PLAYER ANALYSIS - Darwin Núñez

Pic Source - Goal.com

A 22-year-old striker from the country of Diego Forlan and Luiz Suarez enters the world of football at the beginning of a new era after Messi and Ronaldo dominated it for more than a decade. He has captured the attention of numerous football scouts from all around the world.

Darwin Gabriel Núñez Ribeiro aka Darwin Núñez, was born on June 24, 1999. He signed with Premier League team Liverpool FC for a staggering £85 million transfer fee, shattering Liverpool's club record for transfers. The striker established a reputation for himself while playing for Portugal by tallying an astounding 34 goals in 41 games. Because of his versatility and ability to play in any position in the front line, he is more valuable to any team, which accounts for the cost. Núñez will compete with the Norwegian striker (Erling Haaland) at City for the opportunity to help their respective teams succeed.

He replaces Sadio Mane, who will leave Liverpool to join Bayern Munich after a productive six-year tenure at Anfield. Many Premier League clubs were interested in signing the 22-year-old Uruguayan striker after he had a fantastic season at Benfica, but Liverpool FC ultimately succeeded in doing so.

Profile

Source - https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/

Nunez, who was trained in Pearol's youth programme and was originally from the northern Uruguayan city of Artigas, was promoted to the first team in 2017. In August 2019, he committed to the Spanish Segunda División team Almera. He was the most expensive player ever purchased in Portuguese football history when he was signed by Benfica in 2020 for a club-record transfer price of €24 million. He won the Bola de Prata prize for top scorer in the Primeira Liga in his second season with 26 goals in 28 games.

Although he is a master at handling the ball, his strongest quality is his ability to take the initiative. He can play wherever on the front line and his sprinting ability gives defenders the willies. He is also excellent at closing down. All things considered, he is a superb finisher, so if you pass the ball to him in the box, there is a good possibility that it will be scored.

Stats(Club)

Strengths

1. Finishing

Finishing is a mandatory quality in any striker to be considered World-Class and the young Uruguayan is a clinical one at it. The above graph from soccerment shows that his shot conversion rate (Goals scored against shots on target) is at a whopping 64.28% (The highest in his league) and surpasses the same stat of Salah, Diaz, and Jota, who are averaging around 50.

2. Dribbling

Nunez's ability to dribble with the ball sets him apart from other forwards across the world in terms of his style of play. He has the skills necessary to dribble past an opponent thanks to his speed and agility. His dribble success percentage is far above average at over 50%, indicating that he has a higher likelihood of dribbling past a defender than losing the ball. Nunez does, however, like passing the ball to teammates as opposed to charging forward.

His progressive passing (a pass is termed progressive if the starting point and the next touch are both inside a team's half and the starting and finishing points are at least 30 metres closer to the opponent's goal) is shown graphically above via SmarterScout is highly regarded, and Liverpool will eagerly anticipate his assists when they come.

3. Spatial Awareness

Nunez is frequently seen with plenty of space and is constantly prepared to receive the ball at any point in the game. This is because he constantly moves toward the little spaces on the field, making it challenging to mark him. His quickness and powerful build will also work against the defense. He frequently moves into the channels into the opposing half during an assault, leaving himself available with a sizable green area for him to run on. He easily slips past the defense of the opposition and commands attention when attacking. One of the crucial elements of his remarkable goal-scoring achievement can be attributed to his spatial awareness.

Weakness

1. Holding onto the ball

Despite all of his qualities that suggest he is a striker of the highest caliber, he is unable to hold the ball. He dribbles, passes, and scores but it is not a smart idea to give him the ball to hold play and keep control, making him an excellent counter-attacker but not a reliable one. Therefore, the only thing you can play him for is to make him more of a target shortly before the goal or to provide a crucial pass that results in a goal.

Since the above trait entirely depends on the team he plays for, it is difficult to call it a weakness. Currently, Liverpool are not known for their possession play, and this lack of ability in Nunez can be overshadowed by their style of play.

2. Link-up Play

Although the young striker makes the crucial passes to turn an offensive action into goals, he frequently exhibits a lack of teamwork. The renowned tiki-taka is unaccustomed to his abilities and is unable to offer his team link-ups and rapid one-twos to crack the defense of the enemy and score the goal. Don't be fooled by his excellent passing skills; Liverpool have to improve his link-up play.

Insight

Pic Source - Liverpoolfc.com

The ageing front three of Salah (30), Sadio Mane (30), and Firminho (29), as well as the contract expiration of Salah, forced Liverpool to make purchases of young players in order to maintain their hegemony in the English Premier League. Darwin proves to be the ideal substitute for Sadio Mane, who is leaving, with Jota and Luiz Diaz supporting the front 3.

Darwin has the added advantage of being able to step into Sadio Mane's shoes or even better because of his dominance on the left side of the field. Even if Manes' link-up play with his teammates was one of his strong areas Nunez will need to improve on this crucial area to fully replace the Senegalese. Below are some other distinctions between the two.

Source - www.Soccerment.com

In keeping with the club's motto, "You never walk alone." it is obvious that the young striker's deficiency will be masked because Liverpool does not play a possession-based style of football. The excellent wing-backs Trent and Robertson of Liverpool, the masterful midfielder Thiago, and the wingers Salah and Diaz will make sure to give Nunez all the right passes so he can put them behind the net, which is without a doubt what Nunez is best at.

Like all of Liverpool's recent acquisitions, this one is sure to be outstanding since manager Jurgen Klopp has the innate ability to turn any teammate into a superstar so long as they have the will to get better. How long will the fans have to wait to witness the magic that the young striker will bring to the Liverpool team for the upcoming season is the only unknown.

CONCLUSION

Nunez's deal with Liverpool, on paper, remains an excellent signing. The striker was acquired for a lump sum that undoubtedly raised some eyebrows, but considering how well he played for Benfica the previous season, the cost was inevitable.

Even though he lacks some skills, Liverpool under Klopp will make sure that all of his shortcomings are covered and that only his assets are used on the pitch. In the forthcoming season, the front three of Salah, Nunez, and Diaz will undoubtedly be a nightmare for the defense of the opposition. Fans must simply wait and watch as the trio combines to bring gorgeous football to Anfield for another season.

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