It is nearly 18 months since Jurgen Klopp said Darwin Nunez could buy a ‘golden ticket’ to the starting XI by improving his all-round game, and a few weeks since Arne Slot echoed that and urged the Uruguayan to contribute more in a defensive sense.
But Liverpool’s manager has now heaped praise on Nunez after two complete performances in the last week — in wins over Chelsea and RB Leipzig — and hinted the big-money striker is belatedly coming good in terms of his holistic offerings.
Nunez is set to lead the line in an early-season title tussle with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, with Diogo Jota ruled out due to a rib injury suffered last weekend. And Slot admits he is impressed with his No 9.
‘He has put a lot of effort in and that is the first thing you can ask of a player,’ said the Dutch boss. ‘And it was also nice of him to score a goal (against Leipzig).
'I was a bit in doubt if it was needed for him to touch it, the ball was maybe (going in from Mohamed Salah’s shot)...‘What do you think? Ask Mo! He needed to do it and when he scored I was thinking, “Is he offside?” But no. He scored a goal which was vital but his work-rate was also really good and I think he has not played that many games with us.
Darwin Nunez has been putting in the hard yards on the training pitch in order to impress his new manager
Arne Slot has been delighted to see Nunez's all-round performances in the Reds' last two matches
‘So with him there is, like the others, room for improvement in co-operation with some of the other players. But that is normal. He is very good and it is pleasing to see that after a difficult start — because Diogo played so much — that Darwin is performing well.
‘Diogo is more of a nine-and-a-half and defensively you could almost see him as a midfielder —and most midfielders defend better than strikers. So we adjust the game plan (when Nunez plays over Jota). Darwin is a different type of striker to Diogo, so we have to use his qualities there in the best possible way as well.’
Slot added that Liverpool must improve in clashes against fellow Big Six teams after they won just two of 10 such games last season, including three draws and a defeat in matches against Arsenal and Manchester City, their two main title rivals.
Diogo Jota is set for a spell on the sidelines after injuring his ribs in Liverpool's win over Chelsea
Slot said that Liverpool must improve their record against other Big Six teams this season
‘If you look at Arsenal last season, I think it was seven points between them and Liverpool,’ he added. ‘The home game was a 1-1 draw, the away game Arsenal won 3-1. So if we could change the away result to a Liverpool win that would have been one point difference between the two teams.
‘So that’s why if you play your competitor those games are vital, just like all the others, but maybe these ones even a bit more.’