Several Liverpool fans were perplexed by Jurgen Klopp’s decision to substitute Darwin Nunez with 10 minutes remaining in the Reds’ match against Chelsea.
In a double substitute at Stamford Bridge, Cody Gakpo and James Milner took the place of Nunez, Curtis Jones, and other players.
Similar reactions from supporters were elicited when the forward was substituted during Liverpool’s Champions League last 16 second leg match against Real Madrid last month.
Many were perplexed by the swap, especially in light of the ꜰᴀᴄᴛ that he represented the Reds’ most significant attacking ᴛʜʀᴇᴀᴛ during an otherwise lackluster performance.
David Lynch of Football Insider was one of those confused by the shift.
The manager is undoubtedly in a challenging situation as he must manage three matches against elite opposition in the span of nine days.
Due to an ankle ɪɴᴊᴜʀʏ, Nunez was unable to represent Uruguay at the international level. It is still unknown how fit the 23-year-old is right now.
The striker was only allowed to play as a substitute against Man City and is unlikely to be at full strength considering how his break has fallen.
Goals were far less of an issue than they had been at the Bernabeu as Chelsea outplayed Liverpool heavily in the second half in the capital.
Nunez will undoubtedly be aiming to have a big weekend when top-of-the-table Arsenal visit Anfield on Sunday.
Jurgen Klopp explains ᴅʀᴀᴍᴀᴛɪᴄ Liverpool decision that left Jamie Carragher sᴛᴜɴɴᴇᴅ
Jamie Carragher was pleasantly sᴜʀᴘʀɪsᴇᴅ by Jurgen Klopp’s decision to make lineup changes for Tuesday night’s Premier League match between Liverpool and Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
During their match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, Juergen Klopp made six changes to his Liverpool lineup in an effort to get his struggling squad to react.
On Saturday in the Premier League, Manchester City defeated Liverpool 4-1, highlighting the disparity between the two teams. This season, the Reds haven’t played at their typical level and are far behind in the race for the Champions League spots.
During the midweek game against Chelsea, Klopp decided to make a lot of changes, benching Andy Robertson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Mohamed Salah. Due to illness, Virgil van Dijk was replaced by Joel Matip in the starting lineup. Harvey Elliott and Cody Gakpo were also absent.
Before to their meeting against Chelsea, Liverpool had dropped their previous three games across all competitions. Before the game in west London began, Klopp spoke with Sky Sports and said that his moves were made in an effort to inject some freshness into his struggling team.
When asked how many of his changes had been put into effect, he said, “Some. It is clear that Virgil is unavailable. And the rest is just like, some guys get a break, other players need a break, and many players have a chance to play tonight – and that’s all.
“We needed fresh legs – that was clear – we needed fresh minds as well. And, how I said before, it didn’t work out that well in the last few weeks, so that’s the moment that you have to make changes. So I really hope that we can show the reaction, when it’s not the same team, obviously, but still as a group we have to show a reaction.”
Chelsea dominated the first 45 minutes, suggesting that the adjustments did not have the anticipated impact. Joe Gomez, Matip, Ibrahima Konate, and Kostas Tsimikas, Liverpool’s new backline, battled, and the Reds were fortunate that Reece James’ goal was disallowed for offside in the build-up thanks to VAR.
Jamie Carragher, a former Liverpool defender, was taken aback by Klopp’s choice because several of the players he left out were regulars in his lineups.
“It’s more than you do expect and what Jurgen Klopp’s done since he came in is there’s certain players who just play every game, you know, and those players, some of them aren’t playing tonight,” he said on Sky Sports.
“You look at the back four, Virgil van Dijk, that’s down to illness we’re told but Trent Alexander-Arnold you’re always expecting to be on that team sheet. Mo Salah being another one, Andy Robertson being another one.
He hasn’t just changed the team, he’s changed mainstays really who are there week-in week-out – not just this season but for years gone by. Is that to do with the performance against Manchester City?
“Is it to do with the ꜰᴀᴄᴛ that Liverpool have three tough games in a week? It’s a bit of both. There’s no doubt that what happened at the Etihad on Saturday is certainly in the back of his mind and he had to make changes on the back of that performance.”
