Joe Cole has drawn comparisons between Darwin Nunez and Didier Drogba during the Ivorian’s early years at Stamford Bridge.
Nunez netted his fifth goal of the campaign last night as the Reds defeated Toulouse 5-1 at Anfield in the Europa League but the 23-year-old also missed an absolute sitter in front of the Kop in the second half.
The ex-Benfica forward beat his man with a show of superb skill and then rounded the ‘keeper before somehow striking the post – something which resulted in Cole claiming the Liverpool forward needs to work on his finishing.
“He’ll be claiming it was an assist for Gravenberch I think! But seriously, he does so well here to pick the ball up, the footwork is exquisite to sit down the centre-half, the composure is excellent to go around the goalkeeper,” he said on TNT Sports (via The Mirror). “He just needs to take an extra touch, I think he gets very excited and goes too early. I love the way he’s alive on the run.
“I think it does [sum him up as a player] but I think that can be harsh on him because he’s got so much to his game. He gets an A* in every part of his game, and his performance tonight was also fantastic but his finishing is a C at the moment, but that’s something he can work on.
“It’s something that often comes later on in strikers, something that they work on later like Dider Drogba. When he arrived at Chelsea, he wasn’t as polished as when he became the legend he was so the Liverpool fans will be hoping Darwin Nunez can turn into that kind of striker, one who seizes those opportunities and gets better with age.”
There’s no denying that it was a dreadful miss from our No. 9 but the forward had a brilliant game apart from that.
He showcased his exceptional hold up play, fired home emphatically in the first half and ran his socks off for the team both with and without the ball.
His name was chanted constantly from the Kop and if he can just compose himself a little better in front of goal Jurgen Klopp has a serious player on his hands.
His pace and movement in behind is an absolute nightmare for defenders and we look forward to seeing him improve further under the watchful eye of our German tactician.
#Ep94 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones🎙️