Gary Lineker was at his pun-tastic best on Match of the Day last night as he made a joke about Liverpool’s upturn in form.
“I’ve got a feeling that Liverpool were evolving, and Darwin is certainly playing his part…” quipped the presenter on last night’s show on the BBC.
Some of the audience may have been rolling their eyes, but not Michah Richards. Notoriously up for a laugh, Richards gave Lineker his stamp of approval.
“That’s quite good actually, Gary! I like that,” he responded.
Darwin heads up Liverpool’s tactical evolution
This little joke must have been made a thousand times one way or another since Darwin Nunez arrived at Liverpool.
But now, with the Reds adjusting tactically to suit their new forward, and results starting to follow, it finally feels appropriate.
It certainly did through the lens of last night’s game. For perhaps the first time in his Liverpool career, Nunez felt like the true danger man for his team.
That isn’t to say he hasn’t looked a threat before, he almost always has. But in past displays, he’s usually looked to be leaning on Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz or Roberto Firmino.
With Diaz injured, Salah out wide and Firmino not quite at it, Darwin was undisputedly the main man against West Ham.
Hopefully that’s something we start to see more of as the 23-year-old builds up his confidence in his new surroundings.
From a tactical point of view, it will be interesting to see if Jurgen Klopp ever reverts back to his favoured 433 system. The feeling has to be that if that were the case though, he would have done it by now.
The evolution of Liverpool’s formation has certainly helped to bring out the best in Nunez. Long may that continue.
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