Of course we’d have to bring in someone if Nunez left, that goes without saying.
It’s only logical and responsible if we’re always, but especially since Nunez so far isn’t the success we thought/hoped he’d be, monitoring the striker market.
The shape has changed, now it’s the #10 or second striker who plays closest to the striker and that in theory should help him. Because there’s less pressure for him to link up play. He can really be a proper #9, like Torres was in a similar shape. I’m talking stylistically.
Jota is almost a perfect player as long as he’s happy to be within the first 15 players or so, but to be the club’s main striker without serious competition at least, I don’t think he can be relied on for that.
Diaz has showed some good stuff lately as he gets introduced to the central role. But long term, I don’t think our view has changed, he’s a left winger.
I don’t know whether Nunez shooting less in a so far less shooting team is positive or that there’s something much better in him waiting to be unleashed, if only he could shoot more. And then when he shoots more, it’s if only he could learn to finish calmly or with more accuracy. We’ve all seen him when he shoots more. More or less is not the key issue here, quality is.
Nobody is blocking him to do better than he is, I think he has very nice set of tools around him, a variety of qualities. Going into his 3rd season and 2nd coach here. And a club with a fanbase that is showing him almost constant support on the pitch, as it’s only right to do.
Being generally everywhere is also something that is not necessarily good. Again, connected to the guy’s overall quality. And he’s not been here since yesterday.
Why are we then trying different things like Gakpo up top as a new position under Klopp (not at all times, but you could see we didn’t have an outstanding option centrally), or Jota under Slot. The reasons are obvious.
Comments are happening all the time, that is also our right as fans between us, not only after certain games or defeats. If some don’t like to read it, perhaps it’s because the truth sometimes (or more often) isn’t the nicest. Especially when we’re having a great start to the season. Which he’s part of, but this discussion has been going on since he came.
We’ve seen Salah hitting top level from the day he came in.
With Firmino and Mane, it was less so, as we were of course also in the early-Klopp era. Sometimes these players need each other and a bit of time to grow into something top level. There was even a question when Salah came, could them 3 even play together. Not only they showed they could, but they grew into arguably the most cohesive front line of their time.
But with both Firmino and Mane, early enough in their firs I had the feeling that with them, we could create something top level. With Nunez, I don’t.
Nunez is not hopeless or without his strengths, I’ve seen worse strikers than him at the club, no doubt. Players who I didn’t even want us to buy, but more importantly, players who the club probably wanted to get rid of after even a few months or one full season. We’ve seen it.
But at some point not too far from now there, enough might be enough. There might be a conclusion that no, we tried our best, we tried different ways, but “useful and if only he could do a bit more x, he could become y”, is not satisfying us enough and it’s better to move onto someone else. And of course we cannot give Nunez the full 6 years of his contract here before making that decision.
He’s not too young, he’s not too old. He knows what it’s like to be a record signing, he was that at both Almeria and Benfica. Crazy rise in a short space of time, no doubt. Probably well earned. But in that crazy rise, perhaps being one of the main men at Liverpool is too much for him. No drama if that is so.
In the context of a top club that wants to remain at the top level, competitive and winning things, 3-4 seasons is more than enough time.
)