The arrival of Arne Slot was supposed to be the making of Darwin Nunez.
It hadn’t been the best environment for the former Benfica man during Jurgen Klopp’s final two years with the club.
The German tactician had a bit of an identity crisis during this period. He shifted away from the tactic that had won him everything as Liverpool boss and looked to replace Mohamed Salah as the team’s primary goal threat.
People will dispute that but why else sign a high volume centre-forward? That is what Darwin was for the Reds following his arrival.
Liverpool looked to move the ball forward quickly. It wasn’t about precision, it was about creating transitional moments in the opposition half. These moments suited the Uruguay international.
The more chaotic things were, the more he could impact the game.
If he wasn’t missing chances, he was creating them for teammates. He wasn’t the most reliable as a finisher but he was consistent in impacting the final third. Last season, for example, he had an expected goals involvement (xGI) average of 0.89 in the Premier League.
For context, Salah had an xGI average of 1.02, and he was taking penalties.
The issue for the 33-cap international was that he was often a victim of his own style. He would get to chances that teammates wouldn’t, or simply couldn’t, and then he’d be judged on these misses.
And, during the chaotic moments, he would carve out his own opportunities. There wasn’t anything consistent about Liverpool’s play style under Klopp.
Darwin didn’t have a regular supply line in the same way that Erling Haaland did at Manchester City.
Slot’s arrival was supposed to usher in a next evolution for the No9.
After all, he had turned Santiago Gimenez into one of the most prolific strikers in Europe at Feyenoord. The 2022/23 Eredivisie champions funnelled everything the way of their centre-forward.
Last season, the striker had a higher xG (23) than Yankuba Minteh and Igor Paixao combined (18). He also scored more goals (23) than the pair of them (19).
And he was the dominant shot taker, averaging 4.1 shots per 90 compared to Minteh’s 3.4 and Paixao’s 3.3. It was very much a case of gearing everything towards the Mexico international.
The hope was that this would be the new blueprint for Liverpool under the Dutchman.
Turns out Slot didn’t get the memo.
Since the switch to Merseyside, the one-time AZ Alkmaar boss has moved away from the tactic he had great success with in Holland. The centre-forward isn’t the focal point of the attack. Instead, he’s relying on Salah.
You would though, wouldn’t you?
You’ve arrived in a new league and you need to start well. You need guaranteed goals and Salah does just that. Across his full seven seasons with the club, he’s averaged 22 goals per season and 10 assists.
He’s as close to a guarantee as they come.
Instead of looking to completely adapt his Feyenoord system, he’s worked on how Liverpool operate with and without the ball while still funnelling attacks the way of Salah. It eases the transition.
And it has paid off, hasn’t it?
Right now, the Egyptian is tied with Haaland for goals scored in the Premier League (13) and he ranks second for assists on eight. He’s been pivotal in the team’s remarkable start to the season.
Salah is thriving in a more structured attacking system. Luis Diaz has had moments, as had Cody Gakpo, but the centre-forwards for Liverpool have been on the periphery.
Diogo Jota was struggling to impact the game prior to his injury against Chelsea. Chances for the Portuguese attacker were at a premium.
Last term, he averaged 3.2 shots per 90, this season he’s averaged just 2.5 shots in the Premier League. His xG average was slightly up but he wasn’t anywhere near as involved as many had expected him to be.
It is the same story with Darwin.
He has just two goals and one assist in the English top-flight and he’s been involved in just five goals across his 19 appearances across all competitions. His misses seem worse this term because he’s now having fewer opportunities in general.
In fact, his shot volume has more than halved this season in the Premier League. And his shot value has taken a hit too.
He’s taking fewer shots and they’re of lower value. It is little wonder he’s basically a non-entity as a goal scoring threat. Darwin has actually picked up more yellow cards (three) than he’s scored goals under Slot in the league.
A real eye-opening stat is that he’s had 16 shots and committed 15 fouls.
Darwin is feeding off of scraps in this system. It’s why his xG per 90 average is down from 0.7 to 0.29. He had a horror show in front of goal away at Newcastle in the 3-3 draw last week.
Following his blank against Girona on Tuesday, his record now stands at one goal in his last 10 for the Reds.
But the lack of goals isn’t necessarily the issue. The centre-forward isn’t in the team to score. The team aren’t reliant on those goals.
Obviously, he needs to be chipping in but he’s not the only attacker to see their output limited under Slot. The bigger issue is the general play. And that has nothing to do with tactics and everything to do with the player.
This role doesn’t appear to suit Darwin. It doesn’t play to his strengths. He’s busy without the ball and can be a one-man press at times. This saves the legs of others.
But with the ball, there’s no hiding. He’s not secure enough in possession. His passing is erratic. He’s not able to retain possession or help Liverpool keep hold of the ball in the opposition half. And this is what is letting him down.
Against Girona, he was replaced, having attempted eight passes and completing just 50%. He completed zero dribbles and struggled in duels, winning one of just four.
Darwin is being shoehorned into a role now for the good of the team. At least on paper anyway. However, it doesn’t appear as though anyone is benefitting from it now.
Liverpool are winning but they’re needing the brilliance of Salah. With Jota and Federico Chiesa returning to fitness, the No9 is likely going to find himself on the bench for the foreseeable.
If he can’t turn it around, this might’ve been his last run in the first-team for Liverpool.
