Liverpool boss Slot defends Nunez despite drop in standard

Arne Slot insisted Darwin Nunez is still an important part of Liverpool’s plans despite the struggling striker falling below the “standard” in the Champions League win against Girona.

Mired in a lengthy slump, Nunez has scored only one goal in his last 10 appearances and three in total all season.

In Liverpool’s victory in Girona on Tuesday, the Uruguay international cut an increasingly frustrated figure after missing several chances.

Slot admitted he kept Nunez on for an extended period, before eventually replacing him in the 71st minute, in the hope he would score a confidence-boosting goal.

After receiving criticism in midweek, Nunez posted on Instagram: “They are not all, they are some. Thank you Reds for your support, we are all still together.”

Slot believes the 25-year-old needs the support of fans and his team-mates to help him rediscover the form that made him such a sensation at Benfica prior to his move to Anfield in 2022.

“All our players feel the support of our fans but he is definitely one of them. Mo (Salah) is scoring so many goals he likes the support of the fans but doesn’t really need it at the moment,” Slot told reporters on Friday.

“We all saw they did something with him when he missed a few chances on Tuesday and everyone needs an arm around you, either from a team-mate, the fans or your manager.

“But I also made it clear to him that he is not only judged on the goals he scores, he is also judged on the team performance and he adds something to the team performance as well with his work-rate and how much he does winning the ball back high up the pitch.”

– ‘Disappointed’ –

Slot’s only issue with Nunez was a dip in his work-rate against Girona that drew a rebuke from the Reds boss.

“Ideally he would have scored