Liverpool are likely to look to sell Darwin Nunez this summer, with the striker struggling for playing time at Anfield. (The Athletic - subscription required), external
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Liverpool head coach Arne Slot discusses Darwin Nunez
At his news conference on Thursday, Liverpool boss Arne Slot spoke about striker Darwin Nunez, who missed a glorious chance to score in Wednesday's 2-2 draw at Aston Villa.
Slot said: "In the game against Villa, I would prefer him to score, but the word 'chance' says it all - it's a chance. It's not 100% sure that the ball goes in.
"Players miss chances - that, I can accept," added Slot, before then saying he was not pleased with the forward's reaction in the minutes afterwards.
Image source, Getty ImagesBBC Sport asked Liverpool fans for their thoughts on Darwin Nunez - with a series of options to select from regarding the striker's position and future at Liverpool.
As of 17:15 GMT on Thursday, more than 11,000 people had taken part.
Here is the breakdown of results so far:
Make him a regular starter - 11%
Great impact player from the bench - 8%
Good squad option, works hard for the team - 13%
Give him one more season - 5%
Poor technique but great attitude - 10%
A loan to build confidence - 6%
Sell him in the summer - 47%
Marissa Thomas
BBC Sport journalist
In June 2022, Liverpool completed the signing of Uruguay striker Darwin Nunez from Portuguese side Benfica on a six-year deal for an initial £64m.
The 25-year-old could become the club's record signing, with the fee rising to a potential £85m with add-ons.
So far, it hasn't exactly been value for money.
In his last season at Benfica, he scored 34 times in 41 appearances across all competitions. Liverpool fans have yet to see that level of consistency.
Across three seasons at Anfield, Nunez has a 13-goal underperformance - scoring 39 times from an xG of 52.4. This season, he's at -3.5, meaning he should have 3.5 goals more if we take into account the quality of chances that have fallen his way.
This season, he ranks 22nd for shot conversion in the Premier League on 15.4%. Chris Wood leads the way with a shot conversion rate of 39.1% while Alexander Isak, Mohamed Salah, and Everton forwards Iliman Ndiaye and Beto make up the rest of the top five.
The Uruguayan striker has a record of 223 minutes per goal in the league during this campaign, ranking 24th in this particular category. In sharp contrast his team-mate Salah is second on the list, scoring a goal every 96 minutes.
While his two goals against Brentford gave the Reds a crucial win, the data points to Nunez not making the difference consistently.
Josh Sexton
Fan writer
"Players miss chances - that I can accept. What was a bit harder for me to accept was his behaviour after that chance, and by behaviour I mean it got too much in his head, where he wasn't the usual Darwin that works his butt off and makes sure he helps the team."
The gauntlet was thrown down by Arne Slot in his strangely early pre-Manchester City press conference on Thursday and Darwin Nunez has already responded on Twitter with a statement that ends with the word "resilience" in Spanish.
Resilience is exactly what Liverpool and their mercurial Uruguayan striker need to show between now and the end of the season.
In isolation, an emotionally charged draw against Everton during a Goodison Park swansong, and a midweek evening draw to a well-drilled Aston Villa side aren't the worst results ever. A reaction is required to make that so, though.
They have a huge chance to make another statement on Sunday against a side who are arguably one of the most mentally fragile the Premier League has to offer right now, especially after being softened up by Real Madrid. It's still Pep Guardiola's Manchester City though, and therefore it won't be a walk in the park by any stretch of the imagination.
While they may be easily discouraged by any level of suffering within the game, the "wounded animal" element will surely kick in if they feel encouraged enough to bite back.
Liverpool need to stop being so easily discouraged and any mentally fragile players need to be dragged up by the collective, rather than the collective being dragged down by poor moments from those lacking in confidence.
Resilience is the right word for it, but actions must follow words now.
Find more from Josh Sexton at The Anfield Wrap, external
What would you do with Nunez? Tell us here, external
Nunez took to social media to compare comments made about him after he scored twice in the win at Brentford on 18 January compared to criticism of him after Wednesday's 2-2 draw at Aston Villa
Darwin Nunez is a frustrating player.
If you look at Liverpool as a club and the frontline they have in terms of versatility, he is certainly different to a lot of the attacking players they have.
When he came in he became a fans favourite just because of the work rate that he gives. He would run players down, run channels and he would work really hard and the fans really enjoyed that
But, on the flip side, his composure in front of goal has never been good. When you are at a big club, it is what you are measured on. Yes, you can win the fans over in terms of showing how much it means to you to play, but is he good enough to be in a Liverpool team that is competing on all fronts? Probably not.
It was shown against Aston Villa - that was a huge miss. When you are given an opportunity to find a goal when you are at a team like Liverpool, you are expected to finish that.
Nunez does not have that composure. His mind is going a hundred miles an hour and he cannot slow down his thought process and that was what happened. That miss could be costly come the end of the season.
How you manage that as the head coach is quite difficult because it is frustrating that they tend to be easy opportunities he misses. It seems he can score the more difficult ones when he does not have time to think, but when he has a lot of time to think, he seems to be unable to compose himself.
This is why he is seeing himself on the bench a lot under Arne Slot and it cannot really be put down to confidence as we have seen him miss chances even when he was playing with confidence under Jurgen Klopp.
There is still a lot of talk around the future of Mohamed Salah. But, even if he leaves, I do not think Nunez will be the backup ready to step in. If I am being honest, I cannot see him even being there past the summer.
Liverpool know that they they will need a better quality replacement than Nunez. The club are in the position they are because they have such a versatile, dynamic, powerful, quality group of forwards.
I am not sure Nunez has got the quality that they want.
Fara Williams was speaking to BBC Sport's Nicola Pearson
Marissa Thomas
BBC Sport journalist
Liverpool boss Arne Slot has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Manchester City (kick-off 16:30).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
On forward Cody Gakpo returning for the Manchester City game, Slot said "let's see" and that it will be "a close call".
Slot said that he would be surprised if Conor Bradley is involved against Manchester City or Newcastle.
Defender Joe Gomez has had surgery on a hamstring injury and is out for "a long time", with Slot stating: "He will be back, maybe, just before the end of the season."
Slot said Diogo Jota and Trent Alexander-Arnold were taking off in the 2-2 draw at Aston Villa because they are coming back from injury.
On Darwin Nunez, who missed a glaring chance to put Liverpool ahead at Villa, Slot said: "I can accept every miss, especially from a player that has scored two very important goals against Brentford. He scored for us in the home game against Villa. I would prefer him to score but the word 'chance' says it all. It's a chance, so it's not 100% certain that the ball goes in. Players miss chances, that I can accept."
Slot continued: "What was a bit harder to accept was his behaviour after the chance. By behaviour, I mean it got too much in his head where he wasn't the usual Darwin who works his butt off and makes sure he helps the team. I think he was too disappointed after him missing that chance. It's not about the chance for me, it's more about the 20 minutes afterwards that I want to talk to him about than him missing the chance. The most important message is you can miss a chance but you can't miss out on workrate. It's part of your life as a number nine that you sometimes miss when people expect you to score."
On what he is expecting from Manchester City: "What I always expect from City since Pep [Guardiola] is there, a great football team. I can see them coming back already, you see the result against Newcastle. What you expect is what everyone expects when you go to the Etihad to play City.
Slot added: "You have to suffer as well and work really hard to keep them away from your goal. The style of play has always been the same from when Pep was at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and now Manchester City. Even he needs quality players to get results."
On Arsenal playing before Liverpool and how it impacts the Manchester City game: "The bigger question is from Man City. We play a strong team again, like we did [Aston] Villa. Arsenal play before us, but that doesn't make the game more difficult. We know we have 12 games to play, Arsenal has 13 games to play. If we constantly look at Arsenal and what other teams are doing then that will not help us. We know already how difficult it is to go to the Etihad, so we don't need Arsenal to get involved in that even more."
Follow all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news
Image source, Getty ImagesAfter a potentially damaging miss after being substituted on during the second half of Wednesday's 2-2 draw with Aston Villa, Liverpool fans' patience with Darwin Nunez appears to be wearing thin.
Here are some of your comments:
Ruhel: Nunez's missed chances probably cost Klopp's team a league title last season. His abysmal finishing will probably cost Slot's team a league title this season.
Ray: Nunez is a big disappointment. His stats showed he wasn't good enough for Liverpool but Liverpool still bought him. Speed of thought is crucial when playing at this level and he hasn't got it. He tries hard but this is not enough. He will be gone at the end of the season.
Sam: Nunez's miss sums him up. Surely he's going in the summer as he's not good enough. He's had plenty of time now, time to move on!
Ryan: Really, really tired of Nunez now. Not just based on Villa. Yes, he 'works hard', but he's playing for Liverpool in the Premier League. That shouldn't be a brag, it's mandatory. He's a very poor finisher and has been the star of his own catalogue of missed opportunities. He needs offloading and replacing this summer.
Tom: It was a disgrace for Nunez at Villa, not only did he miss two sitters but he was laughing at the end with Martinez when he should have his head in his hands. After the game, when the rest of our players are applauding our away end, Nunez walks down the tunnel. Take the money from Saudi and buy Isak in the summer.
Liam: I just cannot understand the persistence and logic behind playing Darwin Nunez. That miss tonight is one of the worst I have seen all season and I have seen nothing so far that indicates he has the ability to play for a club top in the Premier League.
Image source, Getty ImagesMohamed Salah has become the first player in Premier League history to score and assist in 10 different games in one season. The Liverpool forward is the first player to do so in one of Europe's big-five leagues since Lionel Messi in 2014-15 for Barcelona (11).
Image source, Getty ImagesWe asked for your thoughts after Liverpool emerged with a 2-2 draw from Wednesday's Premier League game at Aston Villa.
Here are some of your comments:
Christopher: A combative and resilient performance at a difficult venue. Villa are in the Champions League last 16 so some perspective is needed. A point at City would also represent a good return. Arsenal are not out of it, but they are under pressure too. Let's see come May.
Stuart: Liverpool should have taken advantage of Villa's early sloppiness in defence. It seemed as though players game time was being strictly managed. Should have won it, could have lost it. Eight points ahead is the main thing.
Andy: As a Liverpool supporter, it feels as if the momentum is shifting and I ask myself if we peaked too early. We've often just scraped the win recently, we are still battling but we are relying on one man (Salah) more and more with goals from others dwindling. Nunez is a huge concern and at some point, Liverpool need to make an outbound decision on him and accept he isn't the right fit.
Julia: I am a massive Liverpool fan, but I feel they are holding on to every game now. They don't look as slick as they did at the start of the season. Unfortunately we have a few tired players. Nunez does not do it for me at all. His work rate as a player is great but his finishing at vital times is poor and you keep thinking if another player was on the end of that ball it would be a goal. Not sure how many more chances he can be given. However, I still think Liverpool will win the league.
Rob: Better second half than against Wolves and should have won if Nunez had done what he is paid to do. However, still only one defeat in the league and Arsenal cannot afford any dropped points so the pressure remains on them.
Ken: Villa away is never an easy game but draws are akin to silent killers in the context of a tight title race. With games against City and Newcastle imminent in this brutal run of tough fixtures, Liverpool need to win both to restore calm. Should Nunez have hit an open target today? Yes. Should Nunez have had the opportunity to hit the target ? No. Szoboszlai was in a far better position to shoot but opted to pass on the responsibility. Players need to step up in these big moments and not shy away. Oh, and can Liverpool please work on set pieces? Poor in both boxes and it's an aspect that needs to improve rapidly.
Darwin Nunez is "a bit more disappointed than the rest" of his Liverpool team-mates after missing a huge late chance in Wednesday's 2-2 draw with Aston Villa, says Reds boss Arne Slot.
Substitute Nunez missed a golden chance to make it 3-2 when he blazed over from five yards after Dominik Szoboszlai squared the ball to him with 20 minutes remaining.
"You can understand there is one person in the dressing room who feels quite down," said Slot post-match.
"Szoboszlai made it an open goal chance and then Darwin was, of course, it was not his best leg, he's right footed, of course, but it was still a big chance.
"I was hoping that he could have got another one, because a player like him probably wouldn't miss two chances in a row.
"I think we were all disappointed, but it's normal that a player that missed a chance like this is always a bit more disappointed than the rest."
Despite the missed chances, the point at Villa Park moved Liverpool eight points clear at the top of the Premier League and Slot was happy with his team's display if not the result.
"Performance-wise, not a dip at all today, in my opinion," he added.
"What we must not do, and we've done that a bit too often now, is that we don't get what we deserve.
"If you look at all the chances, you put them in a row from us and from them, I think it's clear which team should have won this game, and we must not make a habit out of that.
"It happened a bit too much now, and still we are eight points clear with Arsenal, who have a game in hand.
"The only reason why we could be happy with a 2-2 was that they got the last chance of the game. A point is good to take, but for the rest - I think all for everything else I'm not happy."
Image source, Getty ImagesLiverpool dropped points in the Premier League as they came from behind to draw with Aston Villa at Villa Park.
Mo Stewart from the Anfield Wrap spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live after the match and said: "It was a ridiculous game of football, I don't think either side had control of it for longer than three or four minutes at a time.
"We created enough chances to win the game. Both Villa goals came from Liverpool defensive mistakes and the control that Arne Slot seems to crave in his football seems to have been missing for a good couple of games in a row now.
"Liverpool are still eight points clear at the top of the Premier League so it's hard to really be too disappointed.
"I think you have to recognise the fact that there have been times where Liverpool have been in good positions in the Premier League title race at this stage of the season and then had these kinds of results where you think 'it's OK, we're still at the top' and then when you get to the end of the season, you look back on those results and say 'oh well, maybe those were the ones that cost us.'"
Mikel Arteta's side sit second in the league and are the closest challengers to Liverpool but Stewart added that he doesn't believe "Arsenal are going to be perfect between now and the end of the season".
Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds
Liverpool's Colombia forward Luis Diaz, 28, wants to sign a new contract - even though his current deal still has two years to run. (TBR Football, external)
Barcelona could turn their attention to signing Diaz, who is a long-term target of the club and would be cheaper than signing Portugal winger Rafael Leao, 25, from AC Milan. (Sport - in Spanish, external)
Liverpool and Manchester City are both interested in Bayer Leverkusen's right-sided player Jeremie Frimpong, who has a 'gentlemen's agreement' with his German club to listen to offers worth 40m euros (£33.1m). The Netherlands international, 24, was in City's academy before moving to Celtic in 2019. (Teamtalk, external)
Liverpool's Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, 26, remains a top target for Chelsea this summer, with the Blues prepared to pay up to £40m for the Reds' second-choice stopper. (Football Insider, external)
Arsenal are optimistic of signing Real Sociedad and Spain midfielder Martin Zubimendi, 26, who decided to stay with his club rather than join Liverpool last summer. (Teamtalk, external)
Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column
Image source, PA MediaArne Slot spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Liverpool drew against Aston Villa: "It was a great game. Going in 2-1 down at half-time didn't feel like the game went for us like that but I was disappointed. We came out in the second half and scored 2-2 and had some good chances to make it 3-2 and then we could even have lost it. It was a great game but I am not happy with the result.
"I felt we defended well but I can't come up with a lot of Villa chances. You need to have a neutral set-piece balance or positive and we conceded one and did not score one. We scored two good goals and created enough chances to get the winner.
"We played Wolves away and beat them 2-1 and in the final minutes, it was tough for us as well. These players are used to this and are used to playing for trophies. Today we played very well but that also has to do with the style of play of the other team.
"Every team has to play every team twice and this week is Villa away and City away but again we did not lose. We desired more and that is the only thing we can blame ourselves for a few times now we did not get what we deserved. We must not make a habit of that."
Image source, Getty ImagesMohamed Salah became the first Liverpool player to score 15 away Premier League goals in a season, breaking Luis Suarez's record of 14 in 2013-14. It was the most by a Reds player in a league season away from home since Gordon Hodgson scored 15 in 1930-31.
Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?
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Come back to this page on Thursday to find a selection of your replies
Mike Hughes
BBC Radio Merseyside reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesLiverpool's Premier League title challenge faces a critical test over the next week.
After Wednesday's match at Aston Villa, the Reds travel to Manchester City on Sunday - then there is a dress rehearsal for the Carabao Cup final with Newcastle coming to Anfield on 26 February.
It is not difficult to understand why fans view this as a pivotal point in the season.
It has been a bit of a bumpy ride over the past 10 days. Losing to Plymouth in the fourth round of the FA Cup was as unwelcome as it was unexpected. Even a much-changed starting line-up should have performed much better than they did and Arne Slot will learn lessons from that.
In the raucous Merseyside derby that came three days later, they were just seconds away from establishing a nine-point lead at the top of the table. Sunday's home game with Wolves saw them keep a seven-point advantage intact, but their second-half performance had an uncharacteristically nervous feel to it.
Slot makes the point that, at this stage of the season, lots of games end up being much closer than expected and actually winning matches becomes a lot more important than how it is achieved. When you lead from the front in the fashion that Liverpool have, you are always in the sights of your rivals as they try to close what is still a considerable gap.
All teams - even the best ones - have to overcome setbacks. So far, the Reds' setbacks have been few and far between, and when you have a player like Mohamed Salah in your team, then nothing appears out of reach.
He has the capacity to turn a game in an instant, with his vision and goalscoring prowess. He is, without doubt, a gold-standard talent and his record so far this season is simply staggering.
There are many rivers to cross for Liverpool between now and the end of the campaign as they chase silverware on three fronts. Every game they play will be of significant value in whatever competition on any given matchday.
But, when we get to this point, what really matters is that you win and not how you do that.
Listen to Total Sport Merseyside from 18:00 on weeknights and find details here of live Liverpool match commentaries on BBC Radio Merseyside
Aston Villa are capable of beating anyone on their day, but they have not won any of their past four Premier League games and they are short of fit defenders too.
So they have got bigger problems than Liverpool, who are still without Cody Gakpo but otherwise only missing Joe Gomez through injury.
It was interesting to hear Reds defender Andy Robertson admitting the team felt nervous towards the end of Sunday's win over Wolves. I know that feeling, but hearing Robertson say that now surprised me a little bit, because there still a long way to go in the title race.
Robertson has been there, done it and won it with Liverpool before, in the Premier League and Champions League, but it shows how players feel the pressure even if I still feel their seven-point lead, with 13 games to go, is a big gap for Arsenal to make up.
Liverpool are not going to play well all the time, and if this is their blip - a draw in the Merseyside derby thanks to a stoppage-time equaliser by Everton and then an edgy win over Wolves - then it is not exactly a reason to panic.
In the past few weeks they have also gone out of the FA Cup and lost their final Champions League group game against PSV Eindhoven too, but it was their reserves who lost to Plymouth and, in Europe, they were already through.
For Arne Slot, one of the important things now is balancing when to try to rest players - and Aston Villa have been in a similar situation all season because of their Champions League campaign.
Villa do not have the strength in depth Liverpool do, but they do now have Marcus Rashford, who came on and made a bit of a difference in Saturday's draw with Ipswich.
I think Villa will score against Liverpool but it is the other end of the pitch that concerns me with Unai Emery's side, partly because of that lack of defenders, especially centre-halves, but also because I feel teams can always score against them anyway - they have kept only three clean sheets in the league all season.
With Liverpool's attacking power, I am expecting them to find a way through. Arsenal are waiting for them to slip up, and they have got another tough away game at the weekend when they go to Manchester City.
They will know this is a huge week in their season, but before they go to Etihad Stadium, I can see them taking three points here.
The performance for Liverpool does not matter here. It is all about the result, and maintaining that gap.
Sutton's prediction: 1-2
