Fans of Liverpool may have only recently come to the realization that Darwin Nunez is, in fact, Jurgen Klopp’s “son.” Nunez is growing as a result of performing exactly what Klopp requested of him, despite the fact that it’s merely a metaphor.

In keeping with Liverpool’s mentality under Klopp, the Uruguayan central striker is going back to being himself in attack at Anfield after enhancing defensive awareness from the top line.With Klopp’s high-pressure, “gegenpress” style of play, Nunez has gained new and valuable attributes.

Nunez has made tremendous progress for Liverpool during their current seven-game winning streak, but Klopp did not highlight the fact that the striker now scores in the Premier League every 74 minutes as opposed to 189 minutes the previous season. Rather, Klopp discussed the striker’s advanced high-defense skills. Nunez made 14 efforts to grab the ball back from opponents’ feet in 8 games across all competitions.

This defensive activity occurs every 24 minutes, as opposed to 37 minutes per time the previous season. In contrast, this season, Cody Gakpo, another “false 9,” has only performed this every 19 minutes. Nunez also won more on-field duels and averaged three times as many tackles per ninety minutes compared to 2022–2023. Nunez isn’t quite up to Roberto Firmino’s level yet, but Klopp wants him to develop into a versatile number nine rather than a striker.

More people are beginning to respect Nunez as a result of his development trajectory, including former player Ian Rush, who perfected the skill of “defending from above” while still scoring goals at an incredible rate.”When he has the ball, and especially when he doesn’t, Nunez knows what to do.”He picks things up fast, is able to judge situations, accelerate, and go close to any defender in order to recover the ball.”Rush and Nunez merely exchanged greetings when the legendary member of the team arrived at Anfield. Nunez would be confident that he would be more than capable of donning the number nine shirt if they had more time to spend together.

With 346 goals to cap off an incredible career at Liverpool, Rush is often reminded of his challenging transition. He was well-known for believing he would be traded by the team the next season and for not scoring his first goal until after seven “blackout” games. However, this goal scorer’s incredible ascent was noticed in the second season. In the penalty area, a striker’s self-centeredness has been replaced by conscientious teamwork.

“Coach Steve Heighway was the one who, when I joined Liverpool, taught me the value of being off the ball and constantly aware of your surroundings so you can be in the right position to apply pressure to the goalkeeper, full-backs, or defenders.” opponent’s midfield player. I can manipulate the opponent’s defender or goalkeeper with experience to pass the ball wherever I want.Up to seven times will be counter passes if they repeat that ten times. Making appropriate use of energy is also crucial. Instead than wasting it chasing the ball or the defender, anticipate it.”

There are explanations behind Nunez’s unimpressive season-long performance. He was alone and unsure, more likely to make rash judgments than thoughtful ones, and lacked the physical strength and energy of a midfielder to exert effective pressure in the opposition’s half. What sets Nunez apart are his spontaneous football plays. This clarifies why Nunez has been called “erratic” or a “chaotic agent.”He had a crazy style of playing that was out of keeping with the system and eventually turned into a luxury that was little used. About Nunez during the previous season, Klopp made repeated remarks.

Everything has changed now. Nunez has improved since the preseason in terms of his practicing work ethic. Nunez’s efficacy and energy have been sparked by the excellent and dynamic developments going on around him, particularly from the midfielders who are driving forward. Images of Nunez as a feral, wild animal are beginning to look old. Not scoring last season may have meant making little of an impact, but that is no longer the case. In light of Nunez’s growth, Klopp underlined once more the defensive role he played in the victory over West Ham.

Klopp is a master of manipulation and psychology, according to Rush. That explains why he did such a great job transforming Nunez. Naturally, Salah, Firmino, and Mane all experienced that in different ways. Nunez’s quickness allows Liverpool to use him for long balls over the line, creating space for him to handle the next bit on his own.

Now, Nunez will perform even better as he continues to hone his off-the-ball skill set. Nunez possesses all the necessary skills to rank among the top closing defensive players. As he continues to learn, nobody can speak out. Although each football player’s brain develops at a different rate, it is most noticeable in what a player does when the ball is not in play.

In the event that Nunez scores one-third of Rush’s goals while wearing a Liverpool shirt, he will reimburse the team for £85 million. However, as Klopp frequently states about Firmino, being Liverpool’s outstanding No. 9 is more important than scoring a lot of goals.