Robbie Fowler is putting his faith in Darwin Nunez by backing the Uruguayan to start finding the net on a regular basis for Liverpool.
The former Benfica striker put in an all-action display against Chelsea as the Reds romped to a 4-1 win that re-established a five-point gap at the top of the Premier League. But despite his best efforts, Nunez finished the game without a goal but instead became the owner of an unwanted statistic.
The 24-year-old ended the match as the first player to hit the post or bar four times in a Premier League match, including a first half penalty that crash off the inside of the post. Nunez did redeem himself by supplying the assist for Luis Diaz to score a decisive fourth goal after the break that effectively sealed the victory, but there is little doubt that he will have be hugely frustrated not to have got on the scoresheet himself.
Nunez has seven Premier League goals in 21 appearances this season, but former Kop hero Fowler has seen enough from the club’s current number 9 to suggest that he can be a key part of the team moving forward.
Speaking to SportsBoom, Fowler said: “He will be a handful. I’m not sure whether he’ll score the amount of goals that people would want him to, but he will do well, score goals and be a handful. There’s a little bit of talk about him at the minute and there comes a time when you’ve got to take away a bit of the rawness and you’ve got to become more of a finished article. I’ve no doubt Darwin Nunez is an extremely good player. When Liverpool signed him he was scoring goals. He can do it.
“He’s playing in a top team who have an unbelievable amount of pressure on them, but what I like about Darwin Nunez is he’s got that desire to never give up. I think that’s why the Liverpool fans have taken to him. He’ll give everything and, OK, he’s missed a few chances but I genuinely think he will score goals. He’s not the finished article, but I don’t think anyone has said he is. Will that be enough? I genuinely don’t know – from a Liverpool fan’s point of view, I hope so.”
Nunez’ goal return can certainly not be described as disastrous, but he has received regular criticism for the number of chances that he misses. Against Chelsea he had 11 shots at goal but was unable to convert any of them. His assist for Diaz, however, was his 11th of the season in all competitions, with Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka (12) the only Premier League player to have provided more.
Fowler believes that Nunez is working in a different environment to most strikers and believes that his attacking teammates can help to reduce the burden of responsibility on his shoulders. Fowler added: “People have got to remember that Liverpool is different from every other club. When you have the history Liverpool has and the strikers who have gone before him, there is pressure there.
“I’ve been there and I’ve seen players come through – we’ve been blessed with strikers down the years. Players can try too hard. I’ve been there myself – when you try too hard, you make things worse. Then you always feel like you’re playing catch up. If Mo Salah can keep scoring and take the pressure off him a little bit, that would help. Hopefully the magic from Salah can rub off a little bit on Darwin.”
