Darwin Núñez

[baitman]

The way things are going we might as well play Gomez up front

[labourRed]

As Rooney and Sturridge were saying, you can learn it. It's all about situation specific repetition. You won't learn it in the standard drills, but you can practice different types of finish that you want to improve on.

Remember the interviews with Danns' dad where he was laughing about his first goal because he'd been screaming at him "dink it" whenever he was in that situation, and then when it mattered that's exactly what he did?

Once he learns English I'll advise him to get a finishing coach for an hour a week after training...

Yup, he can be worked on and i think we've no choice but to do just that. We do need another striker though, that's for sure.

[DerKrampus]

I meant from an athletic point of view, never stops running, always harassing and moving but yeah you're right he does get bullied. His hold up play is ****e because his technique is ****e imo.

Age notwithstanding, Antonio could have done the same job but for considerably less.

[Craig_H]

It really seems like he considers it job done, if he just hits the target.

That one last night was an awful miss. He had time to set himself and just side foot roll it into the bottom corner, into the acre of space to Pickford’s right (or left, Nunez was looking). But he just lashes it as hard as he can, with little control of where the ball is going.

“Well I got it on target, not my fault if the keeper pulls off a worldie save”

No, you blasted it straight at him.

I don’t think he’ll ever be good enough for us. His failure to convert big chances at crucial moments has cost us significantly this season. He’s not the only culprit but he’s by far the biggest and most frequent culprit.

[Buzzo]

It really seems like he considers it job done, if he just hits the target.

That one last night was an awful miss. He had time to set himself and just side foot roll it into the bottom corner, into the acre of space to Pickford’s right (or left, Nunez was looking). But he just lashes it as hard as he can, with little control of where the ball is going.

“Well I got it on target, not my fault if the keeper pulls off a worldie save”

No, you blasted it straight at him.

I don’t think he’ll ever be good enough for us. His failure to convert big chances at crucial moments has cost us significantly this season. He’s not the only culprit but he’s by far the biggest and most frequent culprit.

Yep 100% he has had big chances in key moments in all of the recent games and the outcome has been the same every time. Nobody is that unlucky. It then comes down to ability.

Its not easy to be elite. Nunez is close to it, just not close enough.

[Exiled_red]

The issue with his finishing is bad enough but in recent games it also seems like he's not been contributing anything creatively either, for 2nd half he was anonymous (not the only one to be honest)

[Charly]

Yep 100% he has had big chances in key moments in all of the recent games and the outcome has been the same every time. Nobody is that unlucky. It then comes down to ability.

Its not easy to be elite. Nunez is close to it, just not close enough.

He is like nowhere near elite.
He is literally the worst player in Europes top 5 leagues for finishing chances he should score. There are thousands of better players at finishing, including everyone else in our own squad.

[Craig_H]

Yep 100% he has had big chances in key moments in all of the recent games and the outcome has been the same every time. Nobody is that unlucky. It then comes down to ability.

Its not easy to be elite. Nunez is close to it, just not close enough.

One of the biggest problems with him is that when he does get a good chance, most of us (if we’re being honest) don’t believe he’s going to score. It’s almost an unexpected bonus if he does. That says it all.

[danperkins]

It really seems like he considers it job done, if he just hits the target.

That one last night was an awful miss. He had time to set himself and just side foot roll it into the bottom corner, into the acre of space to Pickford’s right (or left, Nunez was looking). But he just lashes it as hard as he can, with little control of where the ball is going.

“Well I got it on target, not my fault if the keeper pulls off a worldie save”

No, you blasted it straight at him.

I don’t think he’ll ever be good enough for us. His failure to convert big chances at crucial moments has cost us significantly this season. He’s not the only culprit but he’s by far the biggest and most frequent culprit.

[Craig_H]

He is like nowhere near elite.
He is literally the worst player in Europes top 5 leagues for finishing chances he should score. There are thousands of better players at finishing, including everyone else in our own squad.

I don’t know what it is, but he seems to lack the nous or footballing intelligence to recognise that a simple side foot “pass” into the net is often the best chance of scoring. He doesn’t seem to have that in his locker at all. Most half decent and footballingly (not a word but you know what I mean) intelligent players can do it. He mostly can’t.

[Doc_Piptorious]

He is like nowhere near elite.
He is literally the worst player in Europes top 5 leagues for finishing chances he should score. There are thousands of better players at finishing, including everyone else in our own squad.

A bit hyperbolic to be fair.


Though if we were to look at our senior attackers with a really critical eye we should be keeping none of them.

Salah is putting up elite numbers for G+A but slowing a lot.


Our second best G+A getter in terms of volume is not prolific enough when looked at in ternms of squandered chances.


Jota, the guy who potentially could be our best finisher, is worth no more than Nunez in terms of actual goal return as he is injured so much his clinical nature is negated.


Diaz creates very little by way of assists over the course of a season and is not a free scoring winger to counter the lack of assist.

Gakpo is a bit better than Diaz for goals and assists but worse than Salah, Nunez and Jota in terms of G/A return.



So Nunez not being good enough only further highlights the fact that the rest of who we have must also not be good enough as only one out performs him.


Personally I think we need to be looking at what players we think are not good enough (in all areas of the team) and then looking to see which ones would bring in the biggests fees so we could afford to really strengthen those areas and keep the ones we don't sell to be our back ups.

[danperkins]

This was my point about Nunez last night, regarding football intelligence and composure, imo you either have it or you don't and although he has some great assets, using his brain is just not his strong point & his decision making is a huge issue especially in keys moments in games. Sure you can improve with practice but some things are just inherent in strikers.

I've always said that he will score goals but what he is offering and for the money we paid, it is just not good enough.

[Charly]

Its not hyperbolic... its statistics. I know some people probably think XG is hokum, as quality can be subjective, but it is still indicative. And he sits bottom of the league in europes top 5 leagues, at 2,738th.

Yes that does not take into account assists, but how many if thise were in the league?

Purely as a striker, he is awful

(edit) he is 2,748th now... out of 2,754.

Dominic Calvert Lewin is 2nd bottom if that is any consolation with -5.5, compared ti Nunez on -4.6

[Buzzo]

He is like nowhere near elite.
He is literally the worst player in Europes top 5 leagues for finishing chances he should score. There are thousands of better players at finishing, including everyone else in our own squad.

You have to be good enough to be in the position to have the chance, that's not as easy as all that. Typically, we create lots of chances - we then need someone with a high percentage rate at finishing them.

I feel like fundamentally we are agreeing here

[RichC]

One of the biggest problems with him is that when he does get a good chance, most of us (if we’re being honest) don’t believe he’s going to score. It’s almost an unexpected bonus if he does. That says it all.

Reminds me of Djibril Cisse, just smash the ball as hard as you can with the very occasional "oh ****, didn't expect him to score that" but it's too inconsistent.

I think as others have said he lacks composure