Oh look, Darwin Nunez has scored again. Say one thing for Marcelo Bielsa, say he's hit the jackpot with the Liverpool striker, seemingly constructing a system that maximises the myriad strengths of the influential forward.
Two games into the 2024 CONMEBOL Copa America, Uruguay have dominantly won both of their group fixtures thus far, with Nunez offering a glimpse of the level he could yet reach at Anfield, now under the tutelage of Arne Slot.
Minutes played
90'
83'
Goals
1
1
Shots taken
5
7
Big chances missed
2
3
Touches
33
36
Accurate passes
13/17 (76%)
6/10 (60%)
Key passes
1
0
Dribble attempts
3/5
6/8
Duels won
6/10
12/19
Tackles
0
3
Two years ago, Nunez signed for Liverpool from Benfica in a deal rising to a club-record £85m fee. Now aged 24, he has scored 33 goals from 96 fixtures in all competitions but has missed 47 big chances in the Premier League despite only scoring 20 goals.
Manchester City's Erling Haaland, conversely, has missed 62 big chances in the same timeframe but has incredibly plundered 63 goals. The difference in shooting sharpness, clearly, is stark.
Nonetheless, Nunez is positively bursting with natural ability and, channelled purposefully under Slot's wing, he could take significant strides toward world-class conversation.
Liverpool transfer news
According to transfer insider Graeme Bailey, Liverpool are among the list of top Premier League clubs that have been made aware of Kingsley Coman's availability at Bayern Munich this summer.
The German Bundesliga giants are on the verge of signing Michael Olise from Crystal Palace and Coman has been deemed expendable, having suffered an injury-disrupted 2023/24 campaign.
The 28-year-old trophy-littered career could see Liverpool add some extra winning mentality, though FSG would have to cough up £50m to make it happen.
Why Liverpool are interested in Kingsley Coman
Bayern signed Coman from Juventus on an initial two-year loan deal in 2015, before exercising the option to make the signing permanent. Former Die Roten sports director Matthias Sammer said of the then-prospect: "Kingsley Coman is one of the biggest talents in European football."
Coman's career has been showered in silverware. Last season, Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen produced an all-time German achievement of winning the Bundesliga undefeated (and the DFB-Pokal too) meaning that Bayern and Coman missed out on the league title.
For Coman, it was the first time in his career that he failed to win his division's title, triumphing every single year with Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain, from where he began his professional journey. That's 11 league titles, even more than Phil Foden, for example, who has claimed six Premier League titles aged 24 with Manchester City.
In total, he has scored 63 goals and supplied 66 assists across 294 appearances for the Allianz Arena side, making good on past praise from his former coach Patrick Gonfalone, who noted when he was a teenager: “His reading of the game and his technique stand out and make him formidable."
While the recently concluded campaign has seen him shackled to the sideline over the past few months, limiting him to a seasonal haul of five goals and three assists, Coman managed to average 1.7 key passes and 1.7 dribbles per game in the German top flight.
For reference, Liverpool's Luis Diaz averaged 1.8 key passes and 1.8 dribbles per Premier League game last term, so the Bavarian ace maintained an impressive level despite his issues.
Having scored the sole goal to secure Bayern the Champions League title in 2020, sinking his former outfit PSG to lift the trophy, Coman has the pedigree and he has the skill.
Left winger
178
43
39
0.46
Right winger
124
22
27
0.40
As you can see, the £276k-per-week machine finds success regardless of his deployment on the field. The right-footed star is understandably more clinical when on the left, swinging inside to fire on goal, but he's comparatively successful in that regard even when on the right flank.
Moreover, his progression-based and sharp technical qualities could see him offer the added dimension to ensure the success of Slot's Liverpool side. As per FBref, the France international ranks among the top 15% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 19% for progressive passes, the top 6% for progressive carries, the top 17% for successful take-ons and the top 9% for touches in the attacking penalty area per 90.
Such quality. Such gusto. Nunez would lick his lips at the chance to play with such a talent.
Imagine Kingsley Coman & Darwin Nunez
Nunez might have flattered to deceive here, struggled to make it connect there, but he's still showcased more than enough quality to denote his elite-level talent on Merseyside.
Some extra pace and projection down the flanks could be perfect for his skill set, and Coman offers that in hordes. His two-sidedness suggests that Coman could find a measure of fluency on either wing, with Nunez scoring 18 goals for the Reds last term but also registering 13 assists.
The 6 foot 1 forward, indeed, ranks among the top 5% of centre-forwards across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 13% for shot-creating actions and the top 20% for tackles per 90.
Slot's preferred formation shapes up to be 4-2-3-1 – the same, as it goes, as Bielsa's set-up with Uruguay – with Nunez playing the role of lone frontman. Things could soon start to click for a forward who has had his share of detractors since alighting in England, perhaps playing more of a distinctive role than the fluid, interchanging nature of Klopp's system.
With Coman deployed to the wing, stretching the opponent's flanks and creating space, a formidable partnership could be born.
Liverpool in direct talks with star who'd be the biggest coup since Salah
FSG would make quite the statement by getting this one over the line.
ByAngus Sinclair Jun 27, 2024
