I'd keep him and just play him as a wide forward. I think in that respect you can deal with his erratic nature and he can still cause 'chaos'. 31 goal contributions is very good but he doesn't have that killer instinct that top strikers do. They hugely overpaid and he's not the CF they thought would elevate them but he can still be useful for them. Keep him out wide where he can get an angled shot from through balls or outside the box which he seems to be much better at than one on ones through the middle.
Darwin Núñez | Liverpool player | Sometimes maybe good, sometimes maybe shish
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Not a striker
Still only 25 next season. Could be a Drogba or a Vardy and peak late nearer to 30.
He's a human ping pong table. A chaos merchant. And he has been unable to deliver in one of the more chaotic attacking sides in the world. How many ridiculously fluke goals have Liverpool scored under Klopp. They are set-up to score them. And Darwin can't. The incoming baldie won't fancy him.
He gets into a shit ton of good positions. It is possible that they work on his finishing and he'd be an excellent striker.
Yup. Sometimes you win…
Some interesting names in the top 10 worst big chance converters. You'd kind of expect it it be the 10 worst strikers in Europe but that's definitely not the case.
| 10 Players With Worst Big-Chance Conversion Rates in Europe in 23/24 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Player | Club | Conversion Rate |
| 1. | Darwin Nunez | Liverpool | 19.4% |
| 2. | Dusan Vlahovic | Juventus | 21.7% |
| 3. | Akor Adams | Montpellier | 26.1% |
| 4. | Nicolas Jackson | Chelsea | 29.2% |
| 5. | Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | Marseille | 32.1% |
| 6. | Robert Lewandowski | Barcelona | 33.3% |
| 7. | Samuel Omorodion | Deportivo Alaves | 33.3% |
| 8. | Alvaro Morata | Atletico Madrid | 34.4% |
| 9. | Erling Haaland | Manchester City | 34.8% |
| 10. | Vinicius Jr | Real Madrid | 36.4% |
The lesson is you have highly paid professionals whose job it is to scout and recruit, and you should not trust your coaching staff over them when it comes to it
The reason you see big names is largely because one of the most important quality for top forwards is the ability to put themselves in good goalscoring opportunities. They give themselves more chances but they are not actually more clinical, with some exceptions.
Yeah, it's the same way you usually see the top scorers taking way more shots than most other players. They miss loads of shots but without taking all those shots they wouldn't rack up the goals.
That said, I do think there is something fundamentally wrong with Nunez in front of goal. The way he keeps making a balls of huge chances in really important games is getting past the point of coincidence.
Yeah, in two seasons the compilation of comical misses is simply too long. It's a combination of a bad lack of composure and some questionable finishing technique in certain situations. I remember one game last season (against Wolves I think), where he dragged the same chance well wide three times in a row.
He makes up for it with great physical attributes and good movement. But top sides need that forward that will score his chance in a tight game and/or get you a goal out of nothing when it matters. I don't think Nunez will ever be that for Liverpool.
They’ve been saying that for a few years and it hasn’t happened. Salah and Suarez missed a few when they started but picked up quickly. If anything he’s getting worse.
Also he gets into positions but ends up dominating his areas so more accurate players don’t get to shoot. He takes far too many shots in general - composure or an extra pass would go a long way. The opposite of Firmino, who helped others flourish.
In other words, The Lukaku.
the best game I’ve seen him play, he scammed them
Agreed. An erratic finisher like Nunez is never going to contribute enough as your main source of goals. He has some useful attributes as a player but as you say, I think those are better suited for someone in wider areas.
Jota is far more instinctive in front of goal. If I was the next manager coming in, I'd be using him as the CF from their existing options and looking to sign a new striker alongside. Liverpool could be in a bit of trouble if they don't get a decent goalscorer in because Salah looks ready for the bin on current form.
But but but he has a decent xg or whatever metric the modern fan base use these days
His thought process there is so fundamentally broken. In certain circumstances there is nothing wrong with getting a hard shot away as quickly as possible, sacrificing accuracy for speed. Usually when the striker is under high pressure, the keeper is unsighted, and there is a lower chance of scoring because there are bodies or distance in the way. Not one of those applied there. The guy's a big idiot.
Lukaku doesn't take a lot of shots though. That's a huge part of the problem with him. Darwin shoots twice as much as Lukaku averages over his career
Feel he's having a decent year and has the skillset to do well for them. Carragher is just so unobjective when he's emotional because Klopp's farewell tour has been a disaster, their recruitment has been a bit whack which is probably why they broght Edwards back in.
They had Mane - Firmino - Salah as a front three and now have a lot of 'ok' to 'good' players in Gakpo (average), Diaz (good), Jota (good), Nunez (good) and Salah who is elite but older and likely leaving. Of all of them Nunez is the only one I'd say with any kind of real potential promise given his age and having a few more years to build on until he hits his peak.
They had Mane - Firmino - Salah as a front three and now have a lot of 'ok' to 'good' players in Gakpo (average), Diaz (good), Jota (good), Nunez (good) and Salah who is elite but older and likely leaving. Of all of them Nunez is the only one I'd say with any kind of real potential promise given his age and having a few more years to build on until he hits his peak.
Nunez turns 25 in a month. He's not that young.
Peak for a modern footballer is probably somewhere between 23 and 30.
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Getting the Karius treatment, they’ve hounded him out to walk alone.
The difference between 1 in 3 and 1 in 5 is gigantic though. It’s always been the case that those who score most, miss most. Goal scoring is very hard.
Having said that, Jackson’s percentage doesn’t appear anything like as bad as I’d have thought. I’d have had him alongside Nunez based on watching him.
100 percent. Creating top chances is harder and more important than being particularly clinical.
I‘d have him at United ….there I said it!
Ability to get on the end of the things is just as important as pure finishing ability. Which is the problem some people are seeing with Hojlund, good finisher but concerning that he struggles so badly to get shots off, even with sup optimal service.
So would I.
It's not clicking for him at Liverpool, but there's something there with Nunez. I don't think he's a number 9 though.
Are people still adamant he's going to 'come good'?
With Hojland it’s that we don’t create any opportunity for him to even attempt one touch finishes.
I remember 28 of Haalands first 33 goals for City were one touch. They carve out so many opportunities for him to shoot first time as so much work has been done to create the chance. I don’t know what the stats are, but I’d imagine his 2-3 touch goal percentages are close to someone like Hojland. They’re both finishers and only one of them gets good service. It’s so rare to see Hojland miss a proper chance. He’s always got defenders around him. Part of that will be movement, but I still think it’s more about chance creation.
He's an impact sub at best. Can't build a title challenging team with him as a starter.
I think there's a good player in there as well. If your issue as a young(ish) forward is finishing but you're getting loads of chances, it's a good problem to have.
Yes, but if this issue has lasted for 2 years playing under the best and most attacking manager the club have had for decades, things can only go downhill from here.
There’s been many balls put across the goal that he’s not there for
As a squad player, sure. Nothing more than that.
He’s a weird one. Incredibly frustrating and at the same time, I can’t help but feel there’s a 25 goal a season striker in there somewhere.
Be interesting to see what Slot thinks of him,
Be interesting to see what Slot thinks of him,
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He’s your standard modern day battering ram forward in that he’s a fantastic athlete but technically as a striker he is extremely lacking. Like Nicolas Jackson, and like Emile Heskey and Kevin Davies before.
These players will never ever be clinical because they are not refined footballers. They happen to be tall, fast and strong and so gave football a go.
We are in an era of football where being technically refined is giving way to strength, pace and workrate which allows for two of the biggest clubs in the country to be playing with these type of players as their first choice centre forward.
Even if he one season magically manages to score 20+ premier league goals. The following season his numbers will drop.
These players will never ever be clinical because they are not refined footballers. They happen to be tall, fast and strong and so gave football a go.
We are in an era of football where being technically refined is giving way to strength, pace and workrate which allows for two of the biggest clubs in the country to be playing with these type of players as their first choice centre forward.
Even if he one season magically manages to score 20+ premier league goals. The following season his numbers will drop.
He'd be great for Spurs. They should spend the Kane money on him.
He has a annoying smile.