Slot Explains Nunez Criticism
Slot demands full effort, all the time.
Liverpool FC head coach Arne Slot has explained his rationale for criticising Darwin Nunez’s performance after the Aston Villa game. He was also disappointed with the forward’s effort in the Wolves game.
“I helped him by saying you can miss a chance. I wasn’t only hard on him. But for the second time in a row I wasn’t happy with his work effort, against Wolves and against Villa.”
“I always try to be honest with my players and be honest as I can to you guys [the media] as well where I always try to protect my players so I don’t say he never worked hard.”
“I know him differently. I know him at Villa at home where he made a 100m sprint and scored a goal, I know him when he came on at City at home and was pressing really aggressively and wins the ball back and we score.”
‘But I can’t accept if a player doesn’t give everything. That is clear. I can accept it once but twice was a bit too much. That’s why I addressed it. Not that I’m all of a sudden very angry with him.”
“I don’t mind that he missed a chance, I’d have loved him to score it, and I know he will eventually score. But if you miss a chance, you need to be fighting for the team. I’m not saying he didn’t do that at all, but it wasn’t the usual Darwin, the one that is loved by the fans. That is mainly because he always works so hard.”
Slot opened the door for a Nunez return to the team in our next fixtures:
“He was still down about it. As much as I want the No 9 to be seen as working hard and do whatever is needed for the team, a normal No 9 is focused on goals. I can keep talking to him about work rate, work rate, work-rate, but he and any No 9 will always be disappointed if he misses a chance. He was still a bit disappointed the day after.”
“But yesterday [Monday] he was incredible in the training session when it comes to work rate. Hopefully he can keep doing this, and whenever the team needs him then he is ready for it if he keeps putting in sessions like he did yesterday.”
The title is almost won, a Carabao Cup final is coming up, and we’ll need everyone’s help to go far in the Champions League. It's nice to see Slot holding players accountable and letting them know what’s expected of them.
Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com
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