The Liverpool team, led by Jürgen Klopp, will need to make significant changes to prevent themselves from putting on another performance as poor as that of this eleventh Premier League date after the team’s heartbreaking one-goal draw against Luton Town last Sunday. The Reds’ next major goal is their trip to Toulouse in the UEFA Europa League.
The Reds coach may make a number of changes to his starting lineup on Thursday night in an attempt to win the second-highest club competition in Europe. Cody Gakpo’s substitution for Darwin Nunez could be the most contentious move of the night.
While in some other positions the changes are known to give a brief rest to all those elements that have seen great activity in recent weeks, in the case of Nunez the situation may be different. That is, the German coach of the Reds most likely wants to give his player a break from all that pressure that comes with being the focal point of the offence after having the forward, Uruguayan, make a mistake in front of goal that did change the game’s outcome. While it is true that in recent weeks, Nunez has performed very responsibly as a scorer, Klopp was forced to consider replacing him with Cody Gakpo due to his inconsistent play against Lincoln Town. Gakpo has been waiting for additional playing time following his injury to return to his devastating self inside the area.
Nunez needs to keep composed in these circumstances.
It is undeniable that, had Nunez not failed at such basic plays, he would undoubtedly be the Premier League’s best striker right now. However, despite the Pantera’s persistent inconsistencies, which are harshly criticised, he is not even the player who misses the most opportunities in the competition— Villa’s Watkins and City’s Haaland both miss more than him.
