Darwinian Evolution
This Premier League is shaping up to be one of the most competitive seasons in recent history. The evolution of the competition has made it incredibly scintillating. The bottom of the table is intensely scrappy. The promoted sides fight tooth-and-nail against the likes of Crystal Palace, Wolves, West Ham, and never-relegated Everton to avoid the drop. Meanwhile, “mid-table” seems to be virtually bereft of meaning. Sides like Bournemouth, Brentford, Fulham, Brighton, and, of course, Nottingham Forest have put up shocking results against the teams in the Champions League places. Forest and Brighton in particular show strong contention for the Big Six slots left vacant by the chronically underperforming Manchester United and Spurs. Newcastle, despite laboring in the bottom half of the table, is a notorious Top 3 assassin. They’ve taken points from every team in title contention except Chelsea, and even they didn’t score nearly as much as we did.
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Putting A Proper Framing
I feel the need to preface with this because it is an important context that puts our Newcastle draw in perspective. Liverpool performing well in such a highly competitive season is remarkable. Doing so with a squad that is largely unchanged from the last is nothing short of miraculous. Most clubs would kill to be in a position where a 3-3 draw away is disappointing. We were outplayed by Newcastle at critical moments during the match. The fact that we still came away with one point is worth celebrating.
There’s a whole other piece to be written about the silent revolution Arne Slot has effected with a squad that is largely Klopp’s. Nevertheless, it has paid dividends in a league season where there are no safe fixtures. There are no guaranteed victories, not even against poor bottom-of-the-league Southampton. Despite an extremely sloppy offense, the Premier League’s last-placed side was able to put up two goals against the Reds. With another week passed, with several of our nearest contenders dropping points and a game in hand, we can perhaps all calm down now.
Decades of being also-rans seem to have made Liverpool supporters unduly reactive to bad news. In some respects it is rational. Several seasons have seen seemingly minor defeats have title-deciding significance. That said, a disappointing result is not the same as a title-defining result. There were moments of brilliance that showed precisely why we are top of the table. Mohamed Salah’s artful brace that gave us the lead for the first time late in the game effectively demonstrates why he is the greatest offensive threat in the league. Even fresh from recovery, Trent Alexander-Arnold is a phenom. Curtis Jones continues to show excellence even in our less-than-shining moments.
Pointing Fingers
The blame for the draw at St. James Park fell squarely on the shoulders of two players. Caoihmin Kelleher was harried continuously by the monstrous offensive combination of Anthony Gordon and Alexander Isak. A critical missed catch from a free kick was enough to give Fabian Schar the equalizer. But despite the shameless reversals of early plaudits by some reactionary supporters, Kelleher can hardly be dismissed out of hand for that one mistake. Our backup’s immense skills have kept us competitive as Alisson recovers. A slip-up in an intensely high-pressure situation after being put through his paces is hardly blameworthy.
However, most of the ire was directed towards Darwin Nunez. The Uruguayan’s unreliable finishing bore the brunt of the blame for shrinking Liverpool’s lead.
Nunez is no stranger to being overwhelmed by criticism. Infamously, the striker was subjected to online harassment last season so severe that he scrubbed any sign of being a Red from his social media. This triggered a host of transfer rumors. Ultimately, nothing came of it after a cooling-off period. Nunez was adjudged to be entirely too sensitive to criticism. However, there’s no excuse for the level of abuse piled onto our number 9.
The argument that players are overpaid crybabies who need to thicken their skin falls flat in the social media age. It emboldens the worst elements of supporter bases and exposes players to their toxicity than previously possible. The whole episode was a stark example of the level of opprobrium Nunez can inspire in fans, much of which is coming to the fore again.
Under The Microscope
Arguably, Nunez would not be under the level of scrutiny he is if not because he is currently the club’s record signing. His high price tag comes with the expectation of excellence to justify it. Nunez has, on occasion, shown precisely the level of play expected of the most expensive player in the history of the club. Needless to say, his failure to demonstrate this consistently is his fatal flaw. Nunez is a man of wild extremes, sometimes singularly excellent, other times dreadful. He sometimes seems raw and unproven, which is troubling as he enters his prime and a third season with the Reds.
Many supporters would love to trade the Uruguayan in for a pile of cash to tempt another, more consistent striker onto the squad. Pundits appear to be near unanimous in believing that Nunez’s time to prove himself has passed. However, Arne Slot has previously waved away any suggestion that Nunez’s position as his favored number 9 is in question in the absence of Diogo Jota. In Jota’s absence, Slot prefers a recognized striker to the likes of Cody Gakpo or Luis Diaz.
Klopp was always a hearty advocate of the striker’s ability in their two seasons together. Nunez has also consistently been capped by his home nation of Uruguay, which certainly has no shortage of talented players. Mohamed Salah has gone on record defending his teammate. He’s called Nunez his preferred attacking partner. Salah has claimed that the critics don’t understand his playing style. What explains the disconnect? What do the managers and players see that fans and pundits do not?
A Stunting Of Evolution
The long gamble on Nunez may have simply gone bust. After all, Klopp was great, but not infallible. Even so, I modestly argue that there is more to Darwin Nunez than meets the eye. Nunez’s explosive final season at Benfica may have inadvertently created a standard he can’t live up to in the minds of pundits. Meanwhile, those who know him the best understand better what he brings to the table.
Salah is perhaps the best man to understand Darwin’s predicament. It’s easy to forget that the Egyptian King himself was once derided as an inconsistent flop, even Klopp having underestimated him at times. With Salah having become one of the all-time greats, that appraisal has been proven wrong. It is not unreasonable to believe that Nunez is due for a similar flourishing under Arne Slot, who has a reputation for player development. Salah compared Nunez to his other preferred partner — Bobby Firmino — and the two have something in common.
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Firmino, like Nunez, had a great work-rate in the defensive phase. One can easily see why Salah, who is the exact opposite, appreciates their partnership. Being inverses of each other gives Salah the freedom to be the goalscoring machine that he is. This has been interpreted as Nunez riding Salah’s coattails, but the Egyptian King sees it more as the two complimenting one another.
And it’s hard to discount what that industriousness represents, given that Nunez has arguably played a key role in patching a leaky defense that was our Achilles’ Heel last season. This is an area where he can put his immense physical gifts to good use, his blistering pace and imposing physicality allowing him to do what Salah cannot. Nunez’s passion and energy, while not quantifiable, also count for something. It was those same traits in Bobby Firmino that made Klopp’s famous counter-pressing possible. Arguably, this is what attracted the attention of Klopp, who was looking for a Firmino replacement, in the first place.
Glass Half Full
Slot has a more controlled style than Klopp that Nunez has to adapt to — after only two seasons, no less — which means a continual period of growth. His willingness to work hard, extraordinary devotion to the club, and selflessness as a teammate are all things Nunez brings to the table.
Darwin, of course, is burdened by the number on his back. As a striker, he’s not being judged for his industriousness, but rather for how many goals and assists he has. His spotty first touch, tendency to run offsides, and inconsistent finishing can indeed be a liability in the sort of game where a last-minute goal by the opposition means coming away with two fewer points. Certainly, Firmino also had fairly middling stats for a forward, something that comes with the territory of being the kind of player that he is, but Firmino was also clinically precise in front of the goal.
In a title campaign where every point counts, Darwin’s lack of precision can be disastrous. Slot has made it clear that, even in his defense of Nunez, he wants more out of the striker. But this is still a transitional season, especially for Darwin Nunez. It is simply too early to count out any player. There’s nothing wrong with Nunez that can’t be fixed. If anyone can make the most out of the unconventional striker, it is Arne Slot. The Dutchman’s emphasis on positional dynamism and player development is perfect for what Nunez needs. Separating the two at this critical juncture would be a mistake.
It bears repeating that Newcastle was not the end of the world. Making long-term squad decisions on the basis of a result that would be the height of folly.