Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has been talking about his new signing Darwin Nunez, and the potential minimised role of Roberto Firmino at the club.
Liverpool’s record signing Darwin Nunez has played his first minutes for the club in their preseason friendly against Manchester United.
However, the outing was not a pleasant one since Liverpool got thrashed 4-0 by United. Nunez too looked outpaced on his debut as Klopp admit the same as well.
While questions are now being raised over Nunez’s role at Anfield, Jurgen Klopp has explained how he looks forward to settle in the striker at the club.
On the other hand, following Sadio Mane’s exit Klopp feels that Liverpool may have to adapt to a revolution in his system.
Jurgen Klopp on Darwin Nunez’s role at Liverpool
Liverpool splashed a club record fee of £80 million on Nunez after he netted 34 goals for Benfica last season. Klopp who approved his signing right intends to deploy Nunez in his natural role of number-9 without any experiment as such.
“He’s a No.9 who can play on the wing. If you compare with Sadio, he was a winger who could play in the No.9, so that’s the difference.”
“We have Luis Diaz, we have Fabio [Carvalho] who can play on the wing as well, we have Diogo [Jota] all these kinds of things.”
“Mo [Salah] is still here, been here a long time and is good as well and we have Harvey [Elliott], so we have so many different options up front that I am sure I have forgotten some already!”
“We have so many interesting options and that is what I like. We haven’t just lost Sadio, we also lost Divock [Origi] and Taki [Minamino] and I think we can all agree that without these two boys we wouldn’t have won a cup competition last year. We are very thankful for that, but it makes sense as well after a while [to change].
Klopp ready to ‘refresh’ Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp further added that he does anticipate new ideas to imply and that he could ‘refresh’ the way Liverpool play. The manager feels departure of Mane, Origi and Minamino have left the doors open for potential changes.
“So, as much as we miss Sadio, of course we miss a world-class player; as much as we miss Divock and Taki, we need to refresh the efforts and the way we play.”
“That always depends on the qualities of the different players and they all have different qualities, so what do we do?”
“I have an idea, but I don’t want to say now that we do it like this, as I am really open to what the boys offer and from there we go.”
“We have a settled formation, if you want, and everyone knows how it is like this, but we have some real options to change the dynamics on the pitch and I think that makes sense for us.”
No pressure to replace Roberto Firmino
There has long been a question mark of Firmino’s future at the club. Once a crucial piece of Klopp’s frontline, Firmino now warms the bench more often.
However, there is no denying that Firmino played a role so important which helped Mane and Salah blossom in attack. When Liverpool acquired Nunez, speculation were rife that the youngster could replace Firmino.
But Jurgen Klopp has dismissed the claims stating, “Do I want Darwin to play like Bobby Firmino in the same position? No, not at all. It makes no sense. We are talking about a False No.9 and a No.9. That is the difference.”
“We have to adapt a bit around that, and if it will be in the first Premier League game or the second or the third or the fourth, I couldn’t care less.”
“We can just work on it, and we will do. We will see in training how quickly that will go. That is what I like about it. It will be really interesting.”
“We had two or three or four years where it was always clear before the pre-season that we would start up front with Sadio, Bobby and Mo. Now the door is open for pretty much everybody. That is what we have to use. That is what we try to use.”
“We have enough games that they all will play, but it is about how we can bring ourselves, all of us, into the situation where we make the extra yard, to which the amount of joy is pretty much unimaginable, and that is what I am really looking forward to.”
Klopp also added that Nunez was Liverpool’s top-most priority and same was conveyed by the striker. Jurgen Klopp and co. next face Crystal Palace in their preseason as they look to bounce back from the United debacle.