Darwin Nunez: I don’t understand what Klopp wants from me

Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez has admitted that the instructions he is given by manager Jurgen Klopp is likely lost in translation during team talks.

Nunez, who arrived at Anfield from Benfica in the summer for an initial €75 million, was speaking after a 2-0 Champions League victory over Rangers on Tuesday.

During that encounter, the 23-year-old passed up a series of opportunities, with visiting goalkeeper Alan McGregor making a string of saves to deny him. He has now gone more than 250 minutes without scoring, but did net against Manchester City in the Community Shield and then versus Fulham on his Premier League debut.

Speaking to TNT following the Champions League match, he made a startling admission.

“The truth is, I honestly don't understand anything when he [Klopp] talks in team talks.

Of course, I ask my team-mates to see what he said, but I think he is very clear about his style of play,” he said.

Klopp, meanwhile, reserved praise for his forward players.

“The way the boys up front moved together was extremely, extremely good, especially for only one session working on it. And that was a low‑intensity session because of their recent workload. We never did it before,” he said. “You saw how good a striker Darwin is to be constantly in those situations. Everybody saw tonight that this will happen. All good.”

Nunez splits opinion

Nunez is a player who has split Liverpool fans in the early weeks of the season. There was largely excitement when the Reds signed a player who had scored 34 goals in 41 matches for Benfica last term, though a small but significant portion of the support were worried by his sizeable fee, which could rise to as much as €100m if bonuses are met.

The 2021/22 campaign is the only genuinely prolific season of his young career to date, and videos have been widely shared on social media of the forward’s mishaps in training, whether these are misplaced passes or shots blazed off target.

Indeed, he has drawn a remarkable level of scrutiny and generated an incredible level of debate for a player who has so rarely been seen in the first team. Indeed, he has played only 340 minutes with his new side.

By his own admission, Nunez has admitted the settling in process has not gone perfectly, and perhaps when he gets a stronger grip of English and Klopp’s instructions, Liverpool fans will begin to see him at his very best.