Bloody hell!!! He joined us mid-2022. He’s had plenty of time to get his head in order. As an adult, if social media is affecting your performance on the pitch, then go home.
That’s an extremely naïve view of things.
He needs to play regularly/frequently to rediscover his confidence/sharpness.
He needs to rediscover his confidence/sharpness to play regularly/frequently.
It’s simple. It’s complicated. It’s simplicated 
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I don’t think so.
A Firmino type, in Slot’s system, would probably play/compete in the #10/second striker role.
There is more than one or two types of strikers. The next one doesn’t have to be another Firmino or another Nunez.
I do think we will want a ‘proper #9’. But obviously someone who is a better fit than Nunez and of better quality.
Someone who we’ll likely need to takeover from Salah relatively soon as our main goalscorer.
Able to tick a few boxes in all phases of the game. Pressing, linking up, goalscoring.
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Someone really needs to sort Núñez’s mentality out. Not just for us, but really for him. It can’t be healthy for him like this.
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The first one to sort out his mentality is Darwin himself. And in some ways the cult hero thing mitigates against that. Yes, he is loved by the fans in the stadium…the Nunez chants and the Ibou chants are now a staple, when either performs. Ibou is the beast that Darwin needs to emulate though. From a performance perspective.
Maybe the Nunez love is similar to Erik Meijer, insofar as the crowd recognise his limitations but love him for his effort. Meijer didn’t believe the hype surrounding him. He accepted the support and tried his hardest.
If Arne thinks Darwin underperformed in work rate in the last two games, that is a problem.
Darwin has been given time and support. We love the wildness, and some people have suggested a limited capacity to think. If he sees himself as better than he actually is, then he will not progress. He needs to leave the hype and love of the fans aside and listen to his manager.
All that said, he is gone in the Summer I think.
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Mentality is not really something that can be sorted out as changing a tyre. He’ll also be 26 in a few months, not a young player to have such dramatic oscillations. But failing in some football things is down to (a lack of) quality and a lack of intelligence to consistently improve his weaker points, as much as it’s possible.
And sometimes, you can’t do it on your own, it’s hard to even recognise it when you’re in it.
Also, I really just meant about his mental health, not even touching on the sporting aspects. It sounds rough.
I agree 100%. But to accept help you must recognise that you need it. If its foisted on stubbornness it doesn’t work. Thats what I mean. He needs to have the psychological ability to recognise that he needs assistance.
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Don’t like Slot saying this in public. He’s obviously right, but saying it to the press rarely results in something positive.
We’ll see if there’s a reaction. Don’t think Arne is much into tiptoeing around problems.
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Yep an effort is a non negotiable
Can’t help the feeling that a transfer to Liverpool ruined a career that could have been amazing. I told my mates a few times that I often wondered if he would have become one of the hottest strikers on planet had he moved to Spain to, say, Atletico Madrid. No language barrier, culturally more similar to his homeland, nicer weather, a league that is not as physically demanding…
I look at him sometimes and wonder if he’s going through some sort of personal hell inside. I’ve watched a number of his misses compilations (I don’t think there’s a 2024/25 update just yet, though) and I wonder how can a player retain any semblance of self-confidence after missing a third of that, let alone all of it.
At least Mendes is his representative, so he’ll know how to take care of him from the summer on a human level. I’m not sure that Saudi Arabia is the best place for him but even with all the connections and influence Mendes has, I struggle to think of a top club that would have him after the last two seasons he’s had at Liverpool.
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That’s not down to intelligence, though.
David Beckham, to name but one example, is thick as two short planks but still worked hard to improve his game. Dedication is something completely different.
According to him in that exact same article, it has already shown results in training.
I do like it. He backed Nunez loads of times when his finished was getting slated, by highlighting what he offers the team in other ways. If he’s not bringing workrate then he’s not really bringing anything currently.
He has pissed me off so much in recent performances, just ambling around and the ball bouncing off him. Happy to see Slot make an example of this to other players.
He’s clearly off in the summer anyway
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I’ve no problem with Slot talking about Nunez - noting that it is the media that asks the questions, and Slot answers. Not like he turns up to interviews and press conferences and opens with “Nunez is doing my nut in”
Nunez will need to be moved on. One of the things that (in my view) gave him a bit of time to grow is his tenacity/fighting spirit that always seemed to be there. He’s done plenty of that this season. Now that’s gone too (for now?). It’s hard to see Slot wanting to retain him beyond this season.
Maybe we can sell him to Arsenal…I mean they have signed plenty of decent, but not great, strikers of late, including Sterling, Havertz and Jesus.
Beckham is a multi millionaire with several successful business ventures. Not bad for a fella thick as two short planks.
I reckon the public image was well rehearsed and the private Beckham is a lot wiser than we think.
Darwin won’t make it to Beckhams level, on or off the pitch.
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Darwin won the adulation of the Anfield faithful in record time… He now seems to be losing it just as quickly… Brings to the fore the old adage… Not everyone can be wrong.
Will be disappointed to see him go because I still believe there is an awful lot more he could offer, finding the key to unlock all that, is seemingly difficult to find.
If he goes to Athletico, he will probably have them challenging for the La Liga title in no time