Comparing Darwin Nunez and Erling Haaland always felt like a mismatch, but in the summer of 2022 the pair were intrinsically linked. They were the men Liverpool and Manchester City, the Premier League’s two title favourites, chose to spearhead their attacks as they looked to reinvent themselves somewhat.
The problem, from a Liverpool persuasion at least, was that Nunez was something of a raw diamond, whereas despite him being 22 at the time, Haaland was seen as a more complete goal scorer. He arrived from Borussia Dortmund on a trajectory that had been rising at an incredible rate since his days at Red Bull Salzburg, a rate that has continued since.
Nunez, while undoubtedly a huge talent having shone at another great breeding ground in Benfica, was a little more of an unknown in a wider sense. Coming into a Liverpool side who had been going for the quadruple the previous season, and having to replace the outgoing Sadio Mane in the squad, albeit with an attacking restructure, meant his task at Anfield was always tougher than Haaland’s at the Etihad Stadium.
He cost £85m, whereas Haaland was just over £50m. Those numbers do not tell the full story of the deals, but perhaps go some way to explaining the initial comparison.
Weighed down by his own inexperience, both tactically and in terms of discipline, Nunez struggled. His red card in an August draw against Crystal Palace was an early indicator. The Reds’ title challenge was soon over before it had really begun; they rallied towards the end of the season in the hunt for Champions League qualification but had to settle for the Europa League. Nunez scored nine Premier League goals; Haaland netted a record 36 as City went on to win the treble.
But as the two sides prepare to meet on Sunday, things are a little different. Nunez and Haaland should still not be compared, with the latter again leading the Golden Boot chase having scored 18 goals, but Liverpool are back very much in the title hunt. It is they who lead the way before the meeting at Anfield, a venue where Manchester City have won just once under Pep Guardiola. A huge reason for that is Nunez’s vast improvement.
With two months of the season to run, the Uruguayan has already surpassed his league tally from the last campaign, and his reliability has improved without losing the edge to his game which can take him to the next level.
Around a year on from the Palace debacle, he turned the game away at Newcastle on its head from nowhere as a substitute with two goals in the last 10 minutes after Virgil van Dijk had been sent off in the first half. So many goals have been crucial; none more than last weekend’s controversial late strike at Nottingham Forest.
Two more goals at Sparta Prague this week show Nunez is helping the Reds on their hunt for another quadruple. It may not be the one they want, but they are looking like another cohesive, energised, threatening team that can cause City a number of problems on Sunday, but also, alongside Arsenal, in the run-in too. Jurgen Klopp’s departure in the summer will be gut-wrenching, but could be marked by the most remarkable of season endings.
After his performance in Prague this week, Klopp lauded Nunez, saying he has quality “coming out his ears”.
“He had absolutely more than [an] OK first season but he had to adapt, that’s done, and he is settled in the middle of the team,” said Klopp. “Wonderful guy, wonderful boy. He loves to play for this team together with these boys and has quality coming out of his ears, to be honest.
“It’s like strikers are, they score and then they don’t score. Is he at his absolute peak in general? Not now for us. But can he develop? Yes. Is he a threat all the time? Yes.”
Sunday could be absolutely pivotal in many ways for both Liverpool and City. The Haaland comparison never felt fair on Nunez, but he may just be a deciding factor if all goes well on Merseyside.
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