It was two years ago that Nunez was shown a straight red card for headbutting Joachim Andersen in the 57th minute during the draw against Crystal Palace at Anfield. There’s absolutely no denying the Liverpool striker deserved his red card with former manager Jurgen Klopp frustrated with his kneejerk response.
“A little provocation here and there – and definitely the wrong reaction,” Klopp said.
“A clear red card, I cannot deny that. I saw Andersen on the floor and Darwin walking away, that was my picture. Wrong reaction in the situation. Andersen wanted that, I would say, and he got it. But he made a mistake, Darwin, so of course we will talk about it.”
Flash-forward to Wednesday night’s EFL Cup clash against Southampton and the Uruguayan was once again berated by fans and players alike. The Saints crowd branded him a "s*** Andy Carroll" throughout the match despite his first-half finish which led to Nunez shushing the supporters, placing a finger to his ear to taunt them even further.
The key moment however came in the second half when the 25-year-old showed off a different side of himself. 58 minutes in, Nunez and Southampton centre-back Jan Bednarek grappled intensely with one another before the referee's whistle went. Tensions were clearly high as the pair turned to each other after battling throughout the game, the old Nunez would have reacted either with a push or a swift headbutt but this time was different.
Nunez embraced Bednarek in a hug, causing him to smile and reciprocate the gesture in a moment not often seen in football. A mark of respect between each player, had this happened in Nunez’s first season under Klopp there would likely have been a different outcome. The Reds would be down to 10 men and the hot-headed striker would have to deal with another suspension that could have been avoided.
Under Klopp, Nunez was a menace, he was infamous for bringing chaos to a game with his pace, strength, and outlandish tackles that would trigger eruptions of applause around Anfield. Under Slot, however, his role looks to be evolving from maniac to brainiac as he starts to use his mind rather than his fists to solve his problems.
Despite statistics showing that Nunez scores nearly every three games, it's fair to say more was expected from the club-record £85m signing from Benfica. His frustration in front of goal is still apparent, counterattacks are often slow when he is in command and a lot of games see him make very few touches for a central striker. However, for many footballers, the mental side of the game is far more important than ability on the ball.
Slot’s plan to calm Nunez down, to make him into a more focused striker is exactly what he needs to succeed at the club. The experienced striker knows how to score, that’s why the club signed him from Benfica after scoring 34 goals in just 41 appearances the season before. The problem is mentally, not physically and Slot and his team will know that more than anyone as they work with him in this campaign.
This weekend Liverpool faces Tottenham away from home, after playing a full 90 minutes against the Saints, Nunez will likely be a substitute. Slot, unlike Klopp, will not use him to massively disrupt the game and bring aggression to his side but instead allow Nunez to operate as a focused forward with his eyes on goal more than anything else.