Slot must ruthlessly drop Liverpool’s “dreadful” 5/10 ace

Let’s all just take a moment to breathe. At Aston Villa, Liverpool succumbed to their second 2-2 draw in three Premier League matches but also moved eight points clear at the top of the table, albeit with Arsenal holding a game in hand.

Recent performances have cast a blanket of uncertainty over the red of Merseyside, but Arne Slot’s side are well worth their table-topping position and will continue to fight tooth and nail for the title over the next few months.

The caveat is that Liverpool face Manchester City at the Etihad on Sunday before welcoming dangerous Newcastle United to Anfield.

But Arsenal are beset with a mountain of injury issues and face their own tough run in the next few weeks. Liverpool will endure. And then, restore their fluency, their verve.

However, certain questions need to be raised, with Darwin Nunez’s role in this all-important campaign raising important questions.

Darwin Nunez misses the mark – again

There’s only so much a fan can take. Energy, tenacity, drive, chaos. Nunez embodies it all – all pertaining to the good and the bad, of course.

Nunez was introduced in the second half and failed to notch a goal, stretching his run to 35 matches in all competitions this term with just six goals to his name.

Having played only 25 minutes, it shouldn’t feel like the burden of Liverpool’s dropped points at Villa Park lay on his shoulders, but the 25-year-old was thwarted by the charging Emi Martinez when played through and, more agonisingly, skewed a glorious open goal opportunity when deftly played in by Dominik Szoboszlai.

Social media has been awash with the Uruguay striker’s latest blunder, and perhaps the most telling part was Slot’s reaction, turning to the assistant referee and questioning if his player was offside.

It didn’t matter, for Nunez had missed a simple finish to make it 3-2 to Liverpool, building on the momentum from Trent Alexander-Arnold’s rifled finish to restore parity.

Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr begged the question of Nunez’s availability in January and transfer authority Fabrizio Romano confirmed that his sale was a genuine possibility, but FSG ultimately didn’t want to leave title-chasing Liverpool short at the season’s midpoint.

Nunez’s own misfiring has propagated the idea that he’s not fit for purpose over three campaigns now. It’s clear that Slot needs to cut ties with his exciting and infuriating player – sadly, it hasn’t worked out.

He’s not the only striker to have let his team down. Diogo Jota has endured another injury-hit season, and while he’s a first-class finisher, this certainly wasn’t the case against Unai Emery’s men.

Why Slot must boldly drop Diogo Jota

Last season, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher said that Jota is Liverpool’s best-ever goalscorer in the Premier League “in terms of pure finishing.”

Big claim, but not without substance. As per FBref, Jota ranked among the top 1% of Premier League forwards in 2023/24 for goals scored (0.79) per 90.

He’s not enjoyed the same level of potency under Slot’s wing, missing matches due to injury once again. Still, eight goals from 24 matches in all competitions is hardly shameful, but he’s not playing with his usual style at the moment.

Uncharacteristically, Jota summed up Liverpool’s night as he was played through against a gappy Villan backline and sliced so wide that the shot almost went out for a throw-in. Cue the jeers.

Contrasted with the cool composure and smart running of Ollie Watkins, Liverpool’s lack of a top central frontman was illustrated. The England star laid the ball off smartly, darted into space, thundered past Alisson with a well-timed header. The gaps emerged and he snatched his chance greedily.

Nunez did not. Jota did not. Both forwards claimed more attractive chances but failed to make them count, and with Cody Gakpo now set to return from an injury sustained at Goodison Park, Slot needs to make the change.

Jota might have claimed the assist for Salah’s goal but he didn’t lead the line with the desired confidence. GOAL’s Gill Clark echoed this, branding the Portugal international with a 5/10 match score.

Jota was even branded “dreadful” by The Athletic correspondent James Pearce after his mishap, adding fuel to the fire that Salah – who of course bagged his goal and placed the assist for Trent’s important equaliser – is something of a one-man frontline at times.

While it’s hard to advocate Luis Diaz as being the perfect number nine solution, he does bring fluency to Liverpool’s frontline and facilitates Gakpo and Salah’s successes.

Based on the evidence of this frustrating contest, the Colombian has graduated to Liverpool’s first-choice at centre-forward and must be picked as such against a Man City side that is always going to be dangerous.

It’s important to issue a reminder that Liverpool’s slide in defensive security is every bit as concerning as the profligacy up front. Three clean sheets from 13 Premier League matches is a far cry from Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate’s imperious early form.

It’s not the be-all and end-all. This was a difficult fixture and Liverpool still hold a commanding lead at the top of the table. That said, Slot needs to restore Liverpool’s snap at the top of the ship because, at the moment, things are not looking balanced with Nunez and Jota struggling.

All told, there are problems across the board – but, all the same, Liverpool are eight points clear at the summit as they gear up to race down the home stretch.

Slot is a top-class manager and will be confident in fixing the current out-of-kilter levels. However, he might need to make a few changes, with Jota and Nunez proving at Villa Park that they don’t deserve starting berths against Pep Guardiola’s outfit.