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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has praised striker Darwin Nunez after his performance in the win over Rangers in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night (October 4).
While the Uruguayan striker didn't score, he put up a great performance as the Reds came out 2-0 winners at Anfield.
Nunez had four shots on target, made one key pass and completed his only dribble attempt. He was substituted off in the 80th minute for Harvey Elliott.
The Uruguayan featured in a four-pronged attack set up by the German manager. Nunez played up front with Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota, and Luis Diaz forming a three behind him in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Speaking after the game about the new formation, Klopp said (via Liverpool Echo):
"The way the boys up front moved together was extremely, extremely good for only one session working on it, to be honest. We never did it before. We had now one session and that with low intensity because we only played recently."
He said about Nunez:
“You saw how good a striker he is to be constantly in those situations. Everybody saw tonight that this will happen. So all good.”
Liverpool signed Nunez from Benfica for a club-record fee of £85 million earlier this summer. He has scored two goals and provided one assist in eight appearances across competitions.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp hails Trent Alexander-Arnold
The Reds won the game due to a brilliant free-kick by Trent Alexander-Arnold and a penalty by Mohamed Salah.
Alexander-Arnold has been under fire from fans and pundits for his lackadaisical defensive performances this season. However, he fared well against Rangers, making four tackles and winning seven out of his nine duels. He also shone at the other end, curling in a sumptuous free-kick to open the scoring.
After the game, Klopp praised the Liverpool right-back, saying:
“He played a good game, defensively especially and a good goal. We cannot talk about it every week, Trent doesn’t have a defensive problem – we have a defensive problem, hopefully had."
He added:
"Our timing was not right, and we take risks in defending; everybody knows that. When the timing is not right, you open gaps, and these gaps are very often at the back of Trent. Not because of him, but because of other situations, and he has to track back and, yes, we were not in the perfect moment. That’s why we adjusted it slightly (tonight)."
Liverpool will next turn their attention to facing Premier League leaders Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday (October 9). The Gunners have won seven of their eight games, while the Reds are reeling in ninth, having won just two of their seven.
