Captain chaos! Darwin Nunez is the Premier League's most entertaining player – but his finishing could cost Liverpool the title
The unpredictable Uruguayan is scoring with greater regularity this season but his fluctuating finishing remains a huge cause for concern
The Erling Haaland-Darwin Nunez debate didn't last very long. It only took a couple of months for the Norwegian to prove himself the far superior striker. Haaland could even end up breaking every possible Premier League goalscoring record; he's already smashed plenty, after all.
And yet Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says people want Haaland to fail, arguing that the press and public jump on his No.9's every error – no matter how rare. That's not true, of course. Haaland may be something of a victim of the historically high standards he has set himself, but he has a huge following, even outside of the Etihad – as a Terminator-like pursuit of historic targets is complemented by an endearingly quirky character.
But his success – like that of Manchester City – is undeniably a little uninspiring. Two freakish phenoms are doing exactly what's expected of them, making hat-tricks in resounding wins appear almost routine.
It also doesn't help that Haaland doesn't do much with the ball other than put it in the back of the net. That's more than fine, of course. He's simply doing exactly what is asked of him. His job was never meant to be about running at defences from deep, but rather waiting in the six-yard box for perfectly-weighted passes and expertly-flighted crosses to arrive from the likes of Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne.
And right now, he is undoubtedly the best in the business; the Premier League's most dominant force. He is not, though, its most exciting player. Because say what you will about Nunez, but the man is a constant crowd-pleaser.
GettyThe duality of Darwin
Whether you're a Liverpool fan willing to defend him to the hilt, or a rival supporter that revels in ridiculing the £64 million ($79m) signing, nobody is ever left unsatisfied after watching Nunez in action because the chances are that by the time the full-time whistle blows, he will have managed to validate the two wildly contrasting takes on his talent.
His two recent outings against Toulouse and Bournemouth are perfect cases in point. Against the former, he took a pass from Diogo Jota in his stride, nimbly cut inside Rasmus Nicolaisen before cleverly rounding the onrushing Guillaume Restes to leave himself with an open goal. Darwin hit the post from roughly 10 yards out.
Less than a week later, after arguably his most impressive all-round performance in a Red shirt to date, against Nottingham Forest, he came off the bench in a League Cup tie at Bournemouth. Nunez won the game with a stunning curling finish from wide on the left wing – but he had only been forced out to the flank after mis-controlling the ball beforehand, prompting Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher to proclaim Nunez 'Captain Chaos!'.
This, then, is the duality of Darwin, an almost unimaginably divisive player that appears made for the modern era of hot takes and knee-jerk reactions; a game-changer that is as likely to delight as dumbfound – but never, ever fails to entertain.
AdvertisementGetty'He's never going to be a world-class striker'
The question, though, is whether Nunez is really right for Liverpool – and former defender Jose Enrique is among those who have already made their mind up on the unpredictable Uruguayan.
"He's never going to be a world-class striker, especially with the way Liverpool play," the retired Red told . "He's 24 now – it's not as if he's still 19 or something. I think Darwin is a good player, but ever since he's arrived, I've never viewed him as a starting player for Liverpool.
"If you want to win the Premier League, Darwin cannot be your starting No.9. He doesn't suit the way Jurgen Klopp plays.
"If you are a counter-attacking team, that would suit him, then he could kill opposition sides. However, high pressing and front-foot intensity isn't for him."
GettyStruggling with Klopp's demands
Nunez certainly looked unsuited to Klopp's demanding style of play during his first season at Anfield.
From an offensive perspective, it was clear that he had something to offer – even accounting for his poor finishing. His pace posed plenty of problems for opponents, which is why he was sometimes deployed on the left flank. But Klopp clearly felt that he wasn't troubling defenders enough without the ball – a cardinal sin in the German's eyes.
Consequently, the January arrival of Cody Gakpo, coupled with the return to form and fitness of Diogo Jota, saw Darwin fall to Liverpool's third-choice No.9 by the season's end, reduced to the role of impact sub in the Premier League, only a viable option off the bench when Klopp wanted to introduce a little anarchy into the proceedings.
Even during a productive pre-season campaign for Nunez, Klopp wasn't making any promises about a promotion to his preferred starting line-up.
"It's the same situation for Darwin and all the other strikers," the Reds boss told reporters after a 4-0 win over Leicester. "I know all about the quality they have but they need to do both – defend, and be influential in all offensive situations."
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Getty ImagesFrom hero to zero
It was still surprising to see him begin Liverpool's first three Premier League matches on the bench. But things changed after his third substitute appearance, with Nunez earning a 10-man Liverpool three points in a stunning come-from-behind 2-1 win at Newcastle with two uncharacteristically emphatic finishes.
Even then, a starting spot wasn't assured but he slowly but surely moved to the front of the pecking order after his heroics at St James' Park, albeit partially thanks in part to both an injury to Gakpo and Jota being forced to fill in on the left wing for Luis Diaz during the kidnapping nightmare that befell the Colombian's family.
Diaz, of course, returned to action against Luton last weekend and rescued a point from a game that Liverpool most likely would have won had Nunez not somehow ballooned the ball over the bar when he had the goal at his mercy following an unintentional knockdown from Salah.
It was a miss so staggering that it inevitably provoked further ridicule, and plenty of comments like those made by Jose Enrique questioning Nunez's ability to lead a title challenge.