Darwin Nunez's future could be DECIDED by huge Brentford game

Liverpool are in a rut and it is essential that Arne Slot finds a way out of it.

Across their last seven games in the Premier League, the Reds have dropped points in four of them - drawing when a win was on the cards.

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Those fixtures were admittedly difficult, facing Newcastle (A), Fulham (H) with 10 men, Manchester United (H) and Nottingham Forest (A). However, the team desperately needs to get back on track to retain control of the title race and a visit to Brentford is up next.

As a result of Diogo Jota feeling a niggle in his 30-minute cameo on Tuesday and Luis Diaz having missed training this week as a result of an illness, it seems probable that Darwin Nunez is going to be given the nod as Liverpool's striker, and he will need to deliver if the Reds are to get passed the Bees unscathed.

Now or never for Nunez

When he was brought into the club nearly three years ago for £85m, Nunez was a player that many had high hopes for.

He had just come off the back of an incredibly impressive season at Benfica and Liverpool were looking for a No.9 to lead their attack and add a new dynamic to their forward play.

However, despite his best efforts over the last two seasons, his performances have been incredibly inconsistent and his attacking returns have been significantly below fans' expectations for the Uruguayan. The number of big chances he misses has become mind-numbingly frustrating and patience with the forward is wearing thin.

Nonetheless, the club decided to stick with him and back him to deliver this season, but once again he has failed to make an impact. Across 25 appearances (13 starts) he has four goals and three assists, missing eight big chances.

In a title challenge, that is simply not enough from your club-record signing.

As such Jota has been the preferred player in the striker role, but his relentless injury problems have meant that Liverpool and Arne Slot have had to get inventive.

Sadio Mane transitioned from a left-winger to a centre-forward during the latter years of his career with the Reds under Jurgen Klopp, and Luis Diaz has made the same switch under Slot.

The move has enabled Liverpool to field Cody Gakpo at left-wing, while Diaz is given the freedom to roam the forward line, rather than necessarily playing as a front-man in attack.

As a result, the team has been able to navigate past Nunez's struggles by creating a new option in attack - and it has worked, Diaz netted a hattrick against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League while playing the role.

But now that Jota and Diaz are set to be absent from the team this week, at least starting on the bench, Nunez simply has to take the opportunity by the horns and deliver one of his rare great performances for the Reds, to get the team back to winning ways.

Nunez has been subject to interest from Saudi Arabia in recent weeks, including a £70m bid from Al Hilal that the club declined, but while he is still a Liverpool player he simply has to give his all for the team. Arne Slot will not allow for any passengers at the club.

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