Liverpool may have secured a massive win this weekend that led many to think the title is Anfield bound, though Arne Slot is still not happy with his squad.
Speaking in his pre-Newcastle press conference (via BBC Sport) the 46-year-old said about Darwin Nunez:
“I helped him by saying you can miss a chance.
“I wasn’t only hard on him. But for the second time in a row I wasn’t happy with his work effort, against Wolves and against Villa.
“I can’t accept if a player doesn’t give everything. That is clear. I can accept it once, but twice was a bit too much. That’s why I addressed it.
“If you miss a chance, you need to be fighting for the team. I’m not saying he didn’t do that at all, but it wasn’t the usual Darwin, the one that is loved by the fans. That is mainly because he always works so hard.”
It’s very cut throat from our head coach who is clearly sending a very public message to his forward, stating that he needs to work harder.
Arne Slot hasn’t held back on Darwin Nunez
It’s quite interesting that all this has happened in the fallout of a big miss against Aston Villa, after which our No.9 was widely criticised.
His boss suggested that the forward should act more like Wataru Endo, whose efforts can never be questioned – even with his limited amount of game time.
Following the victory over Manchester City in which we played with two No.10s and there wasn’t even a second of game time handed to our No.9, it looked like there was some bad blood in the air.
The 25-year-old appeared to either snub or reluctantly and half-heatedly offer a hand to the Dutchman after the game, perhaps showcasing even harsher words being said in private.
After a poor miss at Villa Park and no minutes against Pep Guardiola’s side, should the former Benfica man play against Newcastle, we’ll either see a player more determined than ever to prove the doubters wrong or someone who has given up on a career at Anfied.
Either way though, it’s becoming increasingly clear that Nunez’s long-term future may be spent away from Merseyside.
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Please keep Nunez at Anfield!