Luis Diaz may have given game away about what's next for Darwin Nunez at Liverpool

Darwin Nunez has recorded 48 ‘Big chances missed’ from 73 Premier League appearances in his Liverpool career to date. Such a total is third, only behind Erling Haaland (72) and Ollie Watkins (53) over the same timeframe.

The Uruguayan boasts 22 Premier League goals, while the rival pair have netted 75 and 39 times respectively in the English top-flight since the start of the 2022/23 season. Although never an undisputed first-choice, unlike Manchester City’s Haaland and Aston Villa’s Watkins, Nunez has struggled to be as prolific as his counterparts.

Capable of moments of brilliance, he can also be raw and erratic in front of goal. And this was again the case in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Villa at Anfield.

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Nunez opened the scoring with a well-taken strike after rounding Emiliano Martinez, but would later fire high and wide when one-on-one against the Argentina international before heading wide of the near post from an Andy Robertson cross.

On another day, Nunez scores a hat-trick. But that has been said multiple times before during his Reds career to date.

Admittedly, his goal was a step in the right direction. The 25-year-old was alert to the loose ball and played to the whistle before keeping a cool head to take it round Martinez and rifle home.

There have been plenty of times in the past where he has failed to take advantage when one-on-one, with one strike that hit the post against Toulouse last season perhaps the most infamous example.

It was certainly a more orthodox finish than his spectacular chipped effort he scored against Brentford last February, with former Reds striker Michael Owen questioning the Uruguayan’s thinking when taking the strike at the time.

“That finish from Darwin Nunez yesterday was insane,” he wrote on social media. “I can’t stop watching it.

“And I can’t begin to explain how difficult a skill that is. Moving at pace, the ball running away from you, being inside the box with no room for error. Incredible.

“But, it is also further proof that if he is to get closer to becoming the great player many people think he can be, he has to adapt his way of thinking.

"I mean, to even consider that finish is madness. It’s a 1 in 10, 2 in 10 finish at best. Learning to slot, dink or go round the GK is a far more productive way to score and will increase his chances to 4 or 5 in 10, thus massively increasing his end return.

“I’m really not trying to rain on his parade as that goal was pure class. But I’d rather see it when Liverpool are 3-0 up, not at 0-0!”

By rounding Martinez, Nunez is, whether he is actually aware of them or not, taking Owen’s advice on board.

Yet it could also be argued that he made his effort against Villa more difficult for himself with a heavy touch and having to find the back of the net from an unnecessarily acute angle.

Consider his two missed chances and the rawness and erraticism is very much still present. And take a look at Nunez’s other two goals this season - a wonder-strike from range against AFC Bournemouth and tap-in on the line against RB Leipzig. They were two extremes at either end of the scale that perhaps further highlight how he is not the finished article yet.

When Arne Slot was appointed Liverpool head coach, there was hope that he would help improve Nunez and his team-mates. After all, at his former clubs, Slot boasted a track-record for improving a striker’s record in front of goal.

It is something he addressed directly himself back in September, at a time when Nunez was out of the Reds starting XI, as he used Feyenoord striker Santiago Gimenez as an example for the Uruguay international The Mexico international striker scored just twice in the first half of the Dutch league season on his arrival two years but netted 26 times in 41 appearances in all competitions last season.

"Santiago is a nice example of him scoring a lot of goals, but if you look back at the amount of minutes he had in the first half of the season when I arrived, it wasn't that much," said the Liverpool head coach.

"It took him some to adjust to the intense playing style of what we want from him, and then at a certain moment his goals came. If you look back at my whole period at Feyenoord, the forwards all scored their goals.”

Nunez is certainly adapting, as demonstrated by impressing in the absence of Diogo Jota in recent weeks. He has started four of the Reds’ last five matches in the Premier League and Champions League, returning two goals and an assist.

But he is still a work in progress. In contrast, while the striker had been expected to be the forward would perhaps improve most under Slot, so far that instead arguably applies for Luis Diaz.

The Colombian scored a Liverpool career-best 13 goals last season, but still found himself criticised for not producing enough in front of goal. With eight of those coming in the Premier League, he also missed 13 big chances.

Yet this season, the 27-year-old is well on his way to smashing that former record. Boasting nine goals so far this campaign, only Mohamed Salah (10) has netted more, with such a total including a poacher’s hat-trick when surprisingly played upfront in the 4-0 thrashing of Bayer Leverkusen - which Slot confessed surprised even him.

Also fielded as a number nine in parts against Aston Villa following Nunez’s withdrawal, in the absence of Jota, Diaz has emerged as a new central attacking option.

Of course, he’s also not the only forward impressing under Slot. Along with 10 goals, Salah boasts 10 assists from just 17 appearances. Meanwhile, Cody Gakpo and Jota boast six and four goals from eight and nine starts respectively.

All of Slot’s Feyenoord forwards scored goals and the same is true of Liverpool. But with Diaz leading the way in terms of most-improved, those of a Reds persuasion will be hoping that the club’s Dutch head coach can still have a similar effect on Nunez in the long-term.

Slot hasn't solved Liverpool's ongoing £85m dilemma to get the very best out of the club's record-signing on a consistent basis just yet. But baby steps are at least being taken, with the superior form of Nunez's attacking team-mates this season perhaps at least suggesting what could still be to come.