Why Darwin Nunez is the IDEAL striker for Liverpool

Darwin Nunez is a striker who is coming under a lot of fire recently.

After Liverpool drew their first game in over a month away to Newcastle, breaking their winning streak at seven matches, Darwin Nunez has come in for criticism.

To be fair, Darwin has come in for criticism for pretty much the entirety of his time on Merseyside. He was signed with much furore for an enormous €75m (plus €25m in add-ons) and despite the size of the fee, he is as much a prospect as a polished power forward.

Despite being 25, Darwin has all the refinement (or lack thereof) of a much younger player. Someone who feels like he needs a couple more years to really work on his first-touch and finishing.

Premier League top scorers 2024/25: Salah overtakes Haaland to claim lead

Last season he took 108 shots in the Premier League (5th among all players) and missed a staggering 27 big chances, second only to Erling Haaland’s 34. However, Haaland scored 27 goals while Darwin managed only 11.

11 goals off 108 shots!

In 114 games for Liverpool, Darwin Nunez has scored just 36 goals. Without wanting to be too crude about it, Mohamed Salah scored more than that after his first season with Liverpool (44 goals in 52 games).

Suffice to say, as a goalscoring presence, Darwin Nunez has been a bit of a flop. 27 missed big chances! Ridiculous. And yet, despite this supposed buffoon lumbering around atop the pitch, Liverpool are leading the way in both the Premier League and Champions League.

How?

Mo Salah-ball

It wouldn’t be an absurd description of Arne Slot’s style of football at Liverpool to be called Mo Salah-ball. Not that the Reds don’t have great players, Virgil van Dijk is a hall of famer, Trent Alexander-Arnold is a creative genius, Ryan Gravenberch is excelling as a defensive midfielder and Luis Diaz looks more dangerous than ever.

But it all revolves around The Egyptian King.

Mohamed Salah has 8 assists in the Premier League this season. That’s second in the league (behind corner assassin Bukayo Saka’s 10).

Mohamed Salah has scored 13 goals in the Premier League this season. That’s more than anyone else (thank you Erling Haaland for staying humble).

Premier League most assists: Salah cuts down Saka’s lead in Newcastle thriller

And more than numbers, everything just flows through him. It feels like whenever Liverpool are doing something good, it’s because Salah is doing something good.

In the last year of his contract (and not quiet about it!) Salah is determined to show everyone just how good he still is, either to earn a new deal at Liverpool or thumb his nose at Fenway Sports Group as he walks out of Anfield a free agent in the summer.

So he is playing like a man possessed this season. Fair play.

Darwin Nunez: By The Numbers

The thing is, Liverpool are perfectly set-up in attack to cater to him playing like this. Where last season he had become something of a playmaker, hence Darwin’s massive shot count, under Slot he’s basically the main event.

In 2023/24, Mohamed Salah took 114 shots, which is 14.4% of Liverpool’s total of 790. In 2024/25, however, that percentage is massively up to 21.8% of Liverpool’s shots (47 of 216).

Meanwhile, last season Darwin’s 108 shots was 13.7% of Liverpool’s total while this year he has taken just 16 shots, a measly 7.4% of Liverpool’s 216.

Four Liverpool players have taken more shots than him, with Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota not far behind him on 14 shots (and Jota surely would be ahead but for his injuries).

So what is he doing, then?

Well, look at Liverpool’s madcap 3-3 draw with Newcastle and you get a pretty clear picture.

How To Create Space, a TED Talk by Darwin Nunez

On Liverpool’s first goal, as Mohamed Salah is advancing down the right wing, seeing that he is 1-v-2 against the Newcastle centre-backs, Darwin makes a run to the far post. This drags Fabian Schar to mark him and leaves Dan Burn isolated at the near-post on the edge of the six yard box (because he’s staying level with Schar, who has dropped there to mark Darwin). This creates a massive space in the penalty area to be attacked, Curtis Jones attacks it. Great pass Salah, great finish Jones, 1-1.

Then Liverpool are down 2-1 a Trent Alexander-Arnold has the ball on the right. Again Darwin drags Fabian Schar to the back post (watch Schar scan to check where the Uruguayan is) rather than attack the near because he can see Salah doing just that. Trent feeds it in to Salah who finishes calmly in frankly oceans of space (created by Darwin’s movement and Dan Burn stepping up and failing to block Szoboszlai’s pass out wide to Trent).

Liverpool’s third goal is very similar. This time Newcastle have bodies back but again Darwin runs to the back-post and keeps Schar out of the picture, isolating Burn 1-v-1 with Salah. And just as with the first two goals, Liverpool exploit Burn’s lack of agility, intelligence and grace. Trent in to Salah, quick shift of the feet, bang. 3-2.

Kylian Mbeckham: A Galactico Too Far

Or look at Liverpool’s win over Man City, where Darwin came off the bench. How does Liverpool’s clinching penalty come about? Because Darwin presses Ruben Dias into a poor hurried pass to Walker then turns around and pressures Walker into playing the ball first-time, which results in him turning into Luis Diaz who robs him and wins the penalty.

Is Darwin Nunez a 30-goal a season striker?

No.

Is he a hard-working selfless striker that understands how to create space for Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold to work their magic in?

Yes.

And that’s all there is to it. He’s not perfect, but for Arne Slot’s Liverpool and their reliance on Mo Salah-ball? He’s ideal.