Liverpool have had a near-perfect start to life under Arne Slot. Though there was plenty to like from the 5-1 victory over West Ham United in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening, Wolverhampton Wanderers will present a different test.
Meeting the Old Gold at Molineux this evening, Liverpool could rise into first place in the Premier League with a win, though that hinges on Manchester City dropping points at St. James’ Park this afternoon.
Slot’s attack is firing on all cylinders. Liverpool have the sharpness up top to do great things this year, but Wolves are resilient and cohesive and will look to capitalise on a slow start through players like Matheus Cunha and Jørgen Strand Larsen.
Mohamed Salah
7 (6)
4
4
Luis Diaz
6 (5)
5
1
Diogo Jota
6 (5)
3
1
Cody Gakpo
7 (2)
2
1
Darwin Nunez
6 (2)
1
1
Federico Chiesa
3 (1)
0
1
Wolves are bottom of the pile, however, with one draw and four losses from five matches and the joint-worst defensive record in the division. Liverpool will be confident that they can get the job done.
Liverpool team news
Slot has confirmed that Alisson Becker “is ready to play” after the distinguished shot-stopped missed the past three matches in all competitions with a hamstring issue.
Harvey Elliott continues his rehabilitation from a fractured foot suffered on international duty with England U21s earlier this month, but Liverpool have a pretty clean bill of health.
Wolves have potentially lost centre-back Yerson Mosquera for the campaign after he tore his anterior cruciate ligament, whereas fellow defender Toti Gomes missed last week’s defeat against Aston Villa and faces a race to return to the line-up.
Darwin Nunez has scored and assisted across his past two games – the Uruguayan’s first starts of the season – but should be dropped for this one, here’s why.
Why Slot should drop Darwin Nunez
It’s been something of a rocky road for Nunez since moving to Liverpool in a deal rising to a club-record £85m fee in 2022. The 25-year-old striker is explosive and dynamic but also frustratingly wasteful in front of goal, scoring 21 Premier League goals in total but also missing 47 big chances.
Slot has tempered his wild side, to be sure, having narrowed the forward’s stylistic approach in scope. Fewer dribbles, less chaos, more work on positioning and spatial awareness, getting into promising positions and striking true.
Jurgen Klopp once called Nunez “unstoppable” when at his best, and though he hasn’t actually reached that level with the consistency desired, there have been promising signs across the past few matches. That said, while he placed an assist against West Ham, there was plenty to be desired from his performance.
Minutes played
90′
Goals
0
Assists
1
Touches
27
Shots (on target)
0 (0)
Accurate passes
13/15 (87%)
Key passes
1
Dribbles (completed)
0 (0)
Tackles
4
Total duels (won)
12 (5)
This actually means that he took fewer touches than his goalkeeper, Caoimhin Kelleher (who took 32) despite playing the full 90 minutes. He might have made some good movements off the ball, worked hard in defence, but didn’t do enough with the opportunities presented to him.
90min felt that he hadn’t done quite enough, handing him only a 5/10 match rating and writing that he ‘struggled to get into the game’. It might be better to use him as a second-half option against Wolves, continuing the rotation that is enabled by such a vibrant and deep frontline.
Nunez also happens to be a brilliant option to unleash in the later phase of a match, which could be key against a Wolves side that has suffered from falling to late-stage strikes.
80 – 90+
5
70 – 79
3
60 – 69
1
45 – 59
2
30 – 45+
2
20 – 29
1
10 – 19
2
0 – 9
1
As you can see, Wolves have suffered from shipping goals late, burning out. Liverpool, conversely, have let in a goal only once beyond the 70th minute across all competitions this season, so a fast start from the visitors will make a telling comment on which way the pendulum will swing.
Should Nunez be dropped, it’s imperative that Luis Diaz is unleashed in his stead, shifting onto the left flank, of course.
Luis Diaz could be the difference-maker
Diaz has been a revelation for the Reds this season. Refer to the first table from earlier, and you will see that he’s already scored five goals this season, with just five appearances in the Premier League too.
This is a remarkable start from a player who, talented, yes, wasn’t exactly the most prolific of players last season, bagging 13 goals and five assists from 53 games across all competitions for Liverpool.
He’s also highly technical, ranking among the top 5% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for pass completion and the top 10% for shot-creating actions per 90, as per FBref.
The Colombia star – whose international efforts of late, four goals and two assists in 2024, have added to the rise – is becoming a potent force for Liverpool, and though there’s a long road to travel before he proves that his level has transcended that of a ‘purple patch’.
Described as a “livewire” by journalist Peter Hall in the past, Diaz’s clinical shooting and effective playmaking and dribbling hints toward a new version of this maverick Redman. Against the Cherries, his two-goal display earned him a 9/10 match score from the Liverpool Echo’s Ian Doyle.
He was rested for the midweek fixture, whereas Nunez played the full contest, so it’s obvious that Slot wants to hand him a starting berth for the sixth successive time in the English top flight, but with Diogo Jota playing an hour against Bournemouth last weekend and the same again against the Irons, he will be rested and ready to take on Molineux.
That plays into the fact that Nunez will have a chance to shine later today, and who knows, given Wolves’ proneness to late concessions, he may still send the travelling Merseysiders into rapture.
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