Darwin Nunez must love Mohamed Salah more than any other Liverpool fan. Because the Egyptian's impressive goalscoring ability is masking Nunez's struggles.
St James' Park is usually a stadium with fond memories for the Uruguayan, but the recent match was a complete contrast. In the context of Liverpool's 3-3 draw with Newcastle, Nunez himself played very inconsistently.
Nunez’s energy, charisma and attitude have never been in doubt. However, he has only scored three goals so far this season, following 18 last campaign. Last season, Nunez even went 10 games without a goal.
Roberto Firmino wasn't exactly an effective number 9 for The Kop, but he contributed a lot to the overall play. Nunez is doing the same now, but the problem is that Liverpool need a number 9 to score goals.
The likes of Salah are making up for Nunez's shortcomings, scoring from positions where the Uruguayan should be. However, when looking at the statistics, Nunez's effectiveness is sometimes not inferior to Salah's.
Salah has missed nine big chances this season, according to the Premier League's official website. Nunez, meanwhile, has missed three big chances in 11 appearances. Nunez has missed 50 since joining the club, while Salah has missed 46 in the same period.
The difference is that Salah's goals have masked every missed opportunity. The Egyptian striker may miss a clear chance but then always knows how to make up for it.
If Nunez missed three big chances and still scored two goals, no one would care. But the problem is that he often misses chances and then fails to score.
Nunez is 25. He joined Anfield from Benfica for a fee that could rise to £85m plus add-ons. Liverpool still have great faith in the Uruguayan, so one of the big things asked of Arne Slot is to get the best out of Nunez.
If Liverpool want to compete in all four competitions this season, they will certainly need Nunez to improve his goalscoring form. At the moment, Salah is still the main man for the Reds, but there is no guarantee that he will maintain his excellent form until the end of the season. Therefore, at a certain stage, Nunez needs to step up at the right time.
