Liverpool face Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday afternoon, and it is perhaps a gravely concerning actuality that the club’s supporters will hold an overarching sense of pessimism following the Premier League drubbing earlier this month.
Indeed, Jurgen Klopp’s Reds are in something of a sticky spell, immensely underwhelming this season following a preceding campaign that struck silverware in both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, taking Manchester City to the closing day in the Premier League title race and agonisingly falling short to Real Madrid in the Champions League finale.
The marathon year has taken its toll.
This season, Liverpool languish in tenth place in the English top-flight after the midpoint (19 fixtures played) and have lost their swagger and style, with a recent report from The Athletic detailing the collapse of intensity from the midfield sending Klopp’s system teetering off-balance and removing the formerly iron-clad resilience that charged Klopp’s unwavering intensity.
But with the club overcoming Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FA Cup, a trip to the Amex Stadium to battle the high-flying Seagulls will be imperative in the club’s affirmation of their stature, ironing out the creases and reminding the footballing world of their calibre.
Complicated by the ignominious 3-0 loss at the very same stadium mere weeks ago, the Reds will need to channel the very best of their ability to bypass one of English football’s most cohesive units, and there is one man in particular that might be imperative in doing just that.
£85m summer signing Darwin Nunez has been a figure of polarity since his arrival at Anfield, with criticisms over his wayward shooting a consistent theme of conversation since the summer, yet a promising goal record and unwavering tenacity hinting to a prosperous career in Liverpool over the coming years.
Indeed, having scored ten goals and provided three assists from just 15 starts across all competitions for his Merseyside outfit, the 23-year-old Uruguayan has demonstrated his prowess as a clinical presence, and when the goals ostensibly start raining down with slicker precision, he will indeed emerge one of the European scenes most devastating forwards.
As per FBref, the £140k-per-week gem ranks among the top 6% of forwards goals, the top 2% for touches in the attacking box and the top 1% for total shots when compared to those playing across Europe’s big five leagues over the past year.
And having missed the loss on the South Coast due to injury, the “exciting” Nunez – as dubbed by George Chomokov – is certain to make an impact as his outfit looks to exact revenge and continue their defence of the FA Cup.
Having been beaten so comprehensively by Roberto de Zerbi’s Albion earlier this month, many Liverpool supporters might indeed carry a weight of trepidation into the forthcoming FA Cup fixture, but with the “monster” that is Nunez – as hailed by Liverpool writer Charlotte Coates – spearheading the attack, a major victory, one which could indeed turn the tide, could be achieved.
from FootballFanCast.com https://ift.tt/pWxt5CV
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