The centre-forward has had his critics this season yet he has managed to score a good number of goals for Liverpool.
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Liverpool will hope to build on their emphatic victory over Leeds United when they welcome Nottingham Forest to Anfield for a Premier League contest on Saturday. In their last game, the Reds ran out as comfortable 6-1 winners against Leeds. Following their difficult run of results, it was a welcome victory for Jurgen Klopp’s side. Besides, the big margin of victory and the dominating performance throughout the 90 minutes was a positive sign for them. Next up is a tricky test against relegation battling side Nottingham Forest.
Ahead of the match, Jurgen Klopp spoke about how difficult a challenge it will be to face Nottingham Forest in the Premier League. “We had our analysis meeting obviously already, we prepared everything. It’s a rather pragmatic style now: clear, long balls, early set-pieces taking them there. I know Steve [Cooper] has the ability as a coach and a manager to play different ways, but probably the confidence is not on the highest level after the recent run of results and so, becoming more pragmatic makes absolute sense. And that’s the team that we have to expect,” he was quoted as saying by the club’s website in a press conference.
“But the quality they have is clear and if we wouldn’t respect that quality – which we do definitely – we would already be on the wrong side because up front with Gibbs-White, Johnson and Taiwo [Awoniyi] they all can cause you massive problems. And obviously it’s a big squad, they have much more options as well. We will see who Steve will line up but we expect a really tough game.”
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Klopp then shifted his attention to their striker Darwin Nunez. The centre-forward has had his critics this season yet he has managed to score a good number of goals for Liverpool. However, his position on the pitch is sometimes question by the pundits, as Nunez tends to play more on the left wing than as a striker recently. Asked where he sees Nunez’s position in the long term, Klopp replied, “He’s a centre-forward who plays on the left when he plays on the left. So, that’s how it is. We need definitely a specific set-up that he can play and defend in the centre. That’s how it is.”
“Playing [in] the centre is not a problem, there’s a machine, but then we have to make sure we really understand as a team. But again, we were not stable for a long spell in the season. That’s how it is. Then you have all of a sudden on top of all the problems we had, you have to adapt to different defending [and] striker up front as well. That’s how it is. If football would be that easy you would just put the 11 players with the most potential together on the pitch and then hope that it works out. Then you don’t need me or other managers.”
