Jurgen Klopp made the choice to maintain summer season signing Darwin Nunez on the bench for the beginning of the Premier League season.
“Darwin wants time to settle and we have to combine it up a bit,” Klopp stated earlier than kick-off. “Bobby [Roberto Firmino] is a baller.”
By the top of Saturday’s 2-2 draw, you possibly can assure Klopp wasn’t satisfied by both of these statements.
Nunez watched on from the bench within the first half as Liverpool had been completely hammered by newly promoted Fulham, whose power, want and physicality had been all an excessive amount of for a Reds facet who nonetheless gave the impression to be caught in pre-season mode.
The fun of their Group Defend victory over Manchester Metropolis wore away extremely shortly as Liverpool, whose beginning lineup featured six gamers over the age of 30 for the primary time since February 1994, couldn’t match as much as the tempo of the sport.
Klopp opted to present his beginning XI 5 minutes after the break to show issues round, however when that did not occur, the decision was made to Nunez.
The Uruguay striker got here on rather than Firmino, who couldn’t become involved in any way throughout his time on the pitch. In actual fact, his willingness to drop deep virtually made issues more durable for Liverpool, and that grew to become abundantly clear when Nunez got here on to do the precise reverse.
A gradual begin yielded a lack of possession which allowed Neeskens Kebano to hit the publish and the passing-up of an opportunity to shoot in favour of a sloppy go, however as soon as Nunez settled into the sport, his influence grew to become clear.
Stretching the defence and providing a focus, Nunez’s arrival appeared to alter the tone of the match. He practically scored with a pleasant flick earlier than righting the fallacious moments later with one other deft contact that, fact be informed, has to depend extra as a deflection after Tosin Adarabioyo’s unlucky ricochet.
He pushed and pushed and pushed once more, clearly unsettling the Fulham again line, and his presence alone led to the calamity that was Liverpool’s second equaliser.
Uncertainty within the Cottagers’ again line noticed the ball hit off Nunez and inadvertedly into the trail of Salah, whose routine faucet dwelling ensured the summer season signing earlier than the primary participant to each rating and help a objective on his Liverpool debut.
Klopp is correct, Nunez does want time to settle in English soccer, however there’s solely so lengthy the boss can wait. The margins within the Premier League title race are so positive today {that a} gradual begin may rule Liverpool out of the race earlier than it has even began.
Count on to see Nunez within the beginning lineup from this level onwards.
