There’s a professionalism to Arne Slot’s Liverpool that creates composure and coolness no matter the situation. It’s a core element of the club’s success.
Liverpool have fallen behind on numerous occasions this season, but far more often than not, have overturned the deficit and strengthened their title-chasing claim.
As the fog hung above Anfield’s pitch, the Reds struggled to achieve focus in the first half, before Slot’s tweaks and half-time team talk triggered a stylish second-half performance.
The frontline was firing, though not quite across all cylinders. Darwin Nunez continues to be an enigma, and it’s beginning to look like Slot is joining Jurgen Klopp in struggling to crack the nut.
Darwin Nunez's performance vs Leicester
The Liverpool Echo’s Ian Doyle handed Nunez a 6/10 match rating for his labours, praising his ‘sufficient effort’ but noting that he didn’t influence all that much despite his huffing and puffing.
Minutes played
78′
Goals
0
Assists
0
Touches
25
Shots (on target)
4 (1)
Accurate passes
10/19 (53%)
Key passes
0
Dribbles (completed)
0 (0)
Total duels (won)
5 (2)
There just isn’t quite enough on show from this wonderful striker, this agonising and frustrating striker. We know you have it in you, Anfield seems to cry. We know that you have the tools to rival the finest marksmen across the continent.
But Slot’s patience is bound to be wearing thin, and without a dramatic upswing, the Dutch coach may urge FSG to peruse the market at the end of the season.
It was Nunez who was caught offside when Cody Gakpo fired his second of the night home, prompting a VAR intervention. Too often has the Uruguay star been the weak link in Slot’s frontline, too often has he failed to harness and streamline his frenetic energy.
It’s a harsh thing to face, but Liverpool fans should acknowledge that Nunez is into his third campaign on Merseyside since signing in a deal rising to a club-record £85m.
He’s notched 37 goals from 119 matches in total, missing 50 big chances in the Premier League alone, as per Sofascore. How much longer can he toil up top before it is accepted that he will never be the free-scoring number nine that Liverpool need to ease Salah’s burden?
Liverpool need something new, something that can breathe fresh life into an attack blessed with an abundance of quality.
Liverpool eyeing new forward
As per Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, there is “a strong chance” that Randal Kolo Muani will move to the Premier League this winter, having been ostracised from Luis Enrique’s Paris Saint-Germain side.
Liverpool are among the contenders, with Plettenberg revealing that Liverpool have already gathered information on the striker’s situation, considering whether to make their move in January.
Arsenal, Manchester United and a host of overseas suitors are keen, and given that the France international joined PSG for a £77m fee, bagging him on loan could be a deal to trigger a new level of offensive fluency down Anfield Road.
What Randal Kolo Muani would bring to Liverpool
Described as “very complete” by Kylian Mbappe, Kolo Muani was one of the hottest commodities in Europe during his time with Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany, but he’s fallen by the wayside with the imperious French champions, scoring only 11 goals from 54 appearances since the start of the 2023/24 campaign.
Still, Kolo Muani’s a menace, and while he’s been shackled to a bit-part role this term, starting just two times in Ligue 1, there’s little question that he has the many properties to succeed in the Premier League.
Indeed: as per FBref, the 26-year-old ranks among the top 12% of forwards across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 3% for successful take-ons and the top 14% for tackles per 90, showcasing his flair and completeness.
A successful take-on is recorded when a player beats their opponent by directly carrying the ball past them while retaining possession.
Curiously, FBref list Nunez as one of Kolo Muani’s most statistically comparable players, suggesting that Liverpool could integrate a player endowed with similar athletic qualities but hopefully a greater degree of finishing accuracy and composure.
A versatile forward, Kolo Muani would join a fluid Liverpool frontline that is interchangeable and electrifying through such dynamism, but his principal role can be found at number nine and this makes an interesting comment on Slot’s tactical plans.
Centre-forward
145
50
34
Right winger
20
5
3
Left winger
12
5
1
Attacking midfield
2
0
1
Last season, Kolo Muani only scored nine goals and assisted six more across 40 fixtures, but he had entered a testing environment that didn’t recognise his qualities. Indeed, he racked up 40 goal contributions with Frankfurt during the 2022/23 campaign.
His clinical edge from seasons past does suggest that he might have the tools to take Nunez’s position. After all, he scored 15 goals during the 2022/23 Bundesliga season but only missed 14 big chances.
With Salah to his right and Gakpo and Luis Diaz jockeying for a place on the left, the electric Frenchman might just have the tools to craft a successful Premier League career, offering more with his movement and physicality than Nunez, who seems to drift through matches like a rogue piece of flotsam under Slot’s wing.
It’s something of a risk given that he’s flattered to deceive at PSG, but on a loan deal with the option for purchase, this could be an immense signing for Slot, who stands as good a chance of anyone in sparking the fire in such a forward’s belly.
Now worth more than Trent: Slot hit gold on Liverpool's "coach's dream"
This Liverpool star has been especially important in recent weeks.
ByAngus Sinclair Dec 25, 2024