With Nunez, Will Liverpool Play a Different System?

Posted on July 21, 2022 by SoccerPunter

While managers and pundits make elaborate predictions but are sometimes bound to subjective narratives, bookmakers have a calculated approach with odds based on objective parameters. Way-too-early Premier League odds give current champions Manchester City the best odds to repeat, and Liverpool is once again runner-up. If you like online betting, for example new Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has the best odds for top goal scorer, followed by Mo Salah and Harry Kane. Newly acquired Liverpool upcoming star Darwin Nunez is also high on the list although he is untested in the Premier League.

Liverpool finished second in the Premier League, a point behind Manchester City, but the point total would be enough to win a championship in most years. The Reds were also runner-ups in the emphatic Championship League campaign losing narrowly to Real Madrid in the finals.

The offseason started with a couple of shake-ups, and the most notable changes came at the front. Long-term Liverpool star winger Sadio Mane will continue his career in Bayern Munich, while Jurgen Klopp brought Uruguayan sensation Darwin Nunez from the Portuguese side Benfica.

Formation shuffle

Liverpool landed Darwin Nunez for £64.5 million, which could go up to £85 million. A big, strong striker in Nunez, who was the target of other Premier League clubs like Manchester United, might be the club’s response to Manchester City signing Erling Haaland. Nunez started in Penarol and played one season in Almeria before signing with Benfica.

Before bringing in a player who scored 34 goals in 41 appearances for Benfica, Klopp’s side brought Portuguese attacking midfielder/winger Fabio Carvalho from Fulham. Simultaneously, Mane and Divock Origi will leave the club.

Liverpool is mostly playing in a 4-3-3 system under Jurgen Klopp in the last couple of seasons. A highly efficient attack scores lots of goals, but they play with false 9 most of the time. With new acquisitions, many suggest Jurgen Klopp might revert to the 4-2-3-1 formation he used in Borussia Dortmund and early Liverpool days.

Nunez is well suited for a counter-attacking style of play, he can score headers, and another indication of potential formation change is in the signing of Carvahlo. He can play the classic 10 behind the striker. Liverpool veteran Roberto Firminho is also significant in that role.

Interchangeable parts

Klopp once more has the sweet pain of choosing the best poison for his opponents. Diogo Jota was excellent as an attacker in the previous season and has played behind the attacker in his Wolves days. If needed, Luis Diaz proved he can be as effective as Mane on the left-wing and in a central attacking position. Mo Salah is still on the wing, so Liverpool attacking prowess shouldn’t lose any might.

Some even suggest Liverpool could go with 4-2-4 with Jota being behind Nunez, and we already see Klopp using this formation when chasing goals.

So far, there is no indication Liverpool will seek reinforcement in the middle of the field. Instead, Fabinho and Thiago will probably hold the midfield with Jordan Henderson, Keita, and Milner supporting them in rotation.

If Klopp reshuffles the team, there will most likely be no changes to the back. Allison is still the number one, and the back-four will be Alexander-Arnold, Konate or Matip, Van Dijk, and Robertson. However, the Yellow Submarine did make another move, bringing in the right-back Calvin Ramsey who can effectively back up Alexander Arnold.

These are all speculation that plays into the strengths of the newly acquired players. Many see Darwin Nunez as a new Lewandowski because of his stature and scoring ability. The comparison goes so far that even Bayern fans had the campaign to bring in a Uruguayan star with the Pole departing from Bayern after crushing all scoring records with 312 goals since joining the Munich side in 2014.