Darwin Nunez - Thoughts?

[TD_LFC]

2 minutes ago, VladimirIlyich said:

And his sitters?

 

Same as every season, if he was being used in the same way as in previous years they'd be covered by the 15 goals he had scored. 

 

 

[3 Stacks]

We're better tactically when he plays on the left. I think he should stay there for the rest of the season, especially as Jota and Firmino can play in the middle and Gakpo has mostly played there as well.

 

It's hard to believe in him as a 9, though that's clearly what he should be in a perfect world, but his qualities are better translated to the wing.

[TheHowieLama]

He is good in that channel and Salah is better playing the same on the right. We may drop the false 9 just a little further to do the defensive false 10.

[3 Stacks]

1 hour ago, TheHowieLama said:

He is good in that channel and Salah is better playing the same on the right. We may drop the false 9 just a little further to do the defensive false 10.

Yeah, we just need a more technical and tactically aware player in the middle until he can learn a few things. 

 

The game is simpler for him out wide and he's a good out ball.  Also, the fact that Diaz will only return near the end of the season means it can be his position. 

 

[TD_LFC]

So we've bought a player who was 'perfect' in the 9 but can't play him their because he's much better when he's not the focus of the attack.

 

Meanwhile Gakpo has to play central more than he should despite us having to buy him over a midfielder because we were so desperate for left sided attackers that he's rarely played there for us.

 

 

 

 

[Section_31]

I love him, he just doesn't stop and he's a proper fucking handful. It'd be interesting to hear what the consensus is from opposition defenders rather that twitter helmets. 

[sh#t waffle]

Having been dubious in his first month or so, I definitely now think he's got the potential to be a complete superstar for us.

 

I would say though that last night was his first good performance in a while (pre-world cup even?), but when he plays like that I can't believe there are many players a right back would dread playing against more.

[Section_31]

Have said before he's like a prequel Torres. If Torres was the film, Nunez would be the Netflix spin-off that deals with his early years where he's raised in the bario, plays prison football and is taken under the wing of retired football coach and priest father cortez, who teaches him to express his street smarts via volleys.

 

"This is a gritty show that shows a much rawer version of Torres than the one we've seen in the movie."

[Scott_M]

I thought he was good last night. 

[El Rojo]

The challenge is creating a bit of space for himself, Salah and Gakpo to exploit. Hilarious that a Dyche team left gaping acres free behind them at a set-piece.
 

While they’ll be defensively solid as an Ancelotti team is, at least Real will come out and play against us, which in some ways we’ll find easier than trying to break down Nottingham Forest.

[TD_LFC]

2 minutes ago, El Rojo said:

The challenge is creating a bit of space for himself, Salah and Gakpo to exploit. Hilarious that a Dyche team left gaping acres free behind them at a set-piece.
 

While they’ll be defensively solid as an Ancelotti team is, at least Real will come out and play against us, which in some ways we’ll find easier than trying to break down Nottingham Forest.

 

He's also not up against Seamus Coleman against Madrid.

 

 

[Original202]

25 minutes ago, Section_31 said:

It'd be interesting to hear what the consensus is from opposition defenders rather that twitter helmets. 

I think defenders would be more bothered about him getting past them if there was a consistent end product. If he beats them and ends up one v one against the keeper I doubt they’re too bothered.

 

“The goals will come” people keep saying.

 

When? There isn’t going to be some magical change, he can run fast (for now) but he isn’t a prolific finisher.

[Red Hot]

8 minutes ago, Original202 said:

I think defenders would be more bothered about him getting past them if there was a consistent end product. If he beats them and ends up one v one against the keeper I doubt they’re too bothered.

 

“The goals will come” people keep saying.

 

When? There isn’t going to be some magical change, he can run fast (for now) but he isn’t a prolific finisher.

Not yet but giveth lad  time .

[ZonkoVille77]

He has very little composure in front of goal, everything reaction seems to be instinctive rather than thought through. The effort last night after Gakpo's run was a first hit on the run when it probably called for a touch to take it into his stride before shooting. Maybe he will learn to bring more composure to his game but that might actually blunt his effectiveness? It's his unpredictable nature that makes him a fascinating watch. 

[Wezza]

Mo’s comments were telling last night. They are either just willing him to succeed or they see him tearing it up in training and he just needs to translate that into games.

 

His cross at speed for the first goal was not as easy as it looked. 

[Manny]

1 hour ago, TD_LFC said:

So we've bought a player who was 'perfect' in the 9 but can't play him their because he's much better when he's not the focus of the attack.

 

Meanwhile Gakpo has to play central more than he should despite us having to buy him over a midfielder because we were so desperate for left sided attackers that he's rarely played there for us.

 

 

 

 

It does sound a bit mental when you lay it out like that but I'm not sure that this wasn't the plan all along. I mean, the wide players in our 4-3-3 don't exactly hug the touchline, get chalk on their boots and whip crosses in - they'll do that here and there but that's the job of the full backs or an underlapping midfielder like Harvey. Ultimately they play half central and half wide, running towards goal when the space opens up. They need pace and they're ultimately the goalscorers - look at how Mane and Salah have outscored Firmino by a margin.

 

The more I watch of Gakpo the more I think he was never bought to play on the left as he's just not that kind of player. He's not that quick - I mean he's not slow, but he's not exactly rapid either - and he's never been an out and out goalscorer, even in the dog years world of the Eredivisie. What he is, is good on the ball, good in tight spaces and seems to show good vision - and from what I've seen on YouTube etc, he can hit them from distance. I listened to a couple of podcasts when he first signed and a couple of observers of him felt that he'd be suited to this kind of role - certainly a lot more than as an out and out 9.

 

Nunez would seem to be better suited to the outside-in role of inside left. He gets more space and his role is to be more direct. Centrally he just wants to get forward and play off the last man, which means that space between defence and midfield is unoccupied and the centre backs can just go backwards. Our midfield have to push up to support and that then pushes us way up the field and leaves us exposed on the counter when we lose the ball. His lack of close control is overblown but he's not exactly a 'clever' footballer who operates with deft touches and finding half space. He's just direct as fuck, as Salah is and Mane was.

 

There'll probably be a role for him to play centrally here and there in certain situations or against certain opponents but I have a suspicion that we'll keep playing our 4-3-1-2 / 4-3-3 system and he'll be better suited to that channel role. The bigger question is what it means for Diaz, to be honest.

[Bjornebye]

49 minutes ago, Original202 said:

I think defenders would be more bothered about him getting past them if there was a consistent end product. If he beats them and ends up one v one against the keeper I doubt they’re too bothered.

 

“The goals will come” people keep saying.

 

When? There isn’t going to be some magical change, he can run fast (for now) but he isn’t a prolific finisher.

 

He's our second top scorer. Hope this helps. 

[Carra_is_legend]

Nothing has changed my mind, he is still going to be awesome. When we have a fully functioning midfield and the team back to full confidence, this lad is going to be fun to watch. 

[etho]

Salah has no need to say that last night unless he truly believes it, love it. 

[TD_LFC]

@Manny I think all of that makes sense if we weren't told that Nunez was bought to change the way we play and we were moving away from the 'false 9' that served us so well in the past.

 

Now having got him through the door the plan might have changed to what you say based on what has been shown, and we've had to adapt as a result, but not sure it was the plan from the start.

 

If it works, who cares, but at the moment it looks like we've spent 65 million not to strengthen the central striker options and have a really expensive group of left sided forwards.

[TD_LFC]

31 minutes ago, Bjornebye said:

 

He's our second top scorer. Hope this helps. 

 

For context, Firmino, Elliot and Diaz are 3rd, 4th 5th and he has a lower shot accuracy than all but Diaz and a  significantly lower conversion rate than all of them.

 

 

[Bjornebye]

7 minutes ago, TD_LFC said:

 

For context, Firmino, Elliot and Diaz are 3rd, 4th 5th and he has a lower shot accuracy than all but Diaz and a  significantly lower conversion rate than all of them.

 

 

 

Thanks.

[TD_LFC]

2 minutes ago, Bjornebye said:

 

Thanks.

[Bob]

1 hour ago, Red Hot said:

Not yet but giveth lad  time .

Alright Shakespeare.

[Manny]

19 minutes ago, TD_LFC said:

@Manny I think all of that makes sense if we weren't told that Nunez was bought to change the way we play and we were moving away from the 'false 9' that served us so well in the past.

 

Now having got him through the door the plan might have changed to what you say based on what has been shown, and we've had to adapt as a result, but not sure it was the plan from the start.

 

If it works, who cares, but at the moment it looks like we've spent 65 million not to strengthen the central striker options and have a really expensive group of left sided forwards.

Yeah, to be honest it's less about Gakpo and Nunez and more about the overall plan. I can see those two (Nunez as an inside forward, Gakpo as a false 9) working in the same system, I can see Nunez (as a traditional 9) and Diaz (as a more traditional winger) working in the same system, however I can't see all three of them - signed for a combined ~£150m - working in the same system.

 

Don't disagree with what you say either, we've got a lot of players comfortable in that left side role, an aging player and a guy who's learning the role who can play through the middle (plus an orthodox 9 who may not play there), and then Salah for the right (plus Jota who can do a job there but never looks as good). Dunno where all that ends up, quite frankly - but I just can see some solutions that make me think there's a genuine plan.