No!
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Origi before the Everton assault was miles ahead of Nunez.
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Best to just support the lad. We all know the score and he will likely be moved on in summer as Slot reinvests on a striker he prefers. In the meantime Iāve been hoping for some good moments for Darwin between now and the inevitable. He just had a very effective cameo against PSG and helped us to get that win. Well done that lad.
Hopefully thereās more to come as we chase big prizes.
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Maybe, but even that period was only a span of 10 games or so where it looked like it clicked. His subsequent regression has been put down to the effects of that injury by many, but that is a pretty generous argument. There was more than enough of a track record before that short period to suggest that regression to the mean fwas just as likely an explanation.
He was a talented player who over the course of his career at multiple clubs never really figured out how to reliably put it together.
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Darwin finally read this forum and got offended enough to perform.
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Well done today, getting a Premier league winners medal will be just rewards, but long term we need better, just keep putting in the effort without the stupidity.
Best thing is that it will keep his value up.
I would normally finish with āI hope he can prove us wrongā but for me overall, I canāt see it happening
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https://x.com/HonzaRihaftbl/status/1898418395202179326
Not that Iām giving him any praise (my praise is a career-ender) but I thought I should share this.
I tried to justify his season by trying to remember all the meaningful contributions and all I could think of were Aston Villa at home and Brentford away - before this week, that is.
Hopefully there are a few more by the end of the season. That finish was clinical, exactly the type of finish that, if he could have pulled it off regularly, would have turned his Liverpool career into a long and prosperous one. Itās too late for that, I guess, but not too late to be remembered as cult hero. Letās not talk about the challenged that earned him a yellow, though.
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The big red mark against him in this game was the yellow card - complete headless moment and you could see with the delayed VAR that he was shutting himself afterwards. His impulse control and/or decision making is not elite. Glad Arne kept him on (obviously) but when he does stuff like that he canāt complain if heās hooked at half time.
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I remember at least two occasions today where he received very good passes with enough space right in front of the Southampton box. Elite strikers with a clean, directed first touch could open up a shooting angle immediately upon receiving the ball, but Nunezās touch led him to take more time to control it, resulting in a harder angle and, defenders have time to close him down.
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Also THAT pass to Mo to set him up for that Arsenal away equaliser.
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How? The CL semi and final alone puts Origi above him. And thatās before the Everton goals and clutch finishes like against Wolves away.
And Divock getting assaulted by that Everton prick probably cost us a Europa league title. Donāt think he was the same player after that injury.
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Is it just me who is struggling to remember him having scored a goal like last nightās for us before?
It just feels as though Iāve never seen him do this thing where he just pops up out of nowhere to apply that finish.
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His first goal vs Brentford. But I agree, I feel the same. One reason I think is that using only inverted wingers means they donāt cut back as much.
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I feel differently about that goal, I think because he was in the right place at the right time, it wasnāt his movement before the goal that created it.
This one was different, just because it feels to me like he timed his run perfectly to come out of nowhere, and the defenders were expecting to just be able to clear it simply.
Camera angle yesterday and VAR check showed he missed the ball and missed the manā¦yes we know heās chaoticā¦but I think sometimes we all expect the worse from Darwinā¦but yesterday it was shown it wasnāt a redā¦
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But for me thatās never been the issue with him. He is frequently there at the right time. His movement is often good to lose his marker.
Itās the contact that he makes with the ball or technique he selects to use that causes the issue. He can finish in every way. Itās just that he doesnāt pick the right way to finish enough times.
If that clicks then, whatever happens in the off season, a regular dose of Captain Chaos can propel us to Ol Jug Ears again!
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Iāve said it before: Nunezās problem is that he doesnāt have a directed first touch. A good striker prepares their touch before receiving the ball and quickly sets themselves up at a good angle. However, Nunez lacks clear direction for his touch and good technique, leading him to take too long to shoot.
His amazing physicality still allows him to bypass defenders and create numerous chances, but because he takes too long to think and control, his decisions become predictable. Thatās the main reason most of his shots go directly to the goalkeeper, as they have time to prepare. We also see that Nunez is much better with first-time shooting because of this.
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On paper, this should mean that if heās sent on as a sub against tiring defences his size, strength and alarming pace can really make them pay a la the PSG ball win and assist.
On the flip side, he seemed like his mind wasnāt in it against Wolves at home.