Stephen Warnock was critical of one Liverpool player over a ‘disappointing’ moment in the first half against Girona this evening.
The Reds went in at half-time on level terms, perhaps fortunately as Alisson Becker had to come up with some strong saves in the opening 45 minutes upon his comeback from injury, although they had their chances at the other end also.
Two of those fell to Darwin Nunez in quick succession, one of which saw him fail to control the ball with a downward header and the other seeing a close-range shot repelled by Paulo Gazzaniga when the Uruguayan was through one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
Warnock slams Nunez over misses
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, Warnock was left appalled that Liverpool’s number 9 failed to put away the second of those chances in particular.
The former Reds defender lamented (18:21): “What is that from Darwin Nunez? That is Darwin Nunez to a tee. That is so disappointing because it was a great break. He has to score.”
Nunez needs to put those away…
Nunez has faced no shortage of criticism over his finishing ability since joining Liverpool in 2022, and while some of that has been over the top, this season has unfortunately been one of massive frustration for him.
In 18 appearances this term prior to tonight, he’s netted just three goals, a rather underwhelming return for a striker who cost £64m from Benfica. Misses such as the one against Newcastle last week and the shot against Gazzaniga shortly before half-time this evening count as chances that someone of his ability should be dispatching.
The 25-year-old was given a lowly 5/10 in the Liverpool Echo‘s first-half player ratings against Girona, with the comment that he ‘ooks short of confidence’, and it’s hard to argue with that assessment.
Everyone connected with LFC would love nothing more than to see Nunez proving his detractors wrong and hitting a rich vein of form and/or scoring some decisive goals. He needs to start doing that sooner rather than later, though.
