Liverpool saw off Sheffield United 3-1 at Anfield, where Darwin Nunez opened the scoring when he pressed goalkeeper Ivo Grbic into a costly error
It is just under a year ago, Liverpool have just beaten Leeds United 6-1 and have Nottingham Forest up next, and Jurgen Klopp decides that he wants to make a point.
“The ticket into this team will be about counter-pressing,” said the Reds manager in his press conference ahead of that visit of Forest.
“That’s where it starts. We’ve had so many games that I didn’t like that it’s a pretty strict thing. The front six can do it pretty well but we have opportunities to change. We have to change in two weeks with five games. Everybody will play, but the ticket will be the desire to get the ball back. Especially against deep-defending sides, otherwise we face counter-attacks. It’s a big part of making decisions [on team selection].”
The context of this was that Roberto Firmino, Liverpool’s master presser of the key Klopp years, was out injured and would miss that Forest game, and while Darwin Nunez had scored the sixth in the hammering of Leeds, he’d still only come off the bench to score it.
Nunez was coming to the end of his first season in English football, and a first campaign when he’d have to get used to the “s*** Andy Carroll” chant that would often be gleefully sung from opposition supporters whenever he missed a chance.
The words of that song wouldn’t have bothered him of course, for he very likely didn’t understand them, but it was never really the missed chances which would have concerned Klopp about his big money striker, more the lack of coherent pressing.
Just under 12 months later, and here is Nunez closing down the hapless Ivo Grbic to open the scoring for Liverpool in their clash with Sheffield United when the ball struck him for his 18th goal of the season.
It was by no means the easiest on the eye of course, but for Klopp it would surely represent the progress that Nunez has made this season following his erratic first campaign.
As Liverpool enter the home straight in the title race he is their de-facto No.9, and the player that the destiny of that title might end up being decided by.
Still raw at times yes, but such a presence and such a handful for defenders. He’s certain to have chances, and by pressing correctly he’ll create ones for himself.
As far as Nunez is concerned, what a difference a year could make.
