Liverpool manager Arne Slot has explained that there are two things he hopes will fuel forward Darwin Nunez’s consistency.
Nunez scored a brilliant third for the Reds as they did so Bournemouth light work on Saturday afternoon in the Premier League. It was the £85million man’s first goal of the season and just his second in the competition since the start of March after a drought to end 2023/24.
Núñez has shown what he is capable of in a Liverpool shirt, scoring 18 goals in all competitions last season. But he has also often frustrated fans since his arrival in 2022 by not producing moments of exceptional quality more regularly.
Slot suggests that it’s not just up to the player to make it for himself, but the team as a whole.
“I think consistency is achieved by two things: it is achieved by work-rate and it is achieved by the performance of the team,” the Liverpool manager explained after Saturday’s win.
“If the performance of the team is not consistent, it is very difficult for an individual to be consistent as well. We just have to create our habits day by day in the training camp and in the games to achieve that consistency. Because while we work on your habits, you create consistency.
“That’s what we try to do every day and he showed a good game today and maybe he can show it on Wednesday (against West Ham in the Carabao Cup) but we’ll see.”
Liverpool were already 2-0 up in the first half when Núñez got his goal against Bournemouth, finishing from the corner of the box with his left.
Slot admitted he didn’t want the Uruguayan to shoot at the time.
“My first instinct when he shot, I said, ‘Why is he shooting? Why don’t you keep dribbling?’ Because he left the ball loose and I think the defender was on the floor,” Slot admitted.
“But then there was a split second when I saw the ball go in off the post and I was like, ‘OK, maybe you’re a better football player than I was in the past!’ Good choice by him.”
