There have not been too many grumbles about Liverpool’s team selection in the early parts of the new season.
The Reds have been imperious so far, winning three games out of three and being the only team yet to concede a single goal.
That is all credit to Arne Slot, of course. The Dutchman has come into Liverpool with purpose and decisiveness, making a mockery of suggestions that the step up would be too big for him.
A big part of why Slot has had a successful start to his reign at Anfield is down to being able to pick the same players over again.
The new head coach has made just one change to his starting line-ups across the three games so far. With the international break now interrupting the season, though, one player might have his eye on soon breaking that up.
Darwin Nunez set to take Liverpool chance
The only change Slot has made to his starting XI’s so far has come at centre-back, where Ibrahima Konate has replaced Jarell Quansah as the preferred partner to Virgil van Dijk.
Other than that, it has quickly become clear who Slot has down as his favoured midfield and attack.
While obviously good news for those involved, it has meant that the 45-year-old has not dipped too deep into his Liverpool squad just yet.
One area that has been rotated a little more than most during games is in the forward line. Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez have made three and two substitute appearances respectively.
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There were suggestions before he took over that Slot was planning to use Nunez as key figure. And although we haven’t yet seen that so far, the next week or so is the perfect chance to lay the ground for it.
As all four of his attacking colleagues – barring Federico Chiesa – head off for international duty, Nunez is staying back at the AXA Training Centre.
The 25-year-old has been handed a five-match ban for Uruguay and will not feature over the next two international breaks at least.
That cloud can certainly have a silver lining for Nunez, though. Instead of spending time away from Liverpool and drifting further from the starting line-up, Darwin now has the chance to spend quality one-on-one time with the Liverpool coaching team.
Can Nunez force his way into the Liverpool line-up?
On the very minimal evidence we have so far, you can see why Slot is currently going for Diogo Jota over Nunez as his central striker.
The Portuguese is a nippy little player who is able to press like his life depends on it. With Liverpool emphasising control, Nunez’s chaotic brand of football is perhaps the antithesis of that.
Despite that, Nunez is a ‘fantastic’ footballer. He clearly has a role to play. Having come back late from the Copa America, he simply has not had the time to make his mark on the training pitch.
The next 10 days or so give Nunez the ideal opportunity to learn inside out what Slot wants from his centre-forward.
When the rest of his teammates return ahead of the game against Nottingham Forest on September 14th, Darwin should be fully up to speed and raring to start his first match of the season.
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