Darwin Núñez

[Doc_Piptorious]

For me it is really simple.

He makes a difference when he plays be it through a goal, an assist or making space for others when defenders follow his runs.

When he is on the pitch we seem to create more chances to when he is not.

[Venton]

I wonder how you improve composure. It should come with experience as composure is about remaining calm under intense pressure. And Nunez plays football in front of people for a living. So he should be improving. And I wonder if instinct is the same as composure. Maybe a natural finisher is a player with composure and the right instinct for the right type of finish in the right place at the right time. Nunez seems to have the position part but I have no idea how you coach anything where he's lacking.

He's also an emotional 110% all the time player which might mitigate against what he needs to be as a 9. I even wonder if he got an injury - and this will happen with age anyway - that knocked a slight edge off his pace whether he would have to be a bit more wily and that composure and finishing would come from that. He's a very enjoyable/frustrating conundrum.

I've noticed that when he takes a shot he's looking down at that ball a good amount of time before he hits it, like a good amount of time. And then just about every time he leathers it. So if the keeper has moved or started going down early doesn't matter, he's hitting it in the same place regardless. Instinct or not, some things are just hard to learn (or unlearn).

[BG1973]

I wonder how you improve composure. It should come with experience as composure is about remaining calm under intense pressure. And Nunez plays football in front of people for a living. So he should be improving. And I wonder if instinct is the same as composure. Maybe a natural finisher is a player with composure and the right instinct for the right type of finish in the right place at the right time. Nunez seems to have the position part but I have no idea how you coach anything where he's lacking.

He's also an emotional 110% all the time player which might mitigate against what he needs to be as a 9. I even wonder if he got an injury - and this will happen with age anyway - that knocked a slight edge off his pace whether he would have to be a bit more wily and that composure and finishing would come from that. He's a very enjoyable/frustrating conundrum.

Send him to Hooters with his missus 5 nights a week.

[RichC]

He just lacks a bit of guile and composure in front of goal. That 1 on 1 chance was perfect for a little dink over the oncoming keeper, but he just blasted it straight at him.

If he can develop these, he will be a superstar.

[RichC]

Also have to say the work he put in to win that ball back and then get it to Sboz was absolutely superb.

[Buzzo]

When you look at the Stats it is clear the thing that he needs to elevate his game to the levels of Salah, Haaland and Kane type players is composure.

His goal conversion rate is 11% and sticks out like a sore thumb on this list. IF he can become more clinical, and based on that stat which also if you think about it represents a massive number of goal scoring chances he could be a worldy. We have Salah in his twilight and we will 100% need someone else to pick up on the numbers he has posted over the years. That someone will need to be converting at a higher rate than 11%.

Part of the issue with Nunez is I think he carries all of the above into each chance, meaning he is putting himself under pressure which in its own way may be counter productive.

[RedReet]

For me it is really simple.

He makes a difference when he plays be it through a goal, an assist or making space for others when defenders follow his runs.

When he is on the pitch we seem to create more chances to when he is not.

The way I see it, Gakpo was on the pitch for 90 mins and hardly had a sniff. Nunez was barely on 5 mins and he had a big chance yet again. Yes, this adds to his big chance tally that people will use to mock him, but it's a quality that should be appreciated and one which will eventually reap dividends. On another day he could do a Newcastle, on another day keeper can make a blunder, on another day the shot against City hits the crossbar and goes in. As you rightly say, our chances of scoring go up when Nunez is on the pitch and that should be the main thing.

Not having an dig at Gakpo BTW, all our forwards, including Nunez have been off it for a few games now and although we are still largely dominating games our play is breaking down in final 3rd. But they are still working hard and we're still picking up the wins, so the sharp play and goals will soon return.

[Doc_Piptorious]

The way I see it, Gakpo was on the pitch for 90 mins and hardly had a sniff. Nunez was barely on 5 mins and he had a big chance yet again. Yes, this adds to his big chance tally that people will use to mock him, but it's a quality that should be appreciated and one which will eventually reap dividends. On another day he could do a Newcastle, on another day keeper can make a blunder, on another day the shot against City hits the crossbar and goes in. As you rightly say, our chances of scoring go up when Nunez is on the pitch and that should be the main thing.

Not having an dig at Gakpo BTW, all our forwards, including Nunez have been off it for a few games now and although we are still largely dominating games our play is breaking down in final 3rd. But they are still working hard and we're still picking up the wins, so the sharp play and goals will soon return.

Think another possible factor with Nunez is the amount of minutes he gets along with never really seeming to get a solid run of games.

So he is constantly in and out of the team and maybe that has him trying too hard and rushing things sometimes.


I'm not too bothered by the big chance Nunez had. The keeper still had to make a save so as with the hitting of the bar and a few other chances this season this far it is a matter of fine margins between Nunez being on the goal tally he has and him being on 7 or 8 goals in the league.

Not comparing him in terms of ability with Suarez, but Suarez seemed to miss a load of chances along with hitting the woodwork a lot for at least a season and a half. And that was with him getting the minutes a starter gets.


Just looking at the goal tallies for Surez in the Premier league season by season and they are


2010/11 - 11 games 4 goals
2011/12 - 31 games 11 goals
2012/13 - 33 games 23 goals
2013/14 - 33 games 31 goals


With him playing as a starter in the vast majority of those games. But very much more or less a 1 in 3 forward until something clicked for him from the 2012/13 season on. Nunez right now is sitting as a 1 in 3 guys so far but with far less minutes per appearance.






Gakpo I really like. Poor game last night but I am not fully sold on him as a striker. Really like the role he plays for the Dutch national team. The one where he plays on the left but as much as a playmaker as he does as a winger. Really seems to suit him and it allows him to be the cool head that gets the ball in front of the attackers.

[RedReet]

Aye, there are clear parallels with Suarez, even if people think we can't compare them any more.

That's not to say that because Suarez kicked on, so will Nunez. Suarez was a generational talent, emulating him is nearly impossible. But for me, ignoring the Uruguan connection, ignoring the similar stats, the big thing is that every time I watched both players play (early on), even though they miss plenty of chances, you always felt they are going to explode some day and it will just click. The talent is clearly there, just missing the end product (plus both very unlucky hitting woodwork).

[Doc_Piptorious]

Aye, there are clear parallels with Suarez, even if people think we can't compare them any more.

That's not to say that because Suarez kicked on, so will Nunez. Suarez was a generational talent, emulating him is nearly impossible. But for me, ignoring the Uruguan connection, ignoring the similar stats, the big thing is that every time I watched both players play (early on), even though they miss plenty of chances, you always felt they are going to explode some day and it will just click. The talent is clearly there, just missing the end product (plus both very unlucky hitting woodwork).

[spud_gun]

Aye, there are clear parallels with Suarez, even if people think we can't compare them any more.

That's not to say that because Suarez kicked on, so will Nunez. Suarez was a generational talent, emulating him is nearly impossible. But for me, ignoring the Uruguan connection, ignoring the similar stats, the big thing is that every time I watched both players play (early on), even though they miss plenty of chances, you always felt they are going to explode some day and it will just click. The talent is clearly there, just missing the end product (plus both very unlucky hitting woodwork).

Just because people keep on insisting there are parallels doesn't make it any truer.

Imagine Suarez playing in this team under Klopp with TAA, Dom and Mo playing him through balls like there's no tomorrow

He'd score 50 a season easily

Imagine Nunez playing in the 11-12 season under King Kenny with Downing, Adam and Carroll providing him service.

Double figures, if you're lucky.

[RedReet]

And denying the connections doesn't change the facts either.

I remember having these exact same Suarez arguments, clear as day. I'm certain I could go to his thread, c&p some posts in here and nobody would know we are talking about different players.

Specifically with shooting, people kept saying he can't finish, it's not something he can learn or improve, that Holland is a different level to PL, so record there doesn't count. People also saying that he should play LW because of this, he'll never be a good cf. It's groundhog day. As I said, because Suarez kicked on, doesnt necessarily mean Nunez will do. What is does mean though that a player so wasteful in front of goal can improve, he can become clinical, he can perform in PL like he has for other clubs and country.

[Charly]

Suarez is on Messi and Ronaldo's level.

Nunez is nowhere near that, and never will be. Its laughable to suggest imho. They have completely different skillsets. Nunez simply doesnt have the contol or touch when running with the ball. In fact his touch improves a lot when he isnt running into the box. He seems to be getting a lot of good assists without utilising his pace on the ball.

I think its his non-complimentary skill sets that make him a nightmare to play against as. You can let him run through at goal because he only has a 10% chance at scoring, but then he might run into the channel and pick out an impossible pass for a teammate to score.

[RedReet]

Suarez is on Messi and Ronaldo's level.

Nunez is nowhere near that, and never will be. Its laughable to suggest imho. They have completely different skillsets. Nunez simply doesnt have the contol or touch when running with the ball. In fact his touch improves a lot when he isnt running into the box. He seems to be getting a lot of good assists without utilising his pace on the ball.

I think its his non-complimentary skill sets that make him a nightmare to play against as. You can let him run through at goal because he only has a 10% chance at scoring, but then he might run into the channel and pick out an impossible pass for a teammate to score.

Nobody (as far as I know) is talking about ability. Suarez is arguably our most talented player ever.

People are comparing shooting statistics and goal records. So far, both have a similar trajectory and some of us think this will continue and Nunez can match and maybe even surpass Suarez scoring record for us. If of course, like Suarez, things finally click, which is why people compare the two.

[Doc_Piptorious]

Nunez is part of why we are doing well so far this season in terms for results.


He has been involved (be it scoring or assisting) in close to 30% of the goals we have scored in the league so far, so for all the ball control, cool head and everything other issue he has he has been playing a big part.



I'm just happy that we seem to have goals and assists spread around the team this season and that despite on still not looking like we are clicking fully, that we are grinding out result after result and in a pretty good position in both the league and Europa League for this to turn out to be a good season.