Sport

Liverpool boss Arne Slot criticises Darwin Núñez for dropping work rate

Striker vows to bounce back after missing chances in draw against Aston Villa

Liverpool striker Darwin Núñez shoots over during the Premier League match against Aston Villa at Villa Park. Photograph: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images
Liverpool striker Darwin Núñez shoots over during the Premier League match against Aston Villa at Villa Park. Photograph: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images
Will Unwin
Thu Feb 20 2025 - 15:55

Arne Slot has said he will talk to Darwin Núñez about the striker’s attitude having witnessed a drop in his work rate against Aston Villa after an almost open-goal miss from close range in Liverpool’s 2-2 draw on Wednesday night.

Núñez failed to convert that chance to put Liverpool 3-2 ahead with Emiliano Martínez out of position and later went through one-on-one with the goalkeeper but was tackled by Martínez. Liverpool play at Manchester City on Sunday having drawn four of their past eight league games.

“I can accept every miss, especially from a player who scored two very important goals away at Brentford [on January 18th] and that scored for us in the home game against Villa [in November],” Slot said. “I would prefer him to score but the word ‘chance’ says it all. It is a chance and not 100 per cent that it goes in.

“I can accept misses but what is harder for me to accept is his behaviour after the chance. It got too much in his head, he was not the usual Darwin who works his ass off and makes sure he helps the team. He was too disappointed he missed that chance. Maybe we will never know but maybe that was why he was just a fraction short the moment afterwards [when Martínez won the ball].”

READ MORE

Núñez has struggled in front of goal this season, scoring four times in 21 appearances in the Premier League. “I will tell him that you can miss a chance but you cannot miss out on work rate,” Slot said. “That is the life of a striker: he will miss chances and score some. It is part of the job of a No 9; you miss when people expect you to score. It is not part of the job of a No 9 to slow down in work rate. And that is something we will talk about.”

Shortly after Slot had spoken Núñez posted a message on X, promising to give everything until his final day at Liverpool. An initial message that might have been perceived as critical of the fans was hastily deleted. It started: “Two three weeks ago, Darwin was the best, Darwin gave us the three points, but yesterday I was unlucky enough to miss a goal and I am once again the ‘worst’ and the failure.”

An updated version soon appeared, which said: “I wasn’t the best three weeks ago nor am I the worst now. If I fall, I get up. You will never see me lower my arms. I’m going to leave everything until the last day I have to be here in Liverpool. Resilience!”

Liverpool, eight points clear of second-placed Arsenal having played a game more, will almost certainly be without Conor Bradley at City because of an injury to the right back at Villa and Cody Gakpo is a doubt. “It will be a close call,” Slot said of Gakpo. Joe Gomez is set to miss a lengthy period after surgery on a hamstring injury but could return before the end of the season. – Guardian