Theo Squires looks at the role Nunez could still play for the Reds this season
But while Salah will be leading Liverpool’s attack, Marmoush will be looking to leave his compatriot disappointed. The 26-year-old opened his account for City last weekend with a first career hat-trick in the 4-0 thrashing of Newcastle United.
Combined with his totals for Eintracht Frankfurt, he now has 23 goals from 32 appearances for the campaign. And such was his impressive form for the Bundesliga outfit, he spent most of the first half of the season being linked with a move to Anfield, prior to City’s sudden £59m mid-season swoop.
Had Marmoush finished the season at Frankfurt, who is to say whether Liverpool would have entered the conversation for his services
With the futures of Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz and Federico Chiesa all the subject of speculation, along with Salah’s long-running contract saga ahead of his current deal expiring in the summer, it would be a surprise if the Reds were not in the market for a new forward come the end of the campaign.
Nunez in particular has faced greater scrutiny in recent days after his miss of the season contender in Liverpool’s midweek draw with Aston Villa, blazing over from close-range when greeted with an open goal.
Arne Slot defended the forward for the miss itself after the final whistle at Villa Park, but would criticise his reaction on the pitch after squandering the chance. Having failed to nail down a starting place under the Dutchman, even in the absence of the injured Jota, the Uruguayan’s Anfield future has never looked more at risk
He would send an emotional, defiant response to critics on social media following the miss against Villa, insisting: ‘I will give it my all until the last day I am here in Liverpool.’ When that last day might be is up for debate.
Following that miss against Villa, one Nunez statistic in particular garnered mass attention after being pointed out by Sky Sports. Since joining the Reds in the summer of 2023, the striker has astonishingly missed 0.99 big chances per 90 minutes throughout his Premier League career.
Haaland would be second on such a list with 0.95 big chances missed per 90 minutes. But while the Norwegian can also defend himself with a record of 82 Premier League goals from 91 appearances, Nunez boasts just 24 English top-flight goals from 86 outings. For the record, City’s striker has missed 80 big chances to Nunez’s 51
Such a statistic is alarming. But given Nunez’s limited game-time, it can also be countered by how much he scores per 90 minutes with his current return standing at 0.47.
While he can’t compete with Haaland’s freakish 0.98 goals per 90 minutes or Salah’s impressive 0.69 – taking into consideration his entire 289 game Premier League career – it still compares well with Liverpool’s other forwards.
Diogo Jota scores 0.5 goals per 90 minutes while missing 0.51 big chances, while Cody Gakpo scores 0.46 goals per 90 minutes, and misses 0.34 big chances
It’s Luis Diaz who falls slightly shorter in front of goal in comparison. While he misses 0.36 big chances per 90 minutes, he also scores at an identical rate.
Nunez does miss too many big chances. That is inescapable. But he also steps up for his side too, as demonstrated by his match-winning brace against Brentford last month.
“He is the same player who scored two very important goals against Brentford. It is the life of a number nine, like it is the life of a defender or goalkeeper,” Slot said of the striker ahead of facing Man City. “Sometimes you make a mistake but the good thing about being a number nine is that you are a hero more often.”
Nunez will still have the opportunity to be a hero for Liverpool once again before the end of the season as they continue to pursue Premier League, Champions League and League Cup glory.
He could even be the match-winner at the Etihad on Sunday. Had he scored against Villa, the Reds would have gone 10 points clear at the top of the table. But following Arsenal’s shock defeat to West Ham United on Saturday, the Liverpool forward will have the opportunity to write that wrong against Man City.
Yes, he will never rival Haaland or Salah in front of goal, and it would be little surprise if his Anfield career did come to an end this summer.
The greatest frustration is his untapped potential and inconsistency, considering what more he could be if more of those big missed chances were turned into goals.
But while Liverpool’s Egyptian King remains their ever-reliable constant in front of goal, and will once again be their main threat against Man City, still do not bet against Nunez from adding his own decisive stamp to proceedings between now and the end of the season.
An £85m record signing, he will be regarded as one of the Reds’ greatest enigmas should they indeed pursue a replacement come the summer. At the very least, if the club do enter the market for someone more consistently reliable than their Uruguayan, Marmoush’s name has now been crossed off the list of potential successors
But while his Liverpool story might be nearing its end, there is still one chapter to go. Inconsistent in front of goal he may be but, for better or worse, while Salah scoring on a weekly basis is now virtually a given, Reds supporters have long since grown accustomed to expecting the unexpected when it comes to Darwin Nunez