“How would I know how to defend against him?”, the conversation went amongst a clutch of former Premier League players in the aftermath of Liverpool’s 1-0 victory over Manchester City. “I don’t think Darwin Nunez knows what he’s going to do next, let alone anybody else.”
While the words, coated with a ‘it’s funny cause it’s true’ hue, spoke to the Uruguayan’s indecision in possession, it also flagged his largely effective unpredictability.
Nunez may not have entirely worked himself out yet – a by-product of trying too hard and overcomplicating simple tasks – but opponents also haven’t been able to size him up or shut him down either. Joao Cancelo and Manuel Akanji would be the most recent exhibits.
The greatest obstruction the forward has faced is himself – an absence of surety and being in “a bit of a rush” per Jurgen Klopp’s assessment.
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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from the Premier League match between Liverpool and Manchester City.
The standout vignette of him at Anfield on Sunday, viral the world over on TikTok and Twitter, was of Nunez massacring a three-on-one situation. He slammed a shot into the defender instead of supplying an unmarked Mohamed Salah, with Diogo Jota also in support and waiting to be played in.