Arne Slott admits he is still ‘not getting the best out of’ Darwin Nunez, explaining he is ‘still learning’ how Liverpool’s number nine will be effective against low blocks did.
Nunez could return to the starting lineup when Liverpool visit Brentford on Saturday, which will come after five consecutive games without scoring.
The Uruguayan has only scored once in his last 12 games, against Southampton in the Carabao Cup, before losing his place up front to Luis Diaz.
However, with Dias struggling in the build-up and Diogo Jota picking up an injury, Slott insists he has not lost faith and Nunez could be called up at G-Tech.
But speaking ahead of the trip to west London, Liverpool’s head coach admitted he has yet to find a way to “bring the best out” of his centre-forward.
“When things aren’t perfect, there’s always a lot of things brought up that have little to do with what’s going on,” he told the Mail’s Lewis Steele and colleagues.
“Darwin is a striker that we have to use in some ways, but we haven’t been able to get the best out of him yet this season.
“We also saw against Accrington Stanley that he has a lot of pace, but unfortunately for him most teams are way back against us.
“If I look back at the goals he has scored for us, I remember the one he scored against Villa when he went fast and got past the goalkeeper. That is his main strength. He has other attributes as well. But we are still working to score goals.”He is in the best possible position against the low block.
“It involves the right timing, the right cross, the right starting position and the right run.”
But Slott also argued that Nunez’s handling of opposing defenders made him less effective, suggesting that the referees were being too lenient.
“I think so too, and I don’t know if other people see this, but the way the team defends our No. 9 is something you have to give other teams credit for,” he said. continued.
“It’s never like, ‘Here Darwin, we can score.’ Every time we put in a cross, you see defenders around him.
“I understand that, but unfortunately the referees don’t.
“It’s more difficult to score against a team like Forest because every time we got a chance they had six, seven, eight, nine or 10 players in the box. It is.”
However, Slott maintained the following view: “Darwin will score goals. He has already done so and will do so again.”
