Robbie Fowler has claimed that he’s ‘not too bothered’ by Darwin Nunez’s red card incident and believes the Uruguayan will be ‘fine’ in the Premier League.
The 23-year-old forward has experience playing professionally in Uruguay, Spain and Portugal and the ex-Red believes that Nunez wouldn’t have survived elsewhere if he was easily wound up.
The former SL Benfica forward has completed his three match suspension and is in contention to face Everton in tomorrow’s Mersyeside derby at Goodison Park.
“I’m not too bothered by his red card. It doesn’t show a ‘weakness’. It’s not that he can be easily wound up. If he is, then he’d have never survived playing in Uruguay. He’ll be fine,” Fowler told the Mirror.
“Nunez has played in Uruguay, Spain and Portugal before he came to the Premier League. He’ll have been kicked black and blue. It was more the occasion and the atmosphere. It was his full debut, at Anfield, after a massive money move. He wanted to do well, show the fans, and he’d missed a couple of chances, so the emotion got the better of him. You learn swiftly. He’ll have been hurting missing the Manchester United game especially, and that will be the swiftest lesson of all. Top players hate being sidelined.”
“You may need to sit down when you read this, but I was only sent off twice in my Premier League career. I’ll say it again. Two times. Both came when I was just a year younger than Darwin Nunez, which tells you a little about what he went through on his Anfield debut. For all his massive fee, he’s still so young, still a kid,” explained Fowler.
“He kicked me, I got caught up in the emotion and lashed out, though I didn’t connect, and in truth it definitely didn’t warrant a sending off by the standards of those days. I got caught up in it, because the game was so important, the title was on the line. I was never sent off again in the Premier League after the age of 22.”
The main concern for Jurgen Klopp and all involved with the club is that opponents will now target the South American – he will now be expecting that, however, and the hope is that he will let his football do the talking from now on.
The Uruguay international scored and registered an assist on the opening weekend against Fulham but has been suspended ever since.
During our last away match at Old Trafford we did appear to miss a focal point at the top end of the pitch and that is exactly what Nunez provides.
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Bobby Firmino has three goals in his last two appearances and is therefore expected to be named in the starting XI against Frank Lampard’s side.
Klopp confirmed in his press conference earlier today that Diogo Jota will ‘probably’ be included in the squad meaning the German tactician may have a number of decent options to call upon from the bench.
The Toffees are winless in the league so far this season and will be eager to cause a huge upset.
We head into the clash fresh off the back of a massive victory over Newcastle on Wednesday – let’s hope for another impressive performance and a vital three points.
#Ep58 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: Rating Liverpool’s UCL group, making a new signing… & more!