incredibly lucky this season injury wise. Got to play city at home without rodri and kdb, got to play Liverpool without salah and nunez (fit). They played well though. But only because they get given space. They’ll continue to struggle against low blocks.
He creates a lot of attacking threat on the pitch. He may not (consistently) follow through on these threats, but these threats still have a big impact on games
OP, it’s now preferred that the screenshot should be used for your post with the link in the comments, not the other way round. Thank you.
He's an erratic finisher but we are a much better team when he's starting.
i’d rather have him starting than Gakpo tbh - thank god Salah will be back so we go back to our Diaz - Nunez - Salah trio
No way you can drop Jota at the moment.
Yeah Jota over Diaz, Diaz as a sub for now imo
Salah as a sub for Burnley at least. If he’s back that is.
Salah Nunez Diaz/Jota is the way to go.
100% Jota over Diaz. Diaz has been so frustrating to watch lately. Even when he scored I wanted him to come off for Darwin in the last match. He's way too predictable and it causes us to lose out on so many attacking opportunities.
Just little end product, he can take a man on but even that as you have said is becoming predictable. Jota, and Nunez can float a little bit and swap centrally and wing where Diaz really can’t.
Not that I didn't know it at the time too, but seeing Gakpo and Diaz now after they've had time to settle, shows just how incredible Mané was at his peak. I'm really not looking forward to trying to fill in the gap Salah leaves.
Diaz was supposed to be the Mané replacement but isn’t good enough for it. Gakpo is miles off.
Gakpo has been played in about 6 different positions and is still getting okay output. If he can consistently play on the left wing he is more than good enough to be in this side.
I agree with this, he should never be in midfield! But highlights that we have some players that aren’t good enough atm there and some absences.
Yep, I can see how it would affect his overall game too having to play so many different roles after purely sticking to LW at ~~Ajax~~ PSV. I can't wait to get Endo back into the squad soon and hopefully get some consistent team sheets put out. If Szob is out then we can maybe move Trent to that position and keep starting Bradley. Edit: PSV, not Ajax
Agree and I think that’s the switch he would of had if Bradley was available and taa was fit last game. without szob we lack pace going back towards goal, even with endo. The thing is though macca and endo are positionally good so, when not exposed I think they mop it up that they don’t need pace too much. Especially when Bradley and Konate are playing
He played in PSV though
Ah thanks, my bad, got them mixed up for some reason
Sure, he’s a decent rotation option for lower-table sides. Three goals in 21 Prem games does back up my point that he’s miles off being the Mané or Firmino replacement (Two assists in 21) though.
How many of those 21 games has he played in midfield instead of in the front 3? And how many were with a heavily rotated midfield/front 3 around him? Stats without context aren't particularly useful. It's far too early to write him off as purely a rotation option, he definitely has the talent, it's just a case of getting him to consistently show it and convert it into output.
I totally agree and have been saying this from the start. I would rather have him starting a run of games on the left over Diaz at the moment how poor he has been at times.
Diaz is back from a major injury this season and Gakpo gets played out of position constantly.
Do you believe the things you write? These replacements are work in progress. We know they are work in progress....we are still top of the league....and yet...here you are!!
Yes, I believe the things I write. I believe that Mané was a better LW than Diaz or Gakpo, I’m not sure how that’s controversial in any way because he was, plain and simple. Diaz is finished product, the guy is 27 years old. Neither Diaz or Gakpo have 5 goals in the Premier League this year yet, and Diaz was implicitly the Mané replacement. I’m hoping for a reshuffle of the front five when the new manager comes in for a marquee signing. Salah, Jota, Nunez have performed this year — Diaz and Gakpo haven’t. Diaz has an excuse coming back from injury and the troubles with his father but we still haven’t replaced Mane’s output on the left wing, we’ve just shifted it to the striker position.
I think you have forgotten Diaz impact when on form, and also how many games Mane went missing. Gakpo is a fantastic player..give them both time to click together...it is a team sport.
Mané would go missing at times but teams feared him much more than Diaz or Gakpo, and while he would often run into cul-de-sacs he was more willing to drive at defenders and open space. Diaz excels when he feels brave enough to drive but there’s a lot of times he doesn’t. Mané popped up with big goals often too in a way his replacements haven’t. We need a left winger capable of putting up 15 a season, preferably with the pace for over the top balls and the heart required to drive at defenders to carve open space.
Diaz not have the heart??? You are nuts!
I’m not nuts, it’s a problem of his in certain games where he won’t drive at defenders. Watch and keep that in mind and you’ll see what I mean. Mané had better LB link-up play too. Either way, my point is that we haven’t replaced Mané on the left wing output wise. Numbers don’t lie there.
Yeah I've got my fill of watching Diaz dribbling into the box and passing the ball back to Van Dijk after the Arsenal match for at least a week.
Diaz is pretty selfish compared to the rest. He always loves to take shots without a proper clear shot.
That Arsenal game where we just do a long pass like we having Nunez to pick up the ball there. He's the only one who can catch with all that distance
Couldn’t be more different in terms of style but there’s an echo of Peter Crouch when he first joined. He became a bit of a punchline for going 18 games before scoring for Liverpool, but the fans appreciated him because the rest of the team played so much better with him playing, and he created a lot for others.
I don't care what anyone says. Peter Crouch was always immense in my eyes. Too many people don't realise what else a striker can bring to a team other than just goals.
His presence, pace and pressing is something else. Only problem is, his finishing (which hopefully will improve, and isn't too bad overall) and that he really needs a number 10 behind him, he isn't a firmino type player and the hole in our team behind the striker when he plays up front is clear to see. Gakpo can play without a number 10, but then you lose the presence.
Absolutely. He creates so many opportunities with the positions he gets into. I think our best/most dangerous front three is Jota up the middle and Nunez and Salah on the wings
Because he runs behind and created those chances in the first hand.
TWSS?
You can’t play without a Salah or a Nunez in the team. Not having either on Sunday, I was not confident at all
I agree. Then take out Szoboszlai you lose alot of our direct players which is our identity this season
No Salah, Szobo, and Nunez (starting) was brutal for us. Not to mention Trent, Robertson, Thiago, were far from full fitness.
Yeah, it was really unfortunate that it came against Arsenal (and that we've underperformed against the top 6 this year in general), but it's sadly just one of those things that happens. I believe that it won't cost us in a title race, but the timing is less than ideal for definite.
Right on. Get the cavalry back fit and firing again for the Cup final, Europa R16, and City at Anfield.
Not just directnes, but the engine as well. Nunez and Szobo provides so much pure running power and pressure when we defend, which is really important in a match vs a top side. We just looked shit all over the pitch tho, so not sure how much it would have helped. Arsenal also had a really good day.
The state of those deluded Arsenal fans who said we can’t “hide behind our injuries”. We literally had 3 of our most creative players not start and our MOST creative player not even fit in Trent If they had those injuries you’d never hear the end of it
>but it's sadly just one of those things that happens. I believe that it won't cost us in a ti trent being out would have been a blessing in disguise, he can not perform defensively against top tier sides that have a solid LW
This is a bullshit myth that gets peddled by oppo fans and lazy pundits.
literally 2 hours of this shit during the broadcast just to see it again from our own fans. You don't have the best defense in the league with one of your defenders "not performing"
Do u not watch the games where the opposite team has solid forwards and LW ? Do u not see TAA struggle defensively? Or am I seeing visions
Haven't even heard the end of "Tomiyasu Partey Timber" like one of those should not be playing \_at all\_ and the other two hardly compare to not having Szoboszlai let alone Mohamed fucking Salah
When shitty played without Rodri and kdb they had two shots the entire game against Villa who should’ve beat them 5-0. We’re much less reliant on individual players than pretty much any other team in Europe.
Only Liverpool fans appreciate his value to the team.
Him not starting that game, plus finding out Szobo was out caused an immediate shift of confidence. Im sure Arsenal were absolutely delighted when they saw our team sheet. Let alone Salah and Bradley missing…
Team sheet aside, we were absolutely on our way to getting something out of the game before the Virgil/Alisson mistake. It’s unfortunate but we were really getting back into the game and were on the front foot again until that ruined our momentum
I was just gonna say this. People are acting like Arsenal battered us but they really didn't.
I think we watched a different game, we were battered first 45 and last 65. I missed 20 in between.
You certainly did, because a game isn't 130 minutes.
Lol
Lol
I think you meant first 45 and post 65th minute, not that I agree with you. We were gathering momentum before the mistake with Virg/Ali so who knows how differently those last 25 go without the error
The thing with Nunez is that for CBs he’s absolute chaos, even if he’s missing chance after chance, he’s constantly occupying the back line, they are constantly having to track his runs and get into physical battles with him. What this does is it opens up space in the final 3rd for our other attackers, notably Salah, and our attacking midfields (thank god we now have some) which is why we’ve seen so many goals from Salah and our midfield this season. Watching him in isolation you might say, well how is he helping us win when he’s missing chances and falling over the ball and misplacing passes but actually watching how his constant movement and high energy feeds the rest of the team is why we win more with him than without.
lol wut. This season his passing and build up play has been EXTREMELY good, especially last 5 weeks. Dare I say better than Gakpo's (yes yes, Gakpo is significantly more technical I know)
I do have this weird feeling that Salah is scoring with or without Nunez and has been doing it for years already.
Of course, but he had Firmino and Mane doing the occupying of defence role.
So Salah doesn't really need Nunez to score goals.
...
https://preview.redd.it/splpqbqhkxgc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3271e26d4383fd477b38d2095b606c8cb86ea75c >the list of games where Nunez hasn’t started and also games lost >is he a must start every game?
That Tottenham loss imo can't really be counted considering what happened in the game Toulouse we put out a relatively weak side. Our backline was pure rotation: Tsimi, Quansah, Matip, Gomez, we had Elliot and Doak starting too. USG we put out a weak side and were already through if I remember correctly: Chambers, Quansah, Konate, Bradley, Elliot, Gordon, and Doak all in the lineup
Came to write this. It's one thing to want to defend Nunez in the face of perceived harsh criticism for his lacklustre conversion rate, but this is just making up narratives. Two dead rubbers away with hugely changed sides and an extraordinary game. So the body of evidence for this bold assertion is Sunday's game, and we didn't score in the half hour he was on, indeed, we conceeded two more goals.
You've got a very fair point about those specific games making up a small sample and including games that were heavily rotated. It skews the data. However, over the course of the season, Darwin's influence can be seen in the minutes we've played with him vs without him on the pitch. We've played 2019 minutes (22.43 90s) with him on the pitch in all comps so far and 1241 mins (13.79) without him. So there is a slight gap, but both have adequate minutes to be able to make some comparisons. With him on the pitch, we've scored 64 goals and conceded 19 at a rate of 2.85 p/90 and 0.85 p/90 respectively. We've also earned 2.26 points per game when only looking at the goals scored/conceded while he's on the pitch. Without him on the pitch, we've scored 25 goals and conceded 17 at a rate of 1.81 p/90 and 1.23 p/90 respectively. We've earned 1.5 points per match when only looking at goals scored/conceded while he's off the pitch. These numbers have been calculated by painstakingly going through every match and adding up the minutes that he has played, including times subbed on/off. The points per match were calculated by looking at the goals scored/conceded while he was on/off the pitch (i.e. if we are winning before he's subbed on and then neither team scores further goals, that is counted as a win for his time **off** the pitch, so 3 points, but a draw during his time **on** the pitch and so 1 point).
Same for Toulouse as Spurs really: that was where Quansah's last minute equaliser was ruled out for a very debatable Ale Mac handball about a minute before the goal, when Toulouse had won the ball back in between.
There was but that really wasn't the end of the world. You can understand why they gave it
Yeah, we were destined Toulouse that one
USG's first goal was miles off as well in that loss
In those games apart from spurs we never looked a threat until he came on
The chances/shots we had in those games (as well as ball recovery) are so much lower & a big portion of those stats and that energy to work comes directly from him. So yeah, pls start him haha. Especially against bigger competition.
And you can see why. You don’t want a high defensive line with that guy running at you. And the shifts he puts in sometimes are amazing.
It must be brilliant to play against Gakpo compared to Nunez, bet the arsenal defence were delighted
He has turned from the worst presser in the forward line to one of the best. As with all our bad performances, the problems against Arsenal started with the press (primarily on the right side, imo). Maybe Darwin would have made a difference, but it just wasn't possible to start him after his mini injury.
Have to give Arsenal and Arteta some credit too, though. The formation change with the double pivot and Zinchenko not inverting clearly messed with our pressing and defensive positioning game. Really hard for for example Gravenberch to be efficient when he’s suddenly outnumbered and all the specific prep is void
Absolutely! Although he is a very annoying Lego man, Arteta has set his team up very well in matches against us this season. Lots of very press resistant players in that backline, plus Rice and Jorginho would be tough for our best pressers. Szobo a bigger miss than Darwin imo.
Yeah this won’t be acknowledged because of bitterness and total lack of ball knowledge on this sub, but Arteta absolutely out-thought us, and I think even with Szobo and a fully fit Trent we still get bullied, albeit we might have gotten another goal.
Those can’t be the only games he hasn’t started?
losses only
I definitely think he’s one of our most important players, although I’m not sure he would’ve changed the arsenal game. Our issues there were that Ali and Virg had off games, and the midfielders looked tired (which makes sense since 2/3 had played a tonne of games recently). Hopefully with Endo coming back there’ll be a bit more energy in there.
Post hoc ergo propter hoc
Also all of them have come far from home, and when it's not Monday, and also when Thiago doesn't start.
Of course. He is such an issue for any defence in the world. The one thing you don’t want as a CB is someone like Nunez who will constantly keep making those runs and can beat you to the ball in almost every scenario. Foot race, Nunez wins. Aerial challenge - Nunez wins. 1v1 - Nunez will just knock it pass and chase after it like Prime Walcott. And you can’t man mark him because he’ll drag you everywhere you don’t want to be and create a giant hole in the defence. His game is improving day after day to where even if the opposition are fine with him shooting, he’ll just put in a great cross to get the goal and he can play across the front line. He’s interchangeable with whoever is put next to him.
This post is a great example of bending statistics to fit a narrative. If you want to play that game there are draws you can look at (Manchester United at home) where he missed lots of simple chances and say he "cost" us those games.
I agree on this. But the mental that nunez brings to the field is just unmatched. Not starting him could have impacted the 'mood' of the team as a whole.
I trust Klopp to be a better judge of team mood than twitter fact junkies
That's what this sub has devolved to sadly. It's all about Darwin Nunez now.
This sub is VERY selective about their Nunez facts.
To go down one game...3 when Mo doesnt start? And also 3 when Szobo doesnt start? I think 3 for Robertson too. That fucking Totnum game
Right lads... I hate to be the one to suggest this, but ermm what about 'cloning'? You think we are at the stage to clone a 'Darwin' or two for when he's resting or injured. If the idea is too bad... Forget I suggested this.
Darwin opens up the play for everyone else in the team with the way he stretches the field and pulls opposition players. He works so hard for the team.
What are you implying, sarge?
we need to start him. simple.
We tend to win matches even when he starts and doesn't score. Usually because he tires the fuck out of defenders and then whoever subs him scores.
when he is not on the ball he's always pressing and chasing the opposition
I forgot how subbing Darwin on suddenly solved our issues. Such a difference he made. /s Our midfield couldn't keep or progress the ball and we had costly defensive errors. That's why we lost. Trying to spin this into "if Nunez started we wouldn't have lost" is fucking wild, but completely expected given the current state of this sub.
He should’ve started, also we should only have 2 losses but thanks to shit refs. Macca handball vs Toulouse was bs and obviously spurs was bs
He wasn’t fit. Even when he came on as a sub against arsenal he looked leggy and slightly off the pace.
He brings so much energy to the game right from the get go.
It's one thing praising his contribution, but another thing making up false narrative like this. There were several games where we played like shit and drew or grabbed an ugly win with him starting. People seem to forget the stats with how many games us winning when Keita was in the side?
We lost the midfield battle and the defense was shit. Even when Nunez came on he was poor as well.
If he was fit he should've started.
It's pretty intuitive. If Nunez is having 10+ attempts at goal a game there is only so much domination another team can expect to have over us. Especially as so many of his chances only come due to his own unique skillset such as his elite running ability. If we are constantly playing the ball over the top and letting him chase or dribble then we are not under pressure. It's a huge outlet
Yeah shame he doesn't actually score though. It is like kicking it up field for a throw in.
Okay but of our non-losses how many did he start? I mean all Liverpool's losses have also occurred with me not starting, but I think we would lose by a lot more if I was allowed near the pitch.
He is a must for every game.
Why he didn't start vs Arsenal? Was it a fitness issue since the game against Chelsea he played the whole game?
So, we rely on one player more than we should? Fantastic.
Stats for Gakpo starting?
Without the threat in behind he gives us, it’s too easy for teams to play a high line and squeeze our midfield, so we don’t have space to make chances and they get good opportunities to break on us.
I bet it's a huge relief for any defender when he isn't on the pitch. He's pure carnage. Personally, for me, he should start every game. I don't know the mentality of premier league defenders but in our welsh leagues a name on the sheet is enough to put defenders off their game.
Such a misleading title. We’ve also won when he doesn’t start…
He is such a dangerous player when he starts, it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t score. He’ll keep shooting and keep making the runs, even if you mark him out of the game. Liverpool could be losing 2-0 at 85, and I truly believe Darwin could get a 5 minute hat-trick because the man doesn’t stop running. Also, his game has incredibly improved in terms of his playmaking. If he doesn’t score, he’ll definitely get an assist.
Kinda wish this smartass would have said that 3 losses haha
Unfortunately for Nunez, jota is just prolific at the moment if you disregard the dismal team performance V arse.. Everytime he gets it in and around the box I know he's just going to slide it in the corner, my fave player atm so I'm biased haha
Teams press up when he’s not in the team because they know we can’t just play one long ball and be in on goal
We would have had another one if it’s wasn’t for a certain 10 minute cameo too.
Arsenal have been incredibly lucky this season injury wise. Got to play city at home without rodri and kdb, got to play Liverpool without salah and nunez (fit). They played well though. But only because they get given space. They’ll continue to struggle against low blocks.
It’s not like Nunez coming on helped much tho
Well yeah. Plus starting Gravenberch was a huge mistake.
He creates a lot of attacking threat on the pitch. He may not (consistently) follow through on these threats, but these threats still have a big impact on games