Darwin Nunez Liverpool future under THREAT following Bologna blank

Liverpool continued their impressive start to the season with a 2-0 victory over Bologna at Anfield on Wednesday night.

Arne Slot’s side didn’t look as dominant as they have done of late but still managed a fairly comfortable victory that saw them improve their UEFA Champions League record to two wins from two.

Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Alisson Becker were all standout performers on the night and Mohamed Salah scored to become the all-time leading African scorer in the competition.

Despite it being a good night for many, Darwin Nunez once again failed to impress for the Reds and many supporters are now asking the same question: Is Darwin Nunez’s fate at Liverpool sealed?

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Nunez vs Bologna

Although it wasn’t Nunez’s worst performance since his arrival in Merseyside in 2022, his showing against Bologna will not have filled supporters with hope that the Uruguayan is improving under Slot.

Fellow South American forward Luis Diaz has stepped up his game under the new boss, but Nunez doesn’t appear to have done the same despite some signs of hope against Bournemouth.

Nunez put on a frustrating display midweek and couldn’t find the magic he used to score a wonder goal in his only Premier League start of the season.

The 25-year-old did put the ball in the back of the net against Bologna but he failed to hold his run before doing so and, therefore, his effort was chalked off for offside.

Is the writing on the wall for Nunez at Liverpool?

Although Nunez being offside for his goal against Bologna didn’t end up being a huge problem, the Reds won the three points anyway, it is the perfect example of what is so frustrating about him as a player.

This kind of goal has become ‘vintage’ for Nunez and he has had an inability to stay onside since he first arrived at the club and even before (when he scored an offside goal playing against Liverpool for Benfica).

One distinct difference between Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot is their willingness to rotate their starting XI, Klopp did it a lot in his final seasons, spreading the minutes around, but Slot appears to have a preferred starting XI that he will stick to unless there is a very good reason not to.

Unfortunately for Nunez, he hasn’t nailed down his place in the starting XI, and every performance like Bologna will only make the gap between him and the starting spot bigger.

Nunez’s saving grace may be the very man that is currently stopping him from starting games: Diogo Jota.

Although the Portuguese forward can be extremely clinical, he can also be a passenger at times, and this hasn’t gone unnoticed at Liverpool this season. The forward also has a somewhat questionable injury record and is rarely fit for the majority of a season.

This may be Nunez’s lifeline. If Jota is unavailable or in bad form then the opportunity will be there for Nunez to step up, but he must make the most of these opportunities or his time at Liverpool may slip away.

What’s next for Nunez?

Slot’s tenure as Liverpool head coach has only just begun and he does have plenty of time to work with not just Nunez but all of his players in order to improve them.

However, teams have shown interest in Nunez before and if he remains out of favour at Anfield it could only be a matter of time before someone tries to tempt the Uruguayan away from Merseyside.

Liverpool spent a large amount on Nunez and it is likely that they would be looking to get most of that sum back if they were to let the No.9 go.

Nunez is an enigma and his future at Liverpool is uncertain but his fate is definitely not sealed. He will receive more opportunities under Slot and, if he makes the most of them, he can nail down a place in the starting XI but only time will tell whether the striker can step up.