Nunez LewandowskiGetty
Gill Clark

Liverpool boss Klopp insists misfiring Nunez can emulate goal machine Lewandowski

D. NunezR. LewandowskiLiverpool

Jurgen Klopp says he sees lots of similiarites between striker Darwin Nunez and Robert Lewandowski, who he coached at Borussia Dortmund.

  • Nunez missing chances
  • Klopp makes Lewandowski comparison
  • Backs Uruguayan to improve

WHAT HAPPENED? The Liverpool manager has backed his £64 million summer signing, who has netted nine goals for the Reds in 20 games since arriving from Benfica. However, Nunez has also been guilty of squandering plenty of chances and Klopp has revealed how Robert Lewandowski had similar struggles in front of goal in his early days at Borussia Dortmund.

WHAT THEY SAID: "There are a lot of similarities [with Nunez], to be honest. Yes, I think Lewi would tell the same story. We had shooting sessions where he didn’t finish off one," he told reporters. "We had bets all the time for €10 where I said, ‘If you score more than 10 times I will pay you €10 and if you don’t you have to pay me’. My pocket was full of money."

AND WHAT'S MORE: Klopp also went on to say Nunez's potential is "obvious" and that he feels the striker will learn from his mistakes as he develops his game further at Anfield.

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"I think we all agree that the potential is so obvious. Is everything right? No. I think it’s clear when you see the second chance, the big chance in the second half (against Aston Villa) he can run a little bit on an angle and then he has a free choice," he added. “But it is all coming. You do it like this, the next time you do it like that. I had this situation with Lewi but it is not only Lewi. He is the obvious comparison. The team is completely convinced and that’s really cool.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Nunez hit seven goals in 10 games before the World Cup break but was guilty of wasting several clear chances against Man City and Aston Villa in his two matches since returning from Qatar. Klopp clearly has complete faith in the Uruguay international, describing him as "unstoppable" after the win at Villa Park despite his struggles in front of goal.

Next Match

IN THREE PHOTOS:

Klopp LewandowskiGettyDarwin Nunez 2022-23GettyNunez KloppGetty

WHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL? The Reds are back in Premier League action on Friday against Leicester City.

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