Darwin Nunez: Liverpool Boss Jurgen Klopp Jumps to the Defence of ‘Misfiring’ Attacker

• Jurgen Klopp has backed attacker Darwin Nunez to rediscover his goal-scoring form soon
• Nunez failed to put away several chances as Liverpool beat Newcastle on New Year's Day
• The 24-year-old's wastefulness in front of goal drew the ire of fans, who lashed out at him

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has leapt to the defence of underfire attacker Darwin Nunez following his subpar display against Newcastle United on Monday evening.

While contributing an assist as Liverpool began 2024 on a winning note with a 4-2 victory against struggling Newcastle, Nunez's profligacy in front of goal came to the fore.

The Uruguayan international wasted a handful of chances, and had he been half prolific, the scoreline would have read differently in Liverpool's favour.

According to Opta Statistics, Jurgen Klopp's charges recorded the highest xG total on record (since 2010-11) in a single Premier League game, with an Expected Goals figure of 7.27.

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Nunez's horror show vs Newcastle

The former Benfica star's performance drew attention, though not for positive reasons.

The 24-year-old, who has come under serious scrutiny since his move to Anfield, faced further criticism for failing to convert several scoring opportunities.

Substituted after the hour mark, Nunez had a mixed night. Despite providing an assist, his overall impact was disappointing, leading to discontent among Liverpool fans.

He missed three significant chances, lost the most duels (10) in the match, and committed two fouls, per Sportskeeda.

Klopp defends Nunez

While accusing fingers were pointed at Nunez, Klopp had a different opinion about his star forward, backing him to find his goal-scoring boots sooner rather than later.

"Don't doubt Núñez, it's all fine," the 56-year-old German tactician said, as quoted by Fabrizio Romano.

Klopp assured fans of his confidence in the attacker while praising his assist for the second goal: "Darwin will score, and there is no doubt about it. Look at his assist. Wow. He gets questioned on social media, and that disturbs slightly".

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Nunez produces miss-of-the-season contender

In a related publication, Sports Brief earlier reported on Darwin Nunez rolling back his first-season struggles in England after he produced a miss-of-the-season contender on October 26, 2023.

In the second half, with the Reds leading 3-1, Nunez was sent through on goal. He beautifully left a defender on the floor before rounding off the goalkeeper.

But with the empty goal glaring at him, the ex-Benfica man hit the post before falling to the turf, hands on his head.