Jurgen Klopp has told misfiring striker Darwin Nunez to “calm down” in front of goal.
Nunez has managed just one goal in his seven Premier League and Champions League appearances for Liverpool. Klopp feels Liverpool’s record £85million signing just needs to show more composure and is adamant he will soon starting scoring.
“I think he said himself, he feels the pressure, these kind of things,” said the Kop boss. “He needs to calm himself down, but his movements are exceptional. If you could see him finishing in training, you’d think ‘oh my God!’.
“In the games, he’s in a bit of a rush and he just needs to calm down in those moments and use his full range of finishing. Not to change, just to keep going.”
Nunez, 23, did not help himself when he was sent off for a headbutt in his second Premier League game for Liverpool and Klopp says he must control his emotions.
“It was not a perfect start,” he said. “He had a three-game suspension and you can’t get rid of that. He’s an aggressive player, he’s emotional and it should never happen again. But I really like his movements, they are really good and natural. That’s something we didn’t have before. That’s what I like and why I’m sure everything will be fine.
“What is the worst situation when you come in as a striker? That your team is not playing exceptionally well because you depend on the things they bring to you.
"We need to perform consistently to our level and beyond and then you need a striker to finish off all the things we create. One of the things he has shown so far in all the games he has played is that he gets in good finishing positions, which is the most important thing for a striker.
"That’s why everybody should be optimistic about what’s coming from him in the future.”
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Klopp has also addressed concerns over Nunez's ability to communicate with the Reds boss.
The Uruguayan said earlier in the week he could "not understand anything" the German says when playing for Liverpool. “His English?” Klopp said. “Not at all, just ‘good morning’, ‘let’s go’. He’s a kid, but a confident person as well, but not a grown-up man already, we all know that. He has a baby, but he has to grow as a man. That’s clear, but it’s all fine. The headline was he doesn’t understand a word I’m saying, I know that.
"That was the same with Bobby Firmino and other players. Maybe a big part of Bobby’s success was he didn’t understand a word I said because he did everything right without understanding!
For Darwin, it’s slightly different. He gets all the necessary information obviously. We have Spanish speakers on the coaching staff and the team. I understand why you ask that, but I would say it’s all fine.”
