Darwin Núñez

[Harv]

That’s quite true, or very early at least. I recall you celebrating him headbutting that defender in his home debut. Others were pretty sure that he wasn’t the kind of striker that the team needed and assumed his arrival would be paired with a significant change in playing style or formation, which brought some skepticism with that. We didn’t really adapt to his style so that feeling of ‘why did you choose him?’ prevails.

Maybe there is too much focus on his specific failings that implies it’s his fault, but he didn’t buy himself, the club decided (erroneously I would say) that he was the player we needed and it isn’t his fault that he isn’t. But equally, when someone says that he isn’t good enough, it isn’t some personal affront that needs defending with hyperbole about how he’ll be amazing next week, or the week after, or maybe the week after that. The weekly criticism is born of frustration at what’s he’s able to do on the pitch, but I’m not really sure where the impassioned defence is coming from. We’ve seen lots of players come and be disappointing to varying degrees but they didn’t get the kind of blind worship that Nunez does.

I think the idea that he’s not the striker we need is still supported by the evidence on the pitch, the idea that he’s a worldie in waiting still looks like wishful thinking.

I believe i said he should have hit him harder

[RedReet]

Klopps take. Quite a good interview with Ben Foster.

https://twitter.com/theanfieldtalk/s...25662115131439

Milner's comments were quite interesting too, saying that Nunez was the player to get most excited about and that he'll be a beast when in clicks.

[Buzzo]

One thing Darwin definitely is not affected by is lack of support (and speaking from experience of the game I was at recently also) the support have his back in a big way, even when he misses (hits the post). They look to lift him. He seems to respond to that.

So unless he spends time reading the pish on here (and google translating it ) then I think he feels the love. Which in turn delivers its own pressure through expectancy.

Its also disingenuous to continually bring Salah into the argument, for his position he is the top performing player in the League. Could he also be playing better? Undoubtedly. But his numbers are good. It is also disingenuous to try and win the debate by claiming there is some hint of personal dislike against the player - everyone wants him to succeed.

He is an £85m signing (I believe the extra clauses are now active) he is a centre forward, even he will expect more of himself.

He comes across as a cracking lad - he works hard - but that is the absolute minimum expected.

[Kenneth]

He’s a cult figure, for some reason that I’m not tuned in to. The vast majority are desperate for him to succeed, and that is cool, but it does spill into pretending it’s happening.

[fidget]

If you believe the vast majority is desperate for him to succeed would you also say there is a minority desperate for him to fail?
And is that minority overrepresented on this forum?

[RedReet]

One thing Darwin definitely is not affected by is lack of support (and speaking from experience of the game I was at recently also) the support have his back in a big way, even when he misses (hits the post). They look to lift him. He seems to respond to that.

So unless he spends time reading the pish on here (and google translating it ) then I think he feels the love. Which in turn delivers its own pressure through expectancy.

Its also disingenuous to continually bring Salah into the argument, for his position he is the top performing player in the League. Could he also be playing better? Undoubtedly. But his numbers are good. It is also disingenuous to try and win the debate by claiming there is some hint of personal dislike against the player - everyone wants him to succeed.

He is an £85m signing (I believe the extra clauses are now active) he is a centre forward, even he will expect more of himself.

He comes across as a cracking lad - he works hard - but that is the absolute minimum expected.

Did he not specifically come out and say he had to go off social media because of the abuse? Could be wrong.

Not that it's an excuse, point I'm making is probably unrelated to his play. But it annoys me when people go OTT with their criticism online and the defence is, 'well the player is hardly going to see it', when the truth is they often do, even if not directly. And clearly for some, it does impact their performance.

Obviously people are entitled to their opinions and footballers know what they sign up for, but sometimes it's a shame to hear footballer mention it about their own supporters. Think Elliot and Mac Allister did recently too.

[danperkins]

One thing Darwin definitely is not affected by is lack of support (and speaking from experience of the game I was at recently also) the support have his back in a big way, even when he misses (hits the post). They look to lift him. He seems to respond to that.

So unless he spends time reading the pish on here (and google translating it ) then I think he feels the love. Which in turn delivers its own pressure through expectancy.

Its also disingenuous to continually bring Salah into the argument, for his position he is the top performing player in the League. Could he also be playing better? Undoubtedly. But his numbers are good. It is also disingenuous to try and win the debate by claiming there is some hint of personal dislike against the player - everyone wants him to succeed.

He is an £85m signing (I believe the extra clauses are now active) he is a centre forward, even he will expect more of himself.

He comes across as a cracking lad - he works hard - but that is the absolute minimum expected.

[danperkins]

If you believe the vast majority is desperate for him to succeed would you also say there is a minority desperate for him to fail?
And is that minority overrepresented on this forum?

Why on earth would anybody want our marquee forward signing to fail which in turn negatively effects the team? People can have opinions about him without been seen as "wanting him to fail". This is genuinely one of the most bizarre footballing threads I've ever read on here.

[Doc_Piptorious]

One thing Darwin definitely is not affected by is lack of support (and speaking from experience of the game I was at recently also) the support have his back in a big way, even when he misses (hits the post). They look to lift him. He seems to respond to that.

So unless he spends time reading the pish on here (and google translating it ) then I think he feels the love. Which in turn delivers its own pressure through expectancy.

Its also disingenuous to continually bring Salah into the argument, for his position he is the top performing player in the League. Could he also be playing better? Undoubtedly. But his numbers are good. It is also disingenuous to try and win the debate by claiming there is some hint of personal dislike against the player - everyone wants him to succeed.

He is an £85m signing (I believe the extra clauses are now active) he is a centre forward, even he will expect more of himself.

He comes across as a cracking lad - he works hard - but that is the absolute minimum expected.

Nunez for me is doing well enough but will soon reach the point where doing well enough has to become doing better. This season makes or breaks his career for me.


Salah is a non issue for me. His numbers as you pointed out as still top notch and if he is slowing then it is on the manager to build around the guy still posting top numbers whilst figuring out who replaces him positionally.

Lack of any support at all on that right flank is not helping Salah either. He has no over or under laps going on around him, he has no real "partner" to lay off to on a regular basis so the other teams are doing what they have always done by putting two markers on him but now do not have an overlapping player to worry about.

Salah could easily be used in a more attacking version of the Bobby role imo.


All our other three senior attackers are open to question for me also be it Jota, Gakpo or Diaz. For me all are underperforming more than Nunez (slightly) and Salah (greatly).

For me if an attacker is not getting goals, then he needs to be getting assists and secondary assists. Nunez does not score then chances are he gets an assits, the other three if they do not score (and none score a lot) then chances are they do not assist either.


Do think what is happening behind the attackers is a big issue too. We just look ponderous, sluggish and unbalanced a lot of the time with the midfield staying really narrow almost all the time despite their being four players there and we seem to have no real playmaker or creative player in the centre.

The ball goes left, the ball goes right, the ball goes left, the ball goes right.

Slow crab ball that allows teams with less players in the centre to be able to defend against us and not be overloaded.



But as I tend to add to my posts on this, it is also great to have so many supposed "issues" and "faults" and still be right there at the top end of the table so that suggests to be that we do have the quality there, we just either need to tweak the system to match the quality or add to that quality to that it fits the system. Imo.


Just cannot shake the feeling that we are so so close to being those few players or few tweaks away from clicking in a really big way and at the same time the lack of those tweaks away from a potentially great season becoming "only" a decent/good one.

[rudedog]

This was meant to be the season Nunez stepped up, think people are just frustrated that it isn't happening.

[Venton]

If you believe the vast majority is desperate for him to succeed would you also say there is a minority desperate for him to fail?
And is that minority overrepresented on this forum?

Why does it have to be people desperate for him to fail? You can usually only judge players on their performances, that's where they live and die. If they play well they get the plaudits and are loved. If they don't they get criticised for it. There can't be a single fan who wants our number 9 to be ****. People just don't like criticism of our players and feel the need to attack those who do. It's forum cape crusader childish bull****.

This has the Keita thread written all over it,and that was embarrassing enough after the Karius one.

[Craig_H]

This was meant to be the season Nunez stepped up, think people are just frustrated that it isn't happening.

I think that’s it. Most are frustrated that it hasn’t happened. One or two are going down the hyperbole/strawman route and convincing themselves that he’s been brilliant.

I’m a bit annoyed at myself that it’s taken this long, but I’ve now realised it not worth replying to that sort of post anymore.

[RedReet]

Why does it have to be people desperate for him to fail? You can usually only judge players on their performances, that's where they live and die. If they play well they get the plaudits and are loved. If they don't they get criticised for it. There can't be a single fan who wants our number 9 to be ****. People just don't like criticism of our players and feel the need to attack those who do. It's forum cape crusader childish bull****.

This has the Keita thread written all over it,and that was embarrassing enough after the Karius one.

I think that's a pretty naive and wildly simplistic view tbh.

When we win, some fans are euphoric, some happy, some mildly pleased. When we lose, some are devestated and week is ruined, some are upset but get over it, some barely give a ****

We are all different, so why how do you know how other fans feel? Why is it totally implausible that some fans get more satisfaction and endorphins flowing about being proven they are right, not necessarily in front of other weirdos on the Internet, but friends and family? What's to say they don't get more of a kick from this than us actually winning? Not to mention, they be proven right about a certain player or issue and the team still win. Jackpot. Can someone not also want a certain player to be **** and us still win? Why does it have to be black and white?

While I don't nesessarily disagree that it can become juvenile with some of the insults, imo it's far more childish to assume that everyone has the same feelings and preferences because 'we are all Reds'.

[Venton]

I think that's a pretty naive and wildly simplistic view tbh.

When we win, some fans are euphoric, some happy, some mildly pleased. When we lose, some are devestated and week is ruined, some are upset but get over it, some barely give a ****

We are all different, so why how do you know how other fans feel? Why is it totally implausible that some fans get more satisfaction and endorphins flowing about being proven they are right, not necessarily in front of other weirdos on the Internet, but friends and family? What's to say they don't get more of a kick from this than us actually winning? Not to mention, they be proven right about a certain player or issue and the team still win. Jackpot. Can someone not also want a certain player to be **** and us still win? Why does it have to be black and white?

While I don't nesessarily disagree that it can become juvenile with some of the insults, imo it's far more childish to assume that everyone has the same feelings and preferences because 'we are all Reds'.

Whilst we're all different there have to be some common denominators when it comes to our team. Like genuinely, who wouldn't like it if Nunez started banging them in left, right and centre? I really don't know a single person who wouldn't and I can't see anyone on this forum who would be disappointed. I don't get that jackpot thing you mention at all, it has to be a massive outlier.

You seem to be able to play the ball and not the man when it comes to these kind of conversations. Why not others?

[RedReet]

Whilst we're all different there have to be some common denominators when it comes to our team. Like genuinely, who wouldn't like it if Nunez started banging them in left, right and centre? I really don't know a single person who wouldn't and I can't see anyone on this forum who would be disappointed. I don't get that jackpot thing you mention at all, it has to be a massive outlier.

You seem to be able to play the ball and not the man when it comes to these kind of conversations. Why not others?

I would like to think that deep down the common denominator is that everybody wants us to win, but I also know that isn't always true. A simple example being supporters betting against their own team or having FF players play against their own team and them putting their own immediate and personal success over the team they allegedly support. As I said, people get different satisfaction from their team winning, if something else gives them greater satisfaction at that expense, of course they are going to want that.

Whether that means anyone genuinely prefers being proven right over their team winning, we can argue all day, but the often used argument 'we are all reds, all want the same thing' clearly doesn't hold up.

I hadn't given much thought to the jackpot comment, but now you mention it, Keita is a perfect example. Unbridled success while he was here (which he contributed to), but because of unfortunate injury, certain people could still say at every opportunity how **** he was and how they were right all along, but still enjoy success on the field. Best of both worlds.

Sorry, not sure what you mean by the last line?