Uruguay legend Gus Poyet has given countryman Darwin Nunez some advice on what he must accept in this Liverpool team.
Nunez had a disappointing outing at St James Park on Wednesday as Liverpool blew a chance to take three points away from home. A late goal from Mohamed Salah was cancelled out in the 90th minute as Fabian Schar equalised for Newcastle.
Arne Slot was hoping yet again that he could rely on the Reds’ £85m striker. However, the forward produced a performance which has sadly become a familiar sight for Liverpool fans, with no shots on target, no chances created and the fewest touches of any outfield player in 90 minutes.
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Supporters of Slot’s men would remember the late brace that Nunez scored last season to win them the same fixture. That was the striker which they paid the big bucks for.
His recent performances are bound to get to the player’s head, but former Chelsea and Tottenham midfielder Gus Poyet believes Nunez needs to understand his position in the team.
(Image: Getty Images)
Speaking to BetVictor, Poyet said: “Darwin Nunez needs to make sure that he feels like he is part of this amazing Liverpool team. Because even if he is on the bench, he is still part of the squad.
“If they win the Premier League, it is the whole club that wins it, not just certain players. No one will be saying, ‘Virgil van Dijk won the Premier League,’ they will be saying, ‘Liverpool won the Premier League,’ and he will be a part of that.
“However, he needs to accept his part. As a player, you need to accept which piece of the team you are. The best example is the second and third-choice goalkeepers.
“They hardly ever play but they train every day, they warm up the starting keeper, and nobody remembers them but they are a huge part of any team that wins a league title.
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“They accept their role and make sure they are doing what they can to support the rest of the team.”
As will most big teams, the managers understand that players still have to fight for their positions. Competition is healthy. The important thing though is that, if you want to be that key striker, you have to win that competition. Nunez had been losing to Diogo Jota until the Portuguese striker was injured, leaving Slot with little choice.
But ultimately strikers are judged on goals, and the Uruguayan has scored only three times in 18 appearances. Jota is still out injured, but someone like Luis Diaz may have to take the role of central attacker if Nunez doesn’t find his form. Poyet thinks he needs to relax and not force a situation.
(Image: Getty Images)
He continued: ““I think he just needs to relax this season. He needs to relax and believe in himself. He can’t constantly be worrying himself with whether or not he is going to be starting each week.
“When you start thinking about that, you begin to force situations. It’s even worse for a striker because it can be easy to think, ‘if I score, I will play,’ then you start making decisions that aren’t based on instincts but based on always wanting to score.
“He is an important part of the Liverpool squad, but he is not going to start every week. He needs to accept his role and then his performances will decide whether or not he gets to play more often.
“When he gets the chance to play, it is down to him to show that he deserves more minutes.”