Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool have made match-winning second-half performances a welcome habit in 2023/24, with five wins recorded from their opening six games of the season.
Darwin Nunez played a vital part in Sunday’s latest 3-1 victory, scoring a positively outrageous goal in the afternoon clash.
It wasn’t the effort itself that caught his manager’s eye, however, with Theo Squires relaying the manager’s praise over his start striker’s ‘massive steps’ on X.
Klopp on Nunez form: Massive steps in last few weeks. He's a threat. He was always available for us. Takes it on his chest and we play from there. Defensive work is probably the main difference. It looks much better. Curtis and Dom help a lot.#LFC #LIVWHU
— Theo Squires (@TheoSquiresECHO) September 24, 2023
We’d find it hard to disagree with the head coach’s assessment here, given how the Uruguayan international appears to have transformed his contributions to this Liverpool side in the space of one pre-season.
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Nunez should, in truth, have found the net twice against David Moyes’ men, spurning a glorious close-range chance after Mo Salah had done all the hard work supplying the ball.
It’s the manner in which he harries his opponents in the final third, however, that has inevitably appealed the most to our German tactician.
Keep that up and we have absolutely no idea how the likes of Diogo Jota or Cody Gakpo will force out the 24-year-old from the starting-XI any time soon!