Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has defended the contribution Darwin Nunez makes to the team but accepted the under-scrutiny striker’s standards fell below the required level this week.
Nunez has scored only one goal in his last 10 appearances and managed only three all season, which is less than Diogo Jota, who has missed the last 11 matches with a chest injury.
In the Champions League win in Girona on Tuesday, the Uruguay international cut an increasingly-frustrated figure after missing a couple of chances and Slot admitted he kept him on for an extended period – eventually being substituted in the 71st minute – as he wanted him to get a goal for his confidence.
After receiving some criticism, Nunez posted on Instagram: “They are not all, they are some. Thank you Reds for your support, we are all still together.”
In a separate post he just wrote the word “Resiliencia” (Resilience).
Slot said now more than ever the 25-year-old needed the support of fans and his team-mates.
“All our players feel the support of our fans but he is definitely one of them. Mo (Salah) is scoring so many goals he likes the support of the fans but doesn’t really need it at the moment,” he said.
“We all saw they did something with him when he missed a few chances on Tuesday and everyone needs an arm around you, either from a team-mate, the fans or your manger.
“But I also made it clear to him that he is not only judged on the goals he scores, he is also judged on the team performance and he adds something to the team performance as well with his work-rate and how much he does winning the ball back high up the pitch.
“Ideally he would have scored a few goals more. Maybe in a few weeks you will ask me (about) Mo is not scoring any more and Darwin is scoring one goal after another.
“It is the life of a number nine, sometimes you score, sometimes you don’t.
“But what should always be there is work-rate and I think that is what he has, apart from two games: the first one against Las Palmas (a pre-season friendly) – I said that to him yesterday – and the last half-hour against Girona wasn’t of the standard he should have.
“That had a lot to do with him being disappointed at missing a few chances.”
Nunez has made 11 starts and eight substitute appearances but not only are his numbers well down on the same stage last season (seven goals) but he appears to have lost the creative chaos which fans loved so much under Jurgen Klopp.
His position will come under increasing pressure as Jota and long-term absentee Federico Chiesa, who has made just three appearances since joining from Juventus in August, set to return to the squad for the visit of Fulham.
“Federico missed quite a lot for a long time, was ill last week, so we have to wait and see how he is exactly doing,” Slot added.
“But maybe Diogo is in the squad and maybe Federico as well, but that depends a bit on the numbers we have and also how he recovered from his illness.”