Why Liverpool fans won't give up on Darwin Nunez as Erling Haaland figures revealed

Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez dazzled for Uruguay in the 2024 Copa America as he showed fans exactly what he’s capable of.

The 25-year-old endured an improved 2023/24 campaign as he managed 12 more goal contributions than in his debut season in England. While his efforts in front of goal only went up by three, the incredible improvement in registering assists for his teammates was a clear indication of an improvement in his all-round play.

Competing with Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo for the central role, he was trusted by Jurgen Klopp for the majority of the season. However, as Liverpool fell in the latter stages of the season across three competitions, so did Nunez. He struggled greatly in the two games against Atalanta in the Europa League while simultaneously only managing one goal and one assist in the final 11 Premier League games as their title charge fell away.

While there is clear improvements to make in that regard, fans shouldn’t be giving up on the ex-Benfica just yet - especially when you compare his figures to the league’s best striker in Erling Haaland. There is some debate as to whether Pep Guardiola has restricted the Norwegian's spontaneity and reduced the overall amount of work he is tasked with doing game by game, the figures show that Nunez contributes infinitely more than the back-to-back golden boot winner.

According to Fbref, across the past 365 days of league action, Nunez far outperforms Haaland across a wide range of attacking, creative and defensive metrics. The only areas in which the Man City forward beats Nunez at is clearances p90, non-penalty-goals p90 and pass completion.

What stands out, however, is that Nunez massively outperforms him when it comes to progressive carries and passes, successful take-ons and shot-creating actions. That demonstrates how Nunez is capable of making something out of nothing - which is certainly an elite trait. Plus, he ranks very high for progressive passes received which shows he always knows where to position himself and often makes strong runs, stretching defences.

His issue is his conversion in front of goal, managing his concentration and his streakiness in front of goal. After two seasons in England, those are things that need to improve in a third season. And with Arne Slot claiming he was one of the first players he spoke to when he arrived at the club - a big season could be in the offing.