Latest Reds team news from Newsnow Liverpool as boss Jurgen Klopp charges Darwin Nunez ahead of Liverpool vs West Ham.
Jurgen Klopp recently discussed Darwin Nunez and his rejuvenated Liverpool team, often referred to as “Liverpool 2.0,” following their impressive 3-1 victory over LASK in the Europa League.
What’s the Latest Liverpool vs West Ham Team News?
Klopp has charged the in-form Nunez, demanding he maintain his strong start to the season as Liverpool prepare to host West Ham United this Sunday.
Nunez displayed his prowess by converting a second-half penalty during the Europa League triumph over LASK, bringing his season’s goal tally to three in just six appearances, including two starts.
What Has Jurgen Klopp Said About Darwin Nunez?
Among the club’s early-season top scorers, Nunez shares the spotlight with Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah. With the Hammers set to visit Anfield in the upcoming week, Klopp has emphasised the importance of the £64 million talent in sustaining Liverpool’s impressive start to the Premier League campaign.
“He is in a really good moment, he enjoys his game a lot at the moment, that is fine,” Klopp said. “You only have a problem as a striker when you don’t have any chances. He has chances, opportunities.
“Obviously it is not too long ago he scored two of the most incredible goals I’ve seen for a long, long time at Newcastle. Absolutely insane. He played a super game against Aston Villa. Then it was the international break, he had a bit of a muscle issue.
“He said he was fine but we read obviously what (Uruguay manager) Marcelo Bielsa said and he travelled back so we decided not to start him against Wolves. He came on and had a massive impact on the game. He is in a good moment.
“It is not too important if he scores already or not, for a striker it is important that if he doesn’t score, he is playing well. He understands that and he knows it will fall into place anyway.”
Klopp has expressed his enthusiasm for the changes in the team this season. He introduced four new players and saw six leave during the summer.
As he approaches his eighth anniversary as Liverpool’s manager next month, Klopp has referred to this transformation as “Liverpool 2.0,” underscoring his excitement for this project.
Klopp continued: “I am massively [enjoying it]. I enjoy the moment. From the first day we’ve been back, I have enjoyed it. I am excited about the rebuild, really excited about the boys, the new way, the new energy.
“We decided last year that we had to change a lot and that we wanted to change it for the good and not because we had. So I am really excited about it and I still am.
“We are far from perfect, we are really not there, we are not stable yet. So many things are not [there] but we are a lot of things already. We have had a good start, not more. But as a start, it’s absolutely okay.
“That’s what I mean when I say we are not stable because this game [against Aston Villa] was a really, really good game. And then two weeks after the international break we played a really, really bad first half [against Wolves]. So nobody wants to see that or be part of it but it is part of the deal.
“So when you want to change things, if you expect everything to click at the same moment then you are never happy with the steps you make and that is important for development.
“Yes, Aston Villa was top, it was the ‘new’ whatever you want, Liverpool 2.0, I see it like that as well. But that was only one glimpse of what we can be because we don’t know where this will end. So it was just a good sign that we are, at the moment, going in the right direction. That is really important.
“I don’t know where we are exactly because we showed some different phases but obviously the things we went through this season, it’s usually enough for a whole season. You’ve usually done all of that after 38 games and we’ve had it after five; two red cards; goals down; turning games around.
“All the things, we did it again against Wolves, we played a bad half and turned it around again. It is not what you plan, it’s not what you want but when you have it, you have to go through it and that is what we did. So it just shows the boys grew already in a manner and to an extent we didn’t expect that early. That is it.
“I cannot make any estimate at all for how it will look in the next four or five weeks. We will just work extremely hard to make it as positive as we can. West Ham are an extremely tough opponent. An exciting project and I am happy for David Moyes that he could really build this team now for a few years.
“Even with Declan Rice out they look really good, I have to say. James Ward-Prowse is a super signing, Lucas Paqueta is not new but a super player. With all the other guys they had already, that looks really solid. And that makes it really tricky and then we have all the other teams, the top four, five, six plus [all the rest]. Where do you want to start and end? The league is very strong and that is good for the people. It means for us we have to be the best version of ourselves.”