TalkSPORT pundit Andy Townsend has claimed that new Liverpool signing Darwin Nunez reminds him of Fernando Torres.
Speaking on TalkSPORT last night, Townsend said Liverpool’s newest recruit has all the tools to be a success in the Premier League.
“He’s got the attributes, he reminds me a bit like Torres, the Liverpool Fernando Torres,” he said. “In the sense that he can bulldoze his way through people, beyond people, he can run past them.
“He’s predominantly right-sided of course but can finish on his left. Brilliant in the air, anything that comes in he wants to attack it in the air, he doesn’t wait for it. So he’s got attributes that tell you he can be a big success at Liverpool, he really could.”
Watching some of Nunez’s goals back and there really is a likeness to the legendary Spaniard. If he can have a similar impact to Torres in 2007, we’re in for a treat.
Reds striker struggles since 2011
Since Torres left Liverpool in 2011, the club has had all manner of forwards. From Andy Carroll to Mario Balotelli, Liverpool have tried just about everything they can up-front.
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Where they’ve had the most success though, has been from small-ish, more technical forwards and wide-men. Think Luis Suarez, Roberto Firmino or Mohamed Salah.
The Reds haven’t had much success with a more ‘classic’ striker profile, like Torres had.
Aside from the failures of Carroll, Balotelli and Rickie Lambert, the one player who fitted that description and did well at Anfield was Daniel Sturridge.
However, it’s interesting to note that under Jurgen Klopp, Sturridge was very much reduced to a bit-part role. Its’s true that by then he had lost a lot of the attributes that Townsend describes in Nunez.
But still, he often looked an awkward fit into the way Klopp wanted to set his team up.
Nunez a more natural fit
Nunez looks more capable of slotting in largely because of his tendency to run with the ball. He isn’t a penalty box poacher as Torres and Sturridge to certain degrees were.
The Uruguayan can also play wide-left, which will vacate the space for someone like Luis Diaz to make an impact centrally.
One area that we’re really interested to see is whether Nunez is able to translate his heading ability into goals for Liverpool. In theory, Trent Alexander-Arnold should be relishing the chance to sling balls in at a bigger target.
But that would mark a little bit of a departure to the way Liverpool tend to play. Will Klopp stick to the same system that has brought so much success, or will he mix it up and play to his new forward’s strengths? We’ll soon see.