Hidden beneath the surface of Arne Slot’s trouble-free start to life as Liverpool boss is one gnarly issue.
What to do with Darwin Nunez.
The Uruguay forward has only three goals in 19 appearances so far this season – and Reds fans have told us earlier on this page how “out of sorts” he looked as some more chances went begging at Girona on Tuesday.
Afterwards Slot defended Nunez: “I can agree he missed quite a few chances [but] I think every striker all around the world has periods where every ball goes in, and sometimes he has a period when you try so hard but you’re not able to score.”
This is not new territory for Nunez. Now into his third year at Anfield, and presumably entering his prime at 25 years old, the signing from Benfica – who cost an initial £64m – arguably ought to be a firm fixture in the starting XI.
Instead, he is on the fringes, starting only half of Liverpool’s games so far this season.
So is he going backwards – or is his position just unavoidable collateral in an historically good start to the season?
The 2023-24 season was fruitful for Nunez. Eighteen goals and 13 assists was an excellent return for a player who had blown hot and cold in his debut campaign.
Initially dubbed an “agent of chaos”, he seemed to have added end product to his wildcard tendencies up front. He particularly impressed over winter last season, bagging five goals in a run of six wins in seven Premier League games from 26 December.
However, the seeds of his fall from the team were sown in the final weeks of Jurgen Klopp’s reign, starting just one of the final eight games.
That trend has continued – but have his stats dipped as well?
Maybe it is unfair to draw too many conclusions. After all, Nunez has only had 30 shots in total this season – and a 10% conversion rate is in line with previous years.
What is clear, though, is that he is far from a guaranteed starter in Slot’s side and will continue to divide opinion among Liverpool fans.
A fit and firing Nunez would surely be a huge boost to the Reds as they fight on four fronts for silverware.
But then again, so would a similar Diogo Jota, who may well walk straight back into the side when he returns.
