The deciding factor in Darwin Nunez’s assessment last year had nothing to do with him. He was unlucky enough to have one forward bought with a lot of money at the same time as Erling Haaland.
A, Haaland is an alien. Secondly, even though he is somehow younger, Haaland had four seasons in Europe under his belt, including a couple of top five finishes with Borussia Dortmund, and was also the son of a former player, before he appeared at City. He was just more grounded at the top of the game. Nunez had two seasons in Portugal. He just had more development to do.
Certainly, his first season at Liverpool provided plenty of fodder for both sides of the argument. On the one hand, the stats suggested this was a destructive player who just needed time to sort things out. No one generated more shots and chances than Nunez per 90 last year. Everything seemed to happen when he was on the field.
On the other hand, everything seemed to happen when he was on the field. Those shots and chances weren’t buried, obvious passes weren’t made and every game seemed to flow as normal when he got on the pitch. The rest of the team’s collapse certainly didn’t help matters. While Nunez undoubtedly did a lot of good things on the pitch last year, he didn’t grab the number 9 role by the throat after his big move and the fact that “SO MUCH” both good and bad happened when he was around, he was nicknamed ‘The Chaos Himbo’. His pace and strength caused defenses problems, his affinity for hitting everything as hard as he could turned away a fair number of chances, it was all so wonderfully unpredictable and loud.
So far this season, that seems to have changed.
Oh, there’s still chaos, don’t worry. Because Nunez may miss this opportunity:
And then buried this one a few minutes later:
This is a wonderful goal. The ball comes over his right shoulder and he not only follows it, but gets deft enough contact to chip the keeper into the opposite corner. It is twelve times harder than the punishment he received just before.
This is the Nunez experience.
But what Jürgen Klopp will point out is how much more Nunez does. Last year, Nunez essentially hung around the opponent’s defensive line, waiting to be sent behind by a pass, or stepped into the penalty area, waiting for service. Now take a look around:
Twice as many progressive passes per 90 (3.20 from 1.54).
Twice as many enter the penalty area (1.60 out of 0.64).
Three times as many tackles in the attacking third (0.80 from 0.27).
Double the challenges created and attempted overall.
More ball contacts in the attacking third and the attacking penalty area.
Nunez is doing many of the things that Cody Gakpo did that saw the latter replace him as the central striker in Liverpool’s system in the second half of last season. That is dropping deep to connect with the midfield, or connecting much better with his two wide forwards, or initiating the press much better from the other penalty area or even deeper on the pitch. And he has done all that while making even more shots and more shots on target per 90.
This season it was all good chaos.
What else happened in the sixth round of the Premier League? Let’s make it hot.
4. Arsenal continue to claim the chaos crown
Arsenal games shouldn’t feel like this. And they don’t do that anyway. They are the second best in the Premier League in xGA so far, and the fourth best in terms of goals conceded. They are second best in shots against and shots on target against.
And yet it feels like teams, when they need it, will find a goal against them. Especially if Declan Rice gets hurt. On the other hand, Arsenal will also find the goal they need. Still, throwing away two leads to Spurs at home is not something they will feel particularly good about.
They got lucky when Christian Romero ping-ponged one into his own net. But 16 minutes later, Heung-min Son was allowed to do all this:
Those are three defenders between whom Son found space to finish James Maddison’s cross.
Things got even crazier in the second half when Arsenal had to send off Declan Rice. After having some luck with a penalty (we’ll come back to this), it took less than a minute for Jorginho to lose feeling in his feet:
God, that’s a cool finish from Son. Effortless. What a man, son is officially my football player Jarome Iginla, a player I will love forever even though he will never play for my favorite team and I will spend the rest of my life wondering what if he did.
Regardless, the Gunners huffed and puffed afterwards but never really threatened much and managed just one shot on target the rest of the way. Spurs also had a problem when Son and Maddison were taken off, as they carry almost the entire attacking threat of the team at this point. However, there is a lot for both to resolve from a very safe place.
Shoutout to too Eddie Nketiah for one of the more pointless clatters from a goalkeeper who probably should have sent him off, but was high on the comedy scale. He got here four seconds late.
3. About the USMNT tip…
Antonee Robinson was fantastic at Crystal Palace on Saturday, and fantastic defensively, which we don’t normally think about when we watch his usual play:
It felt like every five minutes Robinson was using his speed to close in on a Palace player just outside or just inside the Fulham box and dispossess him. Just everywhere.
2. Lucas Paqueta proves again that I don’t know much
When Brazil emerged victorious in the quarter-finals of the last World Cup, I often thought that even though they were the favorites before the tournament, the era of Brazil, which had at least half its line-up with the best player in the game world in its position, probably over. They were a good team, but they were mostly made up of players who were just good rather than galactic. Paqueta was first and foremost on that list, a regular starter for Brazil who just seemed like a man. He was West Ham’s third best midfielder at the time. What were you excited about?
Um, Hey:
Paqueta was The Flash against Liverpool, popping up on every blade of grass to win the ball or make a pass. West Ham sold one midfielder in Declan Rice who did absolutely everything from guarding the back four to generating the attack. They’ve somehow replaced him with another player who can do that from within, which is quite baffling.
1. Is the extra time really about VAR?
The Premier League was proud last week about how their extended stoppage time has increased the action in each match by 12 minutes, while increasing the drama by extending the period in which stoppage time goals, which change the results, can take place. The matches are certainly longer and the officials are confident that no more time will be wasted, even if there are yellow cards for it. But the purpose of the increased injury time is ultimately to change behavior and prevent wasted time.
So how much is VAR distortion time? Spurs-Arsenal, Chelsea-Villa and a few other matches had obscene stoppage times thanks to marathon video reviews. And the wrong one actually,
What was Christian Romero supposed to do here?
Have you ever tried to slide without your arms flying up?
For Chelsea, who was once again insipid, they were something of a job spoiler. at. This is not a tackle on a player with the ball. Malo Gusto and Villa’s Lucas Digne both come in for a loose ball, which Gusto wins. Slow this down enough and look at it enough, and you’ll become fixated on the sequel, and it will look distinctly red. But it is actually Digne who is too late here:
Anyway, these reviews are still taking way too long, because if it’s clear and obvious, it should be clear and obvious in seconds, not minutes. And it feels like that’s where the mutant injury times come from, and the wasted time isn’t being made up for.
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