Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp have said that they have not made a mistake when they spent a large amount of money on Nunez.
Liverpool joining the failed signing group after buying Nunez?
There have been numerous failed signings and huge sums of money that were squandered on football transfers. It would be unfair to say that Neymar and Kylian Mbappe flops. However, PSG didn’t invest the most in them to pick up the Ligue 1 title the majority of the time. Joao Felix and Jack Grealish still need to prove that they are worthy of playing in the teams they are with. Philippe Coutinho, Antoine Griezmann, and Ousmane Dembele have all underperformed to varying degrees in Catalonia.
Clubs making big money errors
Another purchase that failed in 10 months was Romelu Lukaku. Chelsea re-signed Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan for a fee of £97.5 million ahead of the 2021/22 season. However, he now has asked to go back to the Italian club on loan.
Lukaku has been a sad failure at the Bridge despite a move for a large sum. Thus now, Liverpool fans are wondering if Darwin Nunez is going to perform in their club. He had one awesome season in the Portuguese league. However, Lukaku has a much more extensive record of good performances as he finished Inter’s Serie A-winning season scoring 24 goals and providing 11 assists.
Lukaku’s time under Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte differed significantly. Whereas the latter hasn’t, the former has utilised Lukaku’s strengths. At Inter, Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez created an incredible front-two in Conte’s preferred 3-5-2 lineup. For comparison, Liverpool’s best pairing of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah produced six goals across all competitions. They directly linked up to create eight league goals.
At Chelsea, Lukaku was frequently left alone as the lone striker in a 3-4-2-1 formation. It is reasonable to expect a player of his caliber to excel in different systems. However, it is also reasonable to be understanding if he does not.
Liverpool made a mistake?
Could Liverpool make the same mistake Nunez made? Benfica hardly use the 4-3-3 line up that Jurgen Klopp has instilled in the club. Furthermore, when they used it, it was usually in games where the Uruguayan did not play. However, he got the sole goal in a 1 nil win at Maritimo. This was when he played in the No. 9 role. There is also rumors around that a change in line up could be in the works for 2022/23 at Anfield.
Klopp has previously experimented with a 4-2-3-1 formation and has seen what Nunez is capable of with those tactics. In April, Nelson Verssimo sent his Benfica side out in that system at Anfield, and the now-Liverpool forwards scored the game-winning goal in a 3-3 tie. Next season, Liverpool could play in a similar fashion, with Nunez up top and Carvalho in the No 10 role. But, whatever Klopp’s plan is—and pre-season will reveal it—he will have a strategy in mind for getting the most out of Nunez. After the deal was completed, Liverpool manager Klopp said to his new forwards, “He is as excited by us as we are by him, which makes for a great relationship when you appreciate each other’s strengths.”
This has not appeared to be the case for Lukaku and Tuchel from the start. Liverpool may not be able to spend as much money on individual players as some other clubs, but they have a much more effective strategy for maximizing the talents of their big-money signings. Nunez should be the latest to benefit from their efforts.
Follow us on Twitter for more Football Updates
