Arne Slot has defended Darwin Nunez following another challenging performance during Liverpool’s 1-0 victory over Girona.
The Uruguayan forward missed a couple of clear opportunities against the La Liga side before being substituted after 71 minutes.
Núñez managed just 16 touches and completed only four successful passes on Tuesday night, continuing a difficult run of form that included a similarly underwhelming display in last week’s 3-3 draw with Newcastle United.
The striker has struggled for goals this season, netting only three times in 19 appearances despite starting eight of Liverpool’s last 11 matches during Diogo Jota’s injury absence.
Now that the Portuguese forward has returned to team training, Núñez’s place in Slot’s starting XI is under growing scrutiny.
Despite the criticism, the Dutch manager highlighted Núñez’s threat against Girona, explaining that he kept the striker on the field longer in hopes of breaking his scoring drought.
“What I can agree on is that he missed a few chances,” Slot said. “Then it’s always the question: does this have anything to do with low confidence or is this a situation where he’s in at the moment?
“I think every striker all around the world has periods where every ball goes in, and sometimes he has a period where you try so hard but you’re not able to score.
“The good thing is that we have many players that can score for us – today Mo again.
“I would have loved to see Darwin score because I think every striker wants to score [and] needs goals – that’s why I kept him in for quite a long time. He was a threat but unfortunately he couldn’t score.”
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