Report: Klopp had noticed 'rustiness' in one Liverpool player in training before he shone against Man City

By Lee Connor

Liverpool enjoyed a fine day at the office against Manchester City yesterday as Darwin Nunez got his dream debut by scoring the third and decisive goal.

The expensive summer signing from Benfica had started the game on the bench, while for City, Pep Guardiola threw Erling Haaland straight into the mix. Of course, Haaland endured a frustrating day at the office as he missed a few big chances.

For Nunez, his introduction off the bench couldn’t have gone much better. He helped win the penalty and then stooped to head the third goal in front of the Liverpool fans. However, the decision to start Nunez off the bench had confused some Reds fans, given they spent so much on him.

But according to The Telegraph, Jurgen Klopp and his coaching staff had noted ‘rustiness’ in training sessions from Nunez. With that information, they took the decision to introduce their new man off the bench. And in the end, they were rewarded for taking such a risk.

It seems very much like Nunez will play a huge role this season. As highlighted in that Telegraph report, there were various examples on display of how Nunez will impact this Liverpool team.

TBR’s View: Nunez Gives Liverpool New Dimension

The option for Liverpool’s players to go that bit longer gives the Reds something brand new. Gone are the days of having to find a way in behind using precision and pace with the likes of Mane and Jota. Now, Liverpool can use Nunez’ strengths to play differently.

Crucially, this gives the opposition something else to plan for. There’ll be certain games this season where Nunez will be invaluable. And just as we saw with Luis Diaz last term, Liverpool’s new players have form for impressing early on.