Arne Slot believes that Darwin Nunez allowed him to influence his striking Miss too much in the 2-2 with Aston Villa and said that his side has missed too many opportunities this season.
The Reds could not take the opportunity to give their Premier League line up to 10 points in the draw in Villa Park, but it could have been very different if the Uruguayan had entered into a golden chance shortly after he was in the second half for Diogo Jota had contracted.
After fought by Domink Szobozlai with much of the goal of focusing, Nunez could not keep his shot low when Liverpool dropped more points in the title race.
Darwin Nunez misses a golden opportunity to make Liverpool forward 😬
📺 @tntsports & @Discoveryplusuk pic.twitter.com/8f0rfedphs
– Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 19, 2025
But instead of criticizing the 25-year-old for that chance, Slot was more concerned with the negative effect that the attacker allowed it to have the rest of his replacement apearance.
In anticipation of Sunday’s crucial match against Manchester City, said the boss of Liverpool: “I can accept every Miss, especially from a player who has scored two very important goals against Brentford.
“In the match against Villa I would prefer to score, but the word ‘Chance’ says it all – it is a ‘chance. It is not 100% sure that the ball will enter.
“But what was a bit harder for me to accept was his behavior after that chance. And by ‘behavior’ I mean that I think it got too much in his head and he was not the usual Darwin who finishes his *** and ensures that he helps the team.
“I think he was too disappointed after he missed that chance.”
Lock: Be more like endo
Slot pointed to the attitude of midfielder Wataru Endo, because NUNEZ should try somehow to move forward.
“I always really believe it is best to have the mentality of Wataru Endo,” the Dutch manager added. “And what I mean by that is that he will continue all season, continues and when we need it, he is ready.
“And that is difficult because there are not many players who can do this. So it’s not about the chance for me, it’s more about the 20 minutes after that I want to talk to him than about him who misses a chance. “
Slot: ‘We have missed too many opportunities’
Arsenal plays against West Ham a day earlier on Saturday and increased the pressure by closing the gap to five points for the Liverpool trip to Etihad.
Slot added: “Unfortunately we have missed opportunities too often this season. And what I mean by that is that I don’t think we have stolen many points. I always come back to the Chelsea game, while perhaps a draw might be a fairer result.
“But for every other game I think we got what we deserved, or we deserved more – and that is more for me than Arsenal on Saturday and we on Sunday.”
Sunday evening’s opponent was also in action as a 3-1 defeat at Real Madrid when they deposited from the Champions League with an aggregated loss of 6-3.
It was the last bad result in an overwhelming season for City, which means they are 17 points behind Liverpool in the fourth in the Premier League, but Slot knows that his side will still take on a huge challenge at Etihad.
The 46-year-old added: “What I always expect from the city since Pep [Guardiola] Is there a great football team that can play so well. They may have had one or two months since the seven or eight years that he is now there that may not have been the best – partly due to injuries.
“They have signed three or four players and I see them coming back when you look at the result against Newcastle. What you expect is what everyone expects when you go to Etihad when you play against City.
“You also have to suffer and work very hard to keep them away from your goal because they are like that, so well owned. But they are also confronted with a strong team that has not lost in 22 games now. “
Trent brings our level 🎯 #Avlliv pic.twitter.com/iderxpnoma
– Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 20, 2025
Team news: Gakpo rated for City, Bradley and Gomez Out
Slot said: “We will see” when he was asked about Cody Gakpo’s fitness after the Dutch attacker had missed last Sunday’s victory over Wolves and the draw at Villa, adding that it would be a “close call” or he would be would be involved in Etihad.
The boss of Liverpool also said that he does not expect a right back-back Conor Bradley to make the city game or the midweek collision with Newcastle.
Fellow Joe Gomez has just operated on a hamstring, but Slot does not exclude the possibility of the Englishman who returns before the end of the season.
