Mueez Ajao
– Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez said he has found it “difficult to adapt” to the Premier League after scoring just once this season following his €75 million move from Benfica in the summer.
– Nunez, 23, admitted that his struggles were partly self-inflicted after his reckless challenge against Crystal Palace, which saw him receive a red card and subsequent three-match suspension.
– “The truth is that it was a little difficult to adapt but I believe that,” Nunez told TNT Sports Brasil. “As training and games go by, I will adapt little by little.
Also Read: Klopp backs Darwin Nunez after tough start to his Liverpool career
– “[After the red card] was a very tough time. I know I made a big mistake and now I’m aware that it won’t happen again.
– “I have to calm my nerves during the games, talk less. We all make mistakes and I know it will serve as a learning experience.
– “The important thing is to leave my mark on the team, be someone who can always contribute by playing well and, if I don’t score, I have to be calm.”
Nunez: "But I'm calm, the coach has always supported me. My team-mates also support me at all times and I will always try to help the team by scoring goals or, even without a goal, try to help the best I can."
— Anfield Watch (@AnfieldWatch) October 5, 2022
– The Uruguay international scored 26 league goals in 28 matches for Benfica last season and said he can again start scoring regularly again.
– “When the first [goal] goes in, more will go in,” he said. “I’ve been through that [before] and it’s a little uncomfortable because, in the end, as forwards we live on goals.
– “But I’m calm, the coach has always supported me. My team-mates also support me at all times and I will always try to help the team by scoring goals or, even without a goal, try to help the best I can.”
– Nunez added that language barriers prohibit him from having regular communication with German manager Jurgen Klopp.
– The Portuguese and Spanish-speaking Nunez said that he and Klopp “don’t talk much,” and coaches Pep Lijnders and Vitor Matos act as translators when the Liverpool boss gives orders.
– “I don’t know English, he [Klopp] doesn’t know Spanish,” Nunez said.
– “They [Lijnders and Matos] are the translators when Klopp talks to the group. They sit next to me and explain what I have to do.
– “If they didn’t explain it to me, I’d enter the field with no idea what to do.
Nunez: "They are the translators when Klopp talks to the group. They sit next to me and explain what I have to do. If they didn't explain it to me, I'd enter the field with no idea what to do."
— Anfield Watch (@AnfieldWatch) October 5, 2022
– “But the relationship with the coach is that he supports me, gives me confidence and I have to repay that on the field.”
Nunez: "But the relationship with the coach is that he supports me, gives me confidence and I have to repay that on the field."
— Anfield Watch (@AnfieldWatch) October 5, 2022
