Darwin Nunez faces new Liverpool challenge as shock punishment exposes problem

Darwin Nunez faces new Liverpool challenge as shock punishment exposes problem

Darwin Nunez is sitting out the international break due to an ongoing ban and Liverpool need him to be ready when they resume Premier League campaign

Darwin Nunez of Liverpool during a training session at AXA Training Centre on August 30 2024 (Image: John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images )

New season, new boss, same old story for Darwin Nunez. Having started the previous campaign on the bench for Liverpool, the striker once again found himself among the substitutes for the opening three Premier League games.

Matters, of course, aren't quite the same, with Nunez not required to step off the bench to turn the game on its head at Old Trafford last weekend as he was at Newcastle United 12 months previous.

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But where the 25-year-old is really missing out is with his national team. And that will be a concern for Arne Slot as the Reds head coach prepares for the first real test of the strength in depth of his squad after the ongoing international break.

Seven games in 22 days and the start of both the Champions League and League Cup campaigns mean Slot, having made just one change to his starting line-up thus far, will have no option but to begin rotating his resources.

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Players will need to be ready to come in. And that's why Nunez's ongoing five-game ban from international football - imposed for his part in the ugly scenes after Uruguay's Copa America semi-final defeat to Colombia in July - comes as detriment to both player and club.

Last season, Nunez kept himself ticking over in the September break with two outings, including a brace of assists in a win over Chile. The October and November international periods were even more fruitful, with Nunez scoring in all four games including twice against Bolivia. That form continued back at Liverpool.

Now, though, Nunez won't be back in contention for Uruguay until November at the earliest. Yes, there is an argument the player will benefit from a rest from arduous long-haul travel, particularly having featured heavily in the Copa America this summer.

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But the forward thrives on rhythm and momentum, and the fortnights spent off the field this month and next will hamper his progress and leave him in danger of being undercooked.

And Nunez will have to be ready when the call comes, as it will, from Liverpool in the coming weeks. Under Slot, there has been greater clarity of positions across the team, and whereas the Uruguayan was previously challenging both on the left wing and down the centre of the attack, it appears now to be a straight battle between him and Diogo Jota to lead the line.

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Jota's fitness concerns in recent years are well documented and, even if in good form, the Portuguese will benefit from being rotated occasionally.

Nunez also knows he must seize the opportunities that come his way. As with his debut campaign, he fell away during the closing months last season with his only two starts in the final seven Premier League games being the defeats against Crystal Palace and Everton. He has scored just once for Liverpool since his dramatic late winner at Nottingham Forest more than six months ago.

Slot, though, is aware it is very early days of what will be a long and arduous campaign. And increasing the effectiveness and output of Nunez was understood to be part of the initial remit given to the Dutchman on his appointment as successor to Jurgen Klopp, who two years ago green-lit a move for the forward that could yet cost more than £85million.

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But first the Uruguayan must prove he can gain a regular place in the starting line-up. The next few weeks will reveal much about where Nunez is at present.

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