Ian Wright has named one thing he’d never do if he were in Jurgen Klopp’s position as Liverpool manager.
The ex-Arsenal striker was reflecting on the Reds’ 1-1 draw against Manchester City while on punditry duty with Sky Sports‘ Monday Night Football, a game which saw Darwin Nunez substituted with 15 minutes of normal time remaining.
The 60-year-old insisted that he wouldn’t have withdrawn the Uruguayan, who’s come up with late winning goals on more than one occasion this season.
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Wright said: “With Nunez, I’d never take him off, especially at Anfield. I would just tighten him up in those situations. Speak to Harvey Elliott and say ‘Harvey, when you get that ball, you don’t even need to look. If you get the ball in that situation, just put it in there [central attacking area]’.
“When he does that, people know he’s gonna be going down there all day, so he can feint there and get it to feet. Then he can start playing with people.”
Given Nunez’s penchant for dramatic late winners, and Liverpool’s need for one on Sunday, it might’ve seemed surprising that the 24-year-old was substituted with 76 minutes on the clock.
However, it had been a largely frustrating day for Nunez, who managed only one shot in target and was caught offside on no fewer than five occasions (Sofascore), while Klopp might also have fancied the fresher legs of Cody Gakpo to make an impact in the final quarter-hour or so.
The German has got it right with his substitutions more often than not this season, with LFC enjoying far more goal contributions from players off the bench than any other club in Europe’s five main leagues (Opta), so we’ll continue to fully trust the manager when it comes to his in-game changes in personnel.
You can view Wright’s comments below, via @SkySportsPL on X (formerly Twitter):
"Look what he can do" 💪
Ian Wright says Darwin Nunez should never be taken off at Anfield 👀 pic.twitter.com/qnHlBzfxgA
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 11, 2024