First glimpse of Nunez shows hints of tactical tweak

Jordan Chamberlain, Empire of the Kop, external

Liverpool may have lost 4-0 to Manchester United in Bangkok today, but fans at least got to see 30 minutes of Darwin Nunez for the first time.

Coming in as Sadio Mane’s replacement, Nunez played centrally and looked every bit a traditional centre-forward. It was mighty odd to see a Jurgen Klopp Liverpool team with such a focal point, given Roberto Firmino has redefined the position and Mane himself put his own spin on it in the past five years.

Nunez looked to run between the centre-backs, had no interest in tracking back and was an option from long-balls, given his height.

He was however noticeably unfit, gasping for air after every sprint and unable to fight for a second-ball on more than one occasion after his engine ran out of gas. There were moments of quality when he came alive on the ball in the area, which is why the Reds signed him, but what fans saw today was a player desperately in need of a full pre-season.

And under Klopp, that’s what he’ll get. The Uruguayan will be put through his paces in the Austrian training camp and will build up his base before the Premier League begins in August. What’s most interesting based on his debut is the suggestion of a tactical tweak up top given his arrival. How that will suit Mo Salah and Luis Diaz out wide, time will tell.

What did you make of Klopp’s tactical set-up against United? Have your say here