Michael Owen sees Darwin Nunez doing fantastic things but still believes he’s ‘raw’. The Liverpool forward grabbed headlines on Wednesday.
Darwin Nunez was electric against West Ham United on Wednesday, scoring Liverpool’s winner in a 1-0 result. The Uruguayan could have had more and was desperately unluck to see a volley crash off the post.
Virtually everything Liverpool did went through the no.27, in fact. He was a constant threat through the channels, undefendable one-v-one and permanently finding a route to goal.
It was the all-action display Liverpool paid for really. West Ham didn’t know how to handle Nunez at all.
Michael Owen, talking before the game, did predict this kind of game from Nunez. The Uruguayan has been in good form lately but seems incredibly erratic – you never really know what he’ll do.
“You know, he’s created a little bit of a … some people think he’s really good, some people think he’s struggling at the moment,” Owen told Premier League Matchday Live. “I still think he’s raw at the moment.
“He does some fantastic things and then does something where you think ‘oh, you need to learn about the game still.”
Fantastic Darwin Nunez
We think that just about sums Nunez up perfectly. You’ll see him have those ‘fantastic’ moments like his header or a left-footed volley out of nothing that forces a top save. Then the next time he gets the ball he makes a terrible decision or completely fluffs his finish.
The effort off the post sums it up. It was a magnificent take on his chest to create space and his volley was near-perfect. But then Nunez got the ball back for a second bite, applied the finish, and nearly hit the corner flag.
But really, it’s all good. Iron out those wrinkles – he’s still only 23, after all – and Nunez will look unstoppable. His ability to carve out chances is incredible and will take him far. Now he just needs to be a more polished product.
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