Darwin Nunez was front and centre of Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday, a game which was becoming slightly nervy at half-time.
Nunez earned a start in the match following his impact for Liverpool against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League in midweek, providing the assist for Harvey Elliott’s unlikely winner in France.
Nunez’s performance had it all against Southampton – the striker arguably could have been sent off before then scoring and winning a penalty for Arne Slot’s side.
Nunez won the game for Liverpool alongside Mohamed Salah’s brilliance from the penalty spot, but he could have easily been back in the dressing room following an angry challenge on Southampton’s Kyle Walker-Peters.
A complicated performer, but one that Liverpool fans are still backing.
Liverpool fans call for Darwin Nunez to start against PSG
That being said, Liverpool fans appeared to send a clear message to Slot about Nunez when taking to X after Saturday’s win against Southampton.
Nunez has often been used as an impact substitute this season, playing second-fiddle to the likes of Luis Diaz or Diogo Jota through the middle.
However, Liverpool fans are now calling for Slot to start Nunez against PSG on Tuesday.
One fan wrote: “Nunez should start against PSG.
“Not saying Jota is a bad player but continuously getting injured every season has reduced his pace and strength massively, and we need that against PSG.
“Nunez starting should be no brainer alongside Salah and Diaz.”
Another supporter then simply commented on how Slot has been dealing with Nunez, suggesting that a different approach might pay dividends.
They wrote: “If he has a coach who shows him love and affection and sticks with him, Darwin will cook!
“Slot is not a big fan of Nunez, he just loves his work rate!”
But on the other hand, one Liverpool fan thought that Slot had handled Nunez’s situation superbly, praising the Dutchman’s man management.
And on the whole, fans were adamant that ‘Nunez has to start vs PSG’ a message plastered all over X following the striker’s match-winning performance against Southampton.
Many hoped that Nunez would start ahead of Jota, perhaps even with Cody Gakpo coming in he was fit to play.
Arne Slot praises Darwin Nunez’s work-rate
Importantly, Slot also praised Nunez’s work when speaking about the striker after full-time at his press conference.
Slot praised Nunez’s work-rate throughout the game, explaining why his team were better as a whole in the second half against Southampton.
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The Dutchman said: “That’s also the life of a No.9 – you go from missing a chance to scoring an important goal to then, all of a sudden, missing a chance again.
“But I think today, especially in the second half, you also saw the work-rate he can bring to the team.
“But the main thing that happened was in the second half we started to play in a different tempo – not only without the ball but also with the ball.”
Tim Sherwood admitted he was wrong about Nunez following full-time on Saturday, praising Slot’s decision to keep the striker on at half-time.
