Liverpool gaffer Arne Slot has staunchly defended Darwin Nunez irrespective of his modest goal tally, noting the striker's invaluable work rate.
With just three goals under his belt this season, Nunez's frustration is palpable; nonetheless, Slot took time to highlight the Uruguayan's contribution beyond scoring, during his Friday morning press conference ahead of the Reds' showdown with Fulham.
Despite criticisms following a narrow win against Girona and social media backlash, Slot remains firm in the idea that efforts extend past the scoresheet. Nunez's relentless approach is key, according to Slot, who places equal worth on off-ball aggression aiding possession recovery and chance creation.
Related articles
As Liverpool braces for Fulham with potential returns for Diogo Jota and Federico Chiesa, Slot remains convinced of Nunez's influence: "For me he has an impact. If you only look at goals, he hasn't scored as many as he wants to score or we want a number nine to score," he said.
"But he does have impact in his work rate and that's not just to prevent the other team from making a chance, but also for us when we lose the ball to be aggressive and we can get the ball back and create chances.
"He's part of a team that scores a lot of goals and is winning a lot, but of course as a number nine you want to score more goals, that's definitely what he wants. I'm not only judging Mo (Salah) or Darwin on goals, I also judge on their work rate and what they bring to the team.
"That has been positive until now, except for us and him wanting to score more goals."
Slot added: "Maybe because the fans support him so much, he wants it almost too much, to score that goal for the fans and for himself. All the players feel the support of our fans but he's definitely one of them.
"And if you're in a good place, so Mo, for example. He has the support of the fans but he doesn't really need it right now. But what I like about the fans is, they are not only supportive if it's going really well but especially if he needs that support. That's what makes our fans so special."
Related articles
However, Slot did acknowledge that Nunez's showing in the final 30 minutes at Girona left much to be desired, yet emphasised the importance of the striker receiving everyone’s backing when goals elude him.
Touching on whether Nunez feels the weight of criticism, Slot remarked: "It's not just him. When you miss the chances he did on Tuesday, everybody then needs an arm around you, whether it's from a team-mate, from the fans or the manager."
"That's clear, but I also made it clear to him, he's not only judged on the goals he scores but on the team performance. He adds something to the team performance with his work rate, and how much he does for us winning the ball back high up the pitch."
"Ideally he would have scored a few more goals but maybe in a few weeks you'll ask me why Mo isn't scoring anymore and Darwin is scoring every week.
"It's the life of a number nine. Sometimes you score, sometimes you don't, but what should always be there is work rate and he has had that, apart from two games.
"First one against Las Palmas (in pre-season) and then the last half hour against Girona, wasn't up to standards he should have and that was due to the disappointment he had after missing chances."
