{"id":92154,"date":"2023-08-28T23:36:03","date_gmt":"2023-08-28T23:36:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stopsmokingway.com\/?p=92154"},"modified":"2023-08-28T23:36:03","modified_gmt":"2023-08-28T23:36:03","slug":"darwins-liverpool-career-could-have-lift-off-after-newcastle-double","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stopsmokingway.com\/soccer\/darwins-liverpool-career-could-have-lift-off-after-newcastle-double\/","title":{"rendered":"Darwin&apos;s Liverpool career could have lift off after Newcastle double"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Darwin&#8217;s evolution! Nunez was dubbed the &#8216;agent of chaos&#8217; after a tough first season at Liverpool&#8230; now his Anfield career could have lift off after dramatic double in win at Newcastle<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Darwin Nunez scored twice as Liverpool beat Newcastle 2-1 at St James&#8217; Park<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>The forward had some difficulties finding the back of the net last season<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Would Mohamed Salah &#8216;do the dirty&#8217; on Liverpool by leaving? And what about Man United &#8216;diving&#8217;?: Listen to It&#8217;s All Kicking Off, Mail Sport&#8217;s new podcast<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Heading into last season, the narrative of most previews pitted two blokes with ponytails against each other. After Liverpool and Manchester City were separated by just a point in 2022, which titanic signing would tilt the title his side\u2019s way: Erling Haaland or Darwin Nunez?<\/p>\n<p>The charismatic young strikers were both bought for huge fees and immediately cast as the Premier League\u2019s protagonists, with the pair dominating Sky Sports\u2019 billboard adverts, newspaper pullouts and pub debates.<\/p>\n<p>As we now know, that battle ended Haaland 52, Nunez 15\u2026 City trophies three, Liverpool zero. The Uruguayan \u2018agent of chaos\u2019 \u2014 as he was described by Portuguese experts after his move from Benfica \u2014 never got going, and as such, neither did his team.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps the most memorable moment of Nunez\u2019s first season on these shores was the reckless red card he received on his home debut against Crystal Palace a year ago. A three-match ban, plus a frustrating year pockmarked by injuries and poor finishing, followed.<\/p>\n<p>But now Nunez has a new memorable moment at Liverpool. After coming off the bench for a 15-minute cameo with his team a goal down and a player down at Newcastle, the striker scored two smash-and-grab goals to secure a famous three points.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/08\/28\/22\/74809049-0-image-a-1_1693257331733.jpg\" height=\"488\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Darwin Nunez (pictured) was the hero as he scored twice during Liverpool&#8217;s 2-1 defeat to Newcastle on Saturday<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/08\/28\/22\/74809055-0-image-a-2_1693257350956.jpg\" height=\"495\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>The Uruguayan (pictured) came off the bench to help the Reds pull off an incredible comeback against Eddie Howe&#8217;s side, firing two excellent finishes past Nick Pope in goal\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/08\/28\/22\/74809053-0-image-a-5_1693257465766.jpg\" height=\"606\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>His first came in the 81st minute of the game but he was back again not long after, scoring an almost identical goal to give Jurgen Klopp&#8217;s side the win in the 93rd minute<\/p>\n<p>Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n<p>He celebrated by putting his fingers to his ears \u2014 shutting out the critics \u2014 and lapped up chants of \u2018Darwin, Darwin, Darwin\u2019 from the travelling fans at St James\u2019 Park. One jubilant away supporter told Mail Sport: \u2018This is the most buzzing I\u2019ve felt since we beat Barcelona in the Champions League.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/08\/29\/00\/74812211-12454677-image-a-19_1693264427212.jpg\" height=\"1281\" width=\"306\"><\/p>\n<p>Nunez&#8217;s proficiency in front of goal has improved dramatically since last season<\/p>\n<p>The two goals were reason enough but the fact both were superb finishes added to the feeling that this could be the moment that gives his Liverpool career lift-off. Assistant manager Pep Lijnders has been key in the development of Nunez, with the Dutchman \u2014 who speaks multiple languages \u2014 acting as a translator at times and sitting the striker down in pre-season to instruct him to focus on remaining calm.<\/p>\n<p>Nunez is said to have been bothered by the Haaland comparisons in his first season and often found himself rushing chances. Lijnders encouraged Nunez not to be too hard on himself and realise that, at 24, he must be patient in his development.<\/p>\n<p>Those close to him say he has harnessed the disappointment of last year in a positive way.<\/p>\n<p>The main issue in his first season was that poor finishing record \u2014 expected goals (xG) dictated he should have scored five more in the league given the chances he had \u2014 but on top of that was the language barrier and not enough defensive duties off the ball.<\/p>\n<p>Nunez acted on this over the summer and has taken up extra English lessons, while Andy Robertson jokingly set team-mates a challenge to \u2018test Darwin\u2019s English\u2019 during a pre-season trip to Singapore.<\/p>\n<p>Though he is still wedded to some home comforts \u2014 he waltzed around the plush Ritz Carlton hotel with the South American herbal drink mate \u2014 Nunez\u2019s English is clearly improving.<\/p>\n<p>Goalkeeper Alisson offered to step in as translator during post-match TV interviews on Sunday. \u2018Thank you for all the support,\u2019 Nunez said in perfect English, before bursting into laughter.<\/p>\n<p>Just a short time observing him makes it clear he is a bubbly personality and well-liked in the dressing room \u2014 even if he is sometimes the butt of jokes from Liverpool\u2019s class clowns.<\/p>\n<p>During one humid day in Singapore, Klopp was asked whether Nunez\u2019s ruthlessness in front of goal during pre-season had earned him a chance in the first team. Klopp replied that the \u2018golden ticket\u2019 into his starting XI was \u2018counter-pressing\u2019 and all-round defensive dirty work.<\/p>\n<p>Liverpool have quietly built up a 14-match unbeaten league run and Nunez has started just three of those games, with Cody Gakpo or Diogo Jota often preferred due to their all-round play. Dutch forward Gakpo loves the \u2018false nine\u2019 role as it allows him to dictate play from deep.<\/p>\n<p>But Nunez clearly knows what he needs to do to earn his \u2018golden ticket\u2019 to the first team, and those at Liverpool say he has been showing extra effort in training to develop his off-the-ball game.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/08\/28\/22\/74809061-0-image-a-7_1693257597904.jpg\" height=\"464\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Klopp (pictured) admitted Nunez was not happy for not starting games after his impact at Newcastle this weekend<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/08\/29\/00\/74811115-12454677-Nunez_was_often_compared_with_Erling_Haaland_last_season_The_Nor-a-20_1693264446989.jpg\" height=\"444\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Nunez was often compared with Erling Haaland last season. The Norwegian had an electric campaign while he struggled at Anfield<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Darwin is not happy for not starting, that\u2019s how it is,\u2019 said Klopp after the match on Sunday, adding that his forward was \u2018fired up\u2019 to be on the bench.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018If he wouldn\u2019t have been that angry and had started the game, then he wouldn\u2019t have scored two in the last few minutes!<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We have to have different options. We need to create a new way to play football and Darwin can be a super part of that. His key strengths are exceptional, but we need to find stability as well. For him, everything will be fine.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>And it will be fine for the \u00a385million man who is adored by the Kop but became a figure of fun for rival fans after his slow start to life in England.<\/p>\n<p>After a season seemingly playing the joker, Nunez has shown he can now be the ace in Klopp\u2019s pack.<\/p>\n<h3>IT&#8217;S ALL KICKING OFF!\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p><span>It&#8217;s All Kicking Off\u00a0is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football, launching with a preview show today and every week this season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube , Apple Music and Spotify<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sport\/football\/article-12454677\/LEWIS-STEELE-agent-chaos-lift-Darwin-Nunez-season-Liverpools-joker-ACE-Jurgen-Klopps-pack.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Darwin&#8217;s evolution! Nunez was dubbed the &#8216;agent of chaos&#8217; after a tough first season at Liverpool&#8230; now his Anfield career<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Darwin&amp;apos;s Liverpool career could have lift off after Newcastle double - stopsmokingway<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/stopsmokingway.com\/soccer\/darwins-liverpool-career-could-have-lift-off-after-newcastle-double\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Darwin&amp;apos;s Liverpool career could have lift off after Newcastle double - stopsmokingway\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Darwin&#8217;s evolution! 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