'We trust them all'. Arne Slote on Darwin Núñez and other players on the bench
This summer, Liverpool changed managers, with Arne Slot taking over from Jürgen Klopp. Despite the managerial shift, the Merseyside club did minimal work in the transfer market, signing only Federico Chiesa from Juventus. However, the new coach has implemented his own squad rotations, keeping some of Klopp's regular starters on the bench. Arne Slot explained this decision, emphasizing that he still trusts his players.
Details: Darwin Núñez was a frequent starter under Klopp, scoring 18 goals across all competitions last season. However, Slot has been using the Uruguayan forward differently, and in the new season, Núñez has only appeared in four of five matches, all as a substitute. When asked by journalists about his trust in Núñez, Slot assured them that he has full confidence in the player, or else he wouldn’t play him at all.
Quote: "It’s always tough because players, as well as the media, think you only trust a player if you start him. We trust all of them; otherwise, you don’t bring a player on when you're leading 3-1 with half an hour left. Or last week against Nottingham Forest, he came on with 30 minutes to go.
He has plenty of confidence. But for that position, we have two players, and I could name even more who could play there. He’s competing with Diogo [Jota], who has been performing very well. But there are many games to be played, and there will be plenty of time to assess Darwin - whether he improves, how he does it, and whether he can bring something special to the club," The Guardian quotes him as saying.
Reminder: In addition to Federico Chiesa, Liverpool also signed Valencia and Georgia national team goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili this summer. However, he was immediately loaned back to the Spanish club.
Liverpool’s next match is set for today, as they host Bournemouth at Anfield.
Liam Garcia
Dailysports's expert
