Captain Virgil van Dijk stated ahead of Liverpool’s League Cup third round matchup at home against West Ham United on Wednesday that Darwin Nunez must maintain his cool and perform consistently while he tries to deal with the pressure of his big money move.
In Saturday’s 3-0 Premier League home victory over Bournemouth, Nunez scored his first goal of the season, breaking a 14-match goal drought for Liverpool. It was his 1st start of the campaign.
The Pressure of Nunez Big-Money Move to Liverpool
The Uruguayan international, who signed a club record deal worth up to 85 million euros ($94.55 million) two years ago, is a 25-year-old who previously played for Benfica. Van Dijk said the pressure is on the player to perform well in his third season.
Van Dijk Advice on Consistency and Reliability
Van Dijk informed the local media, “He started against Bournemouth and scored a fantastic goal but he might not start the next game.”
“We want him to be reliable and to continue doing it both when he first starts and when he comes on. The most important thing is to avoid becoming dragged into the highs of positive and then the lows of negativity, as this can eventually make you dizzy.”
Nunez led the Premier League in offsides (33), and he was also the unluckiest player in front of goal (nine shots on goal).
Comparing Nunez Performance to Premier League Rivals
Nunez, who made 36 league appearances last season and finished with 11 goals and 8 assists, had the second-highest amount of good chances lost (27), just behind Erling Haaland of Manchester City (34), who took home the Golden Boot with 27 goals.
For him, coming into a club like Liverpool with the price tag means there will always be pressure to perform week in and week out, and he is attempting to do so, but it is not always easy, Van Dijk explained.
He needs to stay calm now, and I believe he has been playing much better lately. The manager is occupied with him and the players, so we just need to keep him with us and keep moving forward.
Upcoming Fixtures for Liverpool
Liverpool’s Premier League matches are this Saturday against Wolverhampton Wanderers and on October 2 at home against Bologna, an Italian team, in their second Champions League match.
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