Liverpool faced immense frustration in the first 45 minutes against Manchester City at Anfield today. Despite displaying commendable football prowess, the Reds struggled to breach Ederson’s defence, frequently witnessing their attacks fizzle out.
A significant portion of their offensive endeavours stumbled due to Darwin Nunez’s recurrent offside positioning. The towering forward found himself caught offside on five occasions during the first half, equalling the season’s highest offside count for an entire match.
At halftime, former Liverpool player Jamie Carragher, commenting on Sky Sports, highlighted the necessity for Nunez to elevate his performance, admitting that his offside instances were detrimentally “kiilling” his teammates’ efforts.
Jamie Carragher Not Impressed with Darwin Nunez
When discussing Liverpool’s first half frustrations, Carragher promptly highlighted Nunez’s offside issues.
“Mac Allister has to be more aggressive at the near post. It’s more about Man City’s quality, but you can always do more to avoid conceding a goal. Nunez has to stay onside more as it’s k!lling certain attacks. I think Klopp has to bring Andy Robertson on that left side for Gomez. He’s found it tough on that side,” Carragher said.
Nunez Needs to Learn
There has been a reference to Erling Haaland’s minimal offside occurrences this season, highlighting a significant contrast in Darwin Nunez’s development trajectory.
Nunez, the Uruguayan forward, possesses a plethora of skills, yet his learning curve remains steep.
The statistic regarding Haaland’s offside frequency serves as a poignant reminder for Nunez to focus on refining this aspect of his play.
In high-stakes matches and championship-winning squads, even the slightest discrepancies hold significance, underscoring Nunez’s need for improvement before reaching his full potential.