Klopp applauds Arteta, urges Nunez to calm down
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has backed forward Darwin Nunez to find his goal-scoring touch, urging the Uruguay international to show composure while finishing off chances.
Nunez has had a slow start at Liverpool, scoring two goals and getting one assist in the eight games he’s played since joining from Benfica for an initial fee of €75m in the close season. The 23-year-old also served a threegame suspension after he was sent off for an apparent head-butt during his home debut.
“I think he said himself he feels the pressure,” Klopp told reporters on Friday.
“He has to calm himself down. You can see the movements are exceptional and if you would see him finishing in training you would think, ‘My God’. But in the games obviously (he is) then a bit in a rush.
“He needs to calm down just in the moment to use his full range of finishing but it’s not something — as a striker you just have to feel that. Then it will go from there. So, not to change, just to keep going actually.”
Liverpool are ninth in the Premier League on 10 points after seven games and play away to league leaders Arsenal today.
Klopp heaped praise on Arsenal and their manager Mikel Arteta after the north London side’s flying start to the season but said he hoped to “cause them problems” today. “All my respect, wow,” he said.
“It’s a really, really good job from Mikel. When you need some time, nobody wants to give you time ... He has a young, exciting team doing really well.”
Arteta said his side could get a psychological boost for their Premier League campaign by beating Liverpool and extending their lead over the Merseyside club to 14 points.
Arsenal, who have won seven of eight games, go into the weekend 11 points clear of Liverpool, who are ninth with just two wins from seven matches ahead of the game at the Emirates Stadium.
“The moment you get momentum and you are on a good run, and you can leave an opponent as far (behind) as possible, psychologically also it is very important,” Arteta told reporters this week.
He urged his players to be fearless on the pitch, pointing to their performance in a 3-1 win over north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in their last league game. “To win those matches, you really need to believe you can go there, win and compete against those teams — and if you don’t have that component then you have fear,” said Arteta.
“Fear is the worst enemy, especially against the top teams, because this is what they use a lot of the time just to win football matches. You cannot go with any of that into Sunday’s game, the same as we didn’t when we played Spurs.
Klopp added that his team must become unpredictable to return to winning ways, as last season’s Premier League and Champions League runners-up look to recover from a poor start to the campaign.
Liverpool challenged on all four fronts last season thanks to their counter-pressing style, but they have struggled to replicate that form.
Their disjointed performances led to Klopp fielding a four-man attack of Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz and Nunez against Rangers in the Champions League on Wednesday, with the move resulting in a morale-boosting 2-0 victory.
Klopp cautioned against saying he has found a solution to Liverpool’s woes but said the team’s ability to alternate between systems could make things more difficult for opponents.