Pep Lijnders had a significant impact on Liverpool’s transfer policy in 2022. He was involved in the scouting of a certain Luis Diaz in the January window of that year, as stated by the Dutchman in his book, Intensity, with the Colombian forward signing for the Reds from FC Porto.
Lijnders, Jürgen Klopp’s assistant, was a coach at the Portuguese club before moving to Merseyside over a decade ago, so he is well-versed in the Primeira Liga and also speaks the local language. It was probably unsurprising, then, that six months later, Liverpool signed Darwin Nunez, another tremendous prospect from Portugal.
The Uruguayan international arrived from Benfica with a reputation as a clinical, ferocious, and intense attacker on the verge of stealing the show on the European stage. Nunez scored 26 goals in the Portuguese first flight in his final season in Lisbon, and his underlying statistics supported Liverpool’s choice to buy him.
In that season, the South American converted 27.2 percent of his shots into goals, placing him first in the Primeira Liga when compared to every other player with at least 55 attempts on goal. In fact, no player in Europe’s top six leagues converted shots into goals at a higher rate than Nunez.
He also appeared to be an expert at locating the target. In that season, he had 85 shots for Benfica, 44 of which were on target, for a 51.8 percent success rate. In the same season, Sadio Mané, Mohamed Salah, and Diogo Jota all hit the target with between 36.3 and 37.4% of their shots in the Premier League.
Nunez was swift, aggressive, and physical, standing roughly 1.87m tall, and he was only 22 years old. When he arrived to Merseyside, it was evident that he would need to be accommodated tactically, as he was not the same as the guy who had worn the number nine shirt before him, Roberto Firmino.
The old guard excelled at sliding deeper into midfield, whereas the new kid on the block preferred to stay in the penalty box and score. Nunez struggled to make an impact in his debut season due to tactical concerns on the field.
Lijnders would eventually be the one to initiate a shift that would benefit Nunez. When Liverpool failed to maintain consistency in the Premier League last season, Klopp was encouraged to adjust his structure, recommending that Trent Alexander-Arnold be used as an additional midfielder anytime the Reds had possession.
Liverpool is unbeaten in 18 matches in all competitions after the structural change. Lijnders noted on the Training Ground Guru Podcast last month, “The team came together again and we were really balanced: we didn’t suffer counter-attacks like we used to.” A small modification can be enough to make players feel free and at ease again. The counter-press was in action. You must go for dominance in midfield if you want to win the game.”
So far this season, Nunez’s presence in the middle of the park has allowed him to be Nunez. This season, he is averaging a goal or an assist every 52 minutes, because to his midfield location allowing him to virtually always be in the penalty box.
Lijnders held Liverpool’s news conference this week before of their Carabao Cup match against Leicester City. When asked about Nunez, he was ready to compliment him. “Compliments to Darwin, the fans love him,” he stated. “He has this mentality to run and fight his way into positions no one believes he can reach.” A pure instinct gamer. He smells ambition. He’s working extremely hard in the gym.”
Nunez is now able to devote nearly all of his time on obtaining opportunities owing to Lijnders. He is no longer expected to perform like Firmino or Mané, according to Liverpool’s new system, which has Alexander-Arnold playing as a quarterback in the center of the field.
His on-field behavior can now be controlled by the intuition that Lijnders mentioned in his appreciation for him. Overall, it appears that Nunez will reproduce his form for Benfica in England in the near future.