Moments after entering the game, Darwin Nunez demonstrated his unique Liverpool status.
Few athletes receive the level of praise that Darwin Nunez does, and the Liverpool striker is beginning to reward the devotion of his followers.
When it comes to Darwin Nunez, the Kop can be stirred up easily.
There isn’t a Liverpool game that goes by that the No. 9 doesn’t hear his own name yelled around Anfield, frequently for plays that wouldn’t otherwise warrant more than a polite wave of applause.
Within minutes of his entry in the 3-1 Carabao Cup victory over Leicester City on Wednesday, Nunez was seen casually saluting Reds supporters while throwing a thumbs-up in their general direction. This was despite the fact that all he had done was merely charge goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk.
Maximum effort is typically the very minimum expected of fans, but the 24-year-old is quickly emerging as a terrace doyen. Why is clear to see.
There is a fundamental desire among supporters to see him succeed because he arrived at Liverpool as a £64 million striker with the potential to break the record for highest transfer fee ever. Why not, you might ask?
Despite Nunez’s charm and ability to inspire greater fan support than most, it is also obvious that Reds supporters are fervently hoping that he will develop into the player they think he can be.
They are convinced he is a player who can become their next hero with some solid encouragement and patience after noticing his explosive pace, athletic frame, and eye for goal.
And to be fair, he contributed to a goal every 53 minutes before to coming on as a second-half replacement during Wednesday’s victory over the Championship leaders, so the signs are good in that regard.
For all the praise that will rightfully go to Dominik Szoboszlai for a thunderbolt that will be one of Liverpool’s season-defining goals, it was Nunez’s early entrance that significantly increased the volume on the evening.
His name was being chanted by the crowd after an early chest down and turn, and he was subsequently praised for smashing a shot opportunity just wide of Stolarczyk’s left-hand post.
Congratulations to Darwin, the supporters adore you,” said assistant manager Pep Lijnders on Tuesday.
He has this crazy mentality that drives him to run, battle, and reach places where no one else believes he can.
For us, it was crucial that he improved both on offense and defense.
“It’s nice to see him in the good moments, it’s nice to see him positive, starting games in a row back-to-back and you see immediately what this does to a player.
He is a pure intuition player. He smells goals and he sees and he does.
Nunez is currently playing for Liverpool and gaining confidence with each game. A player has undergone a change as a result of his game-winning intervention off the bench for a team with 10 men up at Newcastle last month.
The former Benfica player channeled his anger in the ideal way by slamming his two opportunities past Nick Pope at St.
James’ Park on August 27 to secure a spectacular reversal after spending the previous three games mainly kicking his heels on the side as a substitute.
It was the catalyst for a more secure and confident Nunez , who, it must be stressed, refused to cower, hide or be disheartened when things were not going exactly to plan at times last term, for him or the team in general.
Linjders added: “Away at Newcastle, it would change any players’ life if you can change a game the way he changed the game.
We played there for a long time with 10 men and how he made two goals from nothing. It has given him confidence.
He requires this level of assurance since Darwin is an intuitive player.
He already has improved English, and he puts a lot of effort into improving himself. And it seems like everyone needs success, don’t they?
“A player is just a different player whether they are confident or not. Therefore, it is crucial that he is self-assured and that he trains really hard.
Nunez has scored four goals for the Reds so far this season, matching only Mohamed Salah’s total, and it will be fascinating to see the internal competition for first place this year.
When Nunez came in against Leicester in the second half, the crowd was already chanting his name before he had even taken the top off his tracksuit.
Only a select few athletes, including some of the best, have ever had such a luxury. It illustrates how much the center-forward is trusted by the Anfield supporters.
His job now is to repay that faith. So far this season he is doing just that.
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