Arne Slot admitted that there was one thing he’d have ‘loved to see’ during Liverpool’s win over Girona on Tuesday night.
The Reds were indebted to Alisson Becker for a string of superb saves upon his return from injury to keep the score at 0-0 before Mo Salah’s penalty ensured that their 100% record in the Champions League remained intact.
The 46-year-old didn’t hide his dissatisfaction with the team’s overall performance in his post-match media duties, and that wasn’t the only think which left him slightly rueful afterwards.
It was another frustrating night for Darwin Nunez, who couldn’t make the most of two inviting chances during the first half and was duly slammed by Stephen Warnock.
Speaking about Liverpool’s number 9 after the match, Slot said (via liverpoolfc.com): “What I can agree on is that he missed a few chances. Then it’s always the question: does this have anything to do with low confidence or is this a situation where he’s in at the moment?
“I think every striker all around the world has periods where every ball goes in, and sometimes he has a period where you try so hard but you’re not able to score. The good thing is that we have many players that can score for us – today Mo again.
“I would have loved to see Darwin score because I think every striker wants to score [and] needs goals – that’s why I kept him in for quite a long time. He was a threat but unfortunately he couldn’t score.”
There’s no getting away from the Uruguayan’s disappointing goal return so far this season, with just three in 19 appearances, and it’s not farfetched to claim that Nunez probably wouldn’t have been starting so regularly if it weren’t for Diogo Jota’s lengthy injury layoff.
However, while it can be frustrating watching him pass up chances like the couple against Girona on Tuesday, some of the personal criticism which has been levelled at him online in the meantime has been completely over the top, and thankfully there’s been plenty of genuine Liverpool fans calling out the abuse.
It’s evident from what Slot said after the match that he’s appreciative of the effort that the 25-year-old is putting in and rueful that such endeavour isn’t being rewarded on the scoresheet.
Also, while many other coaches might’ve hauled Nunez off long before the 70-minute mark, the Reds boss kept faith in him for most of the game and gave him ample opportunity to try and arrest his barren streak, which now stands at five matches.
There may be some Liverpool supporters whose patience with the Uruguay striker has run out, but that can’t be said of the man whose opinion matters most. Even when Jota returns, our number 9 should still have plenty of opportunities, albeit if not starting quite as frequently.
The post ‘Unfortunately…’ – Arne Slot rueful over one thing he’d ‘have loved to see’ against Girona appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.
