Liverpool FC Forum

Wish I could find the video of the breakdown I saw on Nunez a month or so ago. It was really insightful.

As I recall the bottom line was, Nunez ?, a lot of "Flash" but sadly not much else. Passing poor, Decision making questionable , working back non existent, finishing selfish/ambitious (?)

Has his pace and dribbling elevated him into "one to watch", or is he just a "show pony " looking good playing in an average league ?

IMO, A lot of work to be done with this fella, maybe Jurgens the man who can do it .

Not holding my breath on this one.

I’m the same woof, can’t say I’m blown away by what i’ve seen of him, our recruitment has been off the charts lately though so i’ll leave it to the club

woof woof ! » Thu Jun 09, 2022 7:52 pm wrote:Wish I could find the video of the breakdown I saw on Nunez a month or so ago. It was really insightful.

As I recall the bottom line was, Nunez ?, a lot of "Flash" but sadly not much else. Passing poor, Decision making questionable , working back non existent, finishing selfish/ambitious (?)

Has his pace and dribbling elevated him into "one to watch", or is he just a "show pony " looking good playing in an average league ?

IMO, A lot of work to be done with this fella, maybe Jurgens the man who can do it .

Not holding my breath on this one.

When we played them in the Champions League there wasn't much chance to have a look at his build up play and passing as we dominated the ball. But no way his working back is "non existent". He worked his socks off helping his midfield.

woof woof ! » Thu Jun 09, 2022 7:52 pm wrote:Wish I could find the video of the breakdown I saw on Nunez a month or so ago. It was really insightful.

As I recall the bottom line was, Nunez ?, a lot of "Flash" but sadly not much else. Passing poor, Decision making questionable , working back non existent, finishing selfish/ambitious (?)

Has his pace and dribbling elevated him into "one to watch", or is he just a "show pony " looking good playing in an average league ?

IMO, A lot of work to be done with this fella, maybe Jurgens the man who can do it .

Not holding my breath on this one.

I've seen Nunez play live at both the Estádio Da Luz and at Anfield and he impressed on both occasions,his directness and strength on the ball were major problems for our back four all night, he's got that sudden short burst of pace that Torres used to utilize to full effect ,in simplistic terms once he's past you and its down to a straight race ,forget it ,because he's already gone!

If we do manage to sign the lad then I've no doubts he will repay the fee back in spades ,as he's an extraordinarily talented instinctive finisher with both his head and feet. I've heard some fans voicing their reservations with regards to his passing ,but if we're seriously going to drop out of the battle for one of the most coveted forwards in world football over a part of his game that only needs slight improvement ?

I mean City took the chance with Haaland even with his injury record for Dortmund and the fact he's not the best at linking up the play,but like Nunez you cant pass up the opportunity when special players become available. I come away from Anfield knowing exactly why people were talking about the lad ,but I had more than an inkling of just what a player he could become if he fell under the tutelage of Klopp after the game in Portugal.

Klopp's Darwin Evolution: Nunez can TRANSFORM Liverpool's attack... the 6ft 2in Uruguayan is totally different to their other forwards, meaning the tried and tested 4-3-3 could make way for a whole new system with the £85m star leading the line
READ: Liverpool are ready to SMASH their transfer record to sign Darwin Nunez
READ: Hailed for his good looks and ignored by Barcelona - the making of Nunez
At 6ft 2in, Nunez would offer a totally different option to Liverpool's attack
Only Christian Benteke and Divock Origi have come in as orthodox No 9 strikers
He can play alone up top or wide, which could see evolution from a 4-3-3 system
By NATHAN SALT FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 22:00 BST, 9 June 2022 | UPDATED: 22:00 BST, 9 June 2022

Missing out on the Premier League title by a point and losing the Champions League final to a single goal proves that Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool are not missing much.

Their stunning quadruple chase ran through until late May, only to be dashed by Premier League champions Manchester City, and then in Paris amid chaotic scenes to Real Madrid.

Mohamed Salah was once again sublime; Diogo Jota provided 21 valuable goals in all competitions; Sadio Mane was electric, netting 23 of his own; Divock Origi and Roberto Firmino combined for 17 more; in attack, Klopp had an artillery at the envy of his rivals. 


But as good as this Liverpool side was - and is - it felt a puzzle piece short, an orthodox No 9 that really would give Klopp the freedom he needs to win it all. And that's what Darwin Nunez represents. Orthodox. Traditional. The type of striker Klopp has shied away from since moving on Christian Benteke in 2018. 


Klopp has gone for pace, not least because it's the one attribute that scares defenders most, and secondly it is absolutely imperative in the 4-3-3 gegenpressing system that he has hung his hat on to this point.

Mane and Salah have long had authority on the wings, with Firmino the glue-guy that made much of the interplay with a three-man midfield stick. 

And it was to be richly successful. They won a Premier League title sticking by that plan and those principles.

Evolution - and expect that word to come up a lot when more and more prose is written around Darwin Nunez - is a fact of life, though. Now feels a moment that even Klopp knows is time to target something new, rather than more of the same. 

Sportsmail revealed on Wednesday how Liverpool are ready to smash their transfer record to get the Uruguayan out of Benfica, with a fee totalling £85million.


It's a big fee for a club that has typically looked for more financially prudent deals, compared to some of their rivals.

Nunez, however, is a generational talent that Luis Suarez urged Barcelona to sign and both Diego Forlan and Edinson Cavani lobbied for Manchester United to get.

'[Nunez is a good fit] not only for the coach himself, who is a motivator and enthusiastic but also for the style of play he pushes,' Jose Gomes, Nunez's coach during his time in Spain with Almeira, told Portuguese newspaper Record.

'Klopp likes to look for spaces behind opposing defensive lines, which means that we can say that Darwin will feel like a fish in water, because speed and quick attack are characteristics that he favours.'

Nunez has a skillset that contrasts to that of Salah, Mane, Firmino, Jota, the departing Origi and the January acquisition, Luis Diaz. 


The first thing to note is that at 6ft 2in Nunez is excellent in the air, a real threat, something Klopp's front line has traded off in favour of speed and dribble penetration.

Take last season's frustrating 1-1 draw at Anfield against Tottenham, a match which, had they gone on to win that game may have reshaped the title race as we knew it.

In that game, Klopp's side produced 46 crosses - the most of any team in a single match throughout the 2021-22 season. Not one of the 46 beat Tottenham's Hugo Lloris. That's a problem.

Add in too that Trent Alexander-Arnold produced more crosses from right back than any player in the rest of the league. Service isn't the issue. Having size was.

Nunez doesn't have the muscle mass of Romelu Lukaku or, winding the clock back a touch, Didier Drogba in his heyday at Chelsea, but the Uruguayan relishes pinning himself to a centre back and going toe-to-toe in the physical battle.

You don't think a Uruguayan striker endorsed by Suarez would shirk the physical side of the game, do you?

It is Nunez's size, as well as his tactical versatility, that makes him incredibly appealing, not just to Liverpool.

Still only 22, he has shown an ability to be effective in a 4-4-2, a 3-4-3, a 4-2-3-1 and a 4-3-3 system.

Should Klopp elect to stick with his 4-3-3 system, expect Nunez to slot in between Salah, wide on the right, and Diaz, out on the left, with Mane almost certain to leave for Bayern Munich despite two opening bids rejected. 

Nunez is an instinctive finisher that has no qualms in staying high and pinned onto the defence.

Typically strikers find themselves itching to drop deeper and deeper in a bid to stay involved but playing this system in Portugal, Nunez has shown, if anything, his tendency is to rotate across the attack, typically interchanging with the left winger.

As a right-footed finisher, there is the pattern of play whereby he often drifts wide left to both drag the centre backs apart, but also to allow him to invert, cut inside back onto his right and curl for the far corner.

Analysed purely as a finisher, with any move likely to see him frequently compared to Manchester City-bound Erling Haaland, Nunez finds himself in truly elite company.

Only Robert Lewandowski (35), Kylian Mbappé (28), Karim Benzema (27) and Ciro Immobile (27) netted more league goals last season across Europe's top five leagues than Nunez did for Benfica.

In fact, as cited in a brilliant breakdown of his game by The Analyst, his league minutes-per-goal return of 76 minutes put him at No 1 in the same top five leagues for all strikers who got at least 1,000 minutes.

More? Take his Champions League performances, netting against Liverpool home and away no doubt left an impression on Klopp.

In that competition he took 16 shots and scored six goals. At a rate of 2.67 shots per goal, few critiques can be levelled at Nunez's ability as a marksman finisher.

The most interesting aspect of any move for Nunez is the options he provides to play alone up front, or in a partnership.


An analysis of his time in Spain, where he spent just one season with Almería, shows that Nunez thrived with a strike partner in a 4-4-2, finishing with 16 league goals.

Back that up with Benfica's 2020-21 season, in which, again, he found himself joined up front in a 4-4-2.

That Benfica team was heavily dependent on the full-backs providing the width - with midfielders inverting to almost No 10s. That should prove no issue for Liverpool giving the attacking attributes of both Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson.

Right now Liverpool would have a front two of Mane-Salah, Salah-Diaz, Salah-Firmino, Jota-Firmino or Jota-Salah and while potent, all lack a traditional No 9 to make everything stick.

Diaz is better off the left, Salah is more deadly when allowed the space to build up a head of steam out wide, Firmino often drops deep to link play and Jota's lack of size makes him useful at No 10 or in a wide role. 

In fact, compared to Salah and Mane last season, in data shared by Red Zone on Twitter, Nunez came out on top in goals, goals per game, mins per goal, conversion rate and shot accuracy.

And so Nunez would provide that presence with which to build from, should a 4-4-2 take hold of Klopp.

It is Nunez's appetite to drift out wide left that could see Klopp adopt a 4-2-3-1, with Diaz on the left, Salah on the right and one of Harvey Elliott or summer signing Fabio Carvalho in at No 10.


Firmino could also play in that role, so too could Jota, but the team's focal point would start and end with Nunez in a refreshed line-up to take the challenge to City. 

A free-flowing front three, with Diaz able to move centrally and Nunez allowed to drift left would be a perilous task to keep in check and 48 goals in 85 games for Benfica proves how slippery a customer he is.

'Klopp is still the best manager I worked with, although I didn't play a lot,' Christian Benteke told Belgian outlet HLN after he had left. For a player shunned, that speaks volumes about how good a fit Klopp could be for Nunez, as much as Nunez could be for Liverpool.

Orthodox No 9s are a rarity for Klopp but the man is at the top of the game and knows a gem when he sees one.

After all, Uruguay know a thing or two about producing top-tier strikers...

RED BEERGOGGLES » Thu Jun 09, 2022 10:37 pm wrote:

woof woof ! » Thu Jun 09, 2022 7:52 pm wrote:Wish I could find the video of the breakdown I saw on Nunez a month or so ago. It was really insightful.

As I recall the bottom line was, Nunez ?, a lot of "Flash" but sadly not much else. Passing poor, Decision making questionable , working back non existent, finishing selfish/ambitious (?)

Has his pace and dribbling elevated him into "one to watch", or is he just a "show pony " looking good playing in an average league ?

IMO, A lot of work to be done with this fella, maybe Jurgens the man who can do it .

Not holding my breath on this one.

I've seen Nunez play live at both the Estádio Da Luz and at Anfield and he impressed on both occasions,his directness and strength on the ball were major problems for our back four all night, he's got that sudden short burst of pace that Torres used to utilize to full effect ,in simplistic terms once he's past you and its down to a straight race ,forget it ,because he's already gone!

If we do manage to sign the lad then I've no doubts he will repay the fee back in spades ,as he's an extraordinarily talented instinctive finisher with both his head and feet. I've heard some fans voicing their reservations with regards to his passing ,but if we're seriously going to drop out of the battle for one of the most coveted forwards in world football over a part of his game that only needs slight improvement ?

I mean City took the chance with Haaland even with his injury record for Dortmund and the fact he's not the best at linking up the play,but like Nunez you cant pass up the opportunity when special players become available. I come away from Anfield knowing exactly why people were talking about the lad ,but I had more than an inkling of just what a player he could become if he fell under the tutelage of Klopp after the game in Portugal.

I was really impressed with how efficient he was in around the box. Minimal touches and movement to work space and gets his shot off really quickly and accurately. You could see why he was scoring so many goals. It's only a small sample and it was against a team who provide space to run into but he stood out like a sore thumb.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-10903341/Liverpools-deal-Darwin-Nunez-practically-SEALED-Reds-paying-Benfica-68m.html 

Looking very close

Echo are reporting we can activate Gavi's release clause, if we get Nunez and Gavi I would be happy with that.

Paul Joyce is about as reliable a journalist there is from those that report and have a relationship with the club, so all of the below information and narrative will have been fed to him by LFC. Still think we'd sign a midfielder if Ox leaves and the right opportunity comes along.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/live ... -fssqqdptn

Liverpool to make Calvin Ramsay their final summer signing

Club will pay an initial £4 million for teenage right back, but are unlikely to bring in any more players in this window

Liverpool have agreed a £4 million deal for the Aberdeen right back, Calvin Ramsay — and he is likely to be their final signing of the summer window.

The fee for the 18-year-old could increase by a further £2.5 million in add-ons which are linked to appearances and Ramsay’s involvement in team success. The Scotland Under-21 international still has to undergo a medical, which will not take place before the weekend, and a five-year contract has been prepared.

Ramsay will be Jürgen Klopp’s third signing of the summer after the capture of Darwin Núñez, the Benfica striker, for an initial £64 million which could rise to £85 million and Fabio Carvalho, the 19-year-old attacking midfielder who joined from Fulham for £5 million, plus £2.7 million in add-ons.

Liverpool will prioritise signing a midfielder in the summer of 2023, but are now happy with their squad going into the new season and do not plan to deviate from that stance even if there are outgoings before the window shuts.

The club is awaiting a third bid from Bayern Munich for Sadio Mané, while Monaco and Lyon are talking to the representatives of Takumi Minamino.

Liverpool’s midfield options for the coming season will be Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Thiago Alcântara, Naby Keita, James Milner, Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, though the 28-year-old England international will be allowed to leave Anfield.

Liverpool had shown interest in Aurelien Tchouaméni earlier this year, but were told that the France midfielder favoured a move to Real Madrid from Monaco. Klopp is an admirer of England’s Jude Bellingham, who recently told The Times he would remain at Borussia Dortmund next season.

Bellingham, 18, will, clearly, continue to be followed, with Liverpool confident that they have enough depth in midfield in the meantime. Their strategy is not to sign stop-gaps — rather, they are prepared to wait for the right player and disregard any criticism that comes their way.

Ramsay will join Klopp’s first-team squad for pre-season, which is split between the Far East and a training camp in Austria, and is viewed as the understudy to Trent Alexander-Arnold. Leeds United had also tried to entice Ramsay with the promise of a quicker pathway into the first team.

The move represents the biggest outgoing transfer in Aberdeen’s history and outstrips the £3 million fee Nottingham Forest paid for Scott McKenna in September 2020.

The Scottish club’s director of football, Steven Gunn, and chairman, Dave Cormack, successfully negotiated upwards on Liverpool’s opening offer and also secured sensible add-ons which have a good chance of being realised.

Ramsay, who was named the Scottish Football Writers’ Association Young Player of the Year, made 33 appearances in his breakthrough season, scoring once, registering nine assists and also sampling European football. He joined Aberdeen at the age of eight.

The arrival of the teenager will continue Liverpool’s policy of snapping up some of the UK’s brightest talents, with Elliott having moved from Fulham at the age of 16 in 2019 and Carvalho, another teenager, arriving from the west London club.

Yep, same reported in the Telegraph. I'm sure we'll offload 2-3 more players to balance the squad and lighten the wage bill.

Still if we sell Ox and Minamino will we go for a midfielder.

Selling Ox, Minamino, Mane and letting Divock go will sure lighten the wage bill offset by Nunez on a relatively low salary. Room for one more!

Think we need another midfielder tbh. Maybe not if that carvalho lad hits the ground but that's a big ask.

Liverpool are being linked with another signing - this time involving a 'swap deal' that would see Naby Keita leave the club.

The Reds have already been busy in the transfer market this summer with three new players being added to their squad. Deals for Fabio Carvalho, Darwin Nunez and Calvin Ramsay have all been done before June is out.

And according to a fresh report from Italy, Liverpool could make a move for a new midfielder. Talk of strengthening the middle of the park has been the subject of intense speculation among supporters.


And as reported by Calciomercato, Inter Milan star Nicolo Barella is attracting interest from Jurgen Klopp. The report claims the Reds will make a firm approach to sign the Italy international.

The report goes on to say that Klopp is “bewitched” by Barella, who is valued at around £77million. Additionally, it is claimed that Liverpool would be willing to include Keita as part of a swap deal for the 25-year-old.

Despite these rumours, it is expected that Ramsay’s arrival will conclude the Reds' incoming summer business, The club feel that by signing the defender, along with Nunez and Carvalho, they have got exactly what they felt they needed and wanted.