Liverpool striker opens up about his problems in front of goal – and a perplexing remark from opposition supporters at the City Ground.
Darwin Nunez, a Liverpool striker, claims he didn’t comprehend a word of what Nottingham Forest fans sang at him when the two clubs played in March.
In a game where the post-match antics dominated the headlines, the Merseyside club departed the City Ground with three points – but only by the skin of their teeth. It took a superb 99th-minute header from their Uruguayan international to leave Forest dissatisfied on the day.
However, because the game had remained goalless for so long, the home crowd began taunting the opposing No. 9 when he was introduced as a 60th-minute substitute, singing “You’re just a s*** Andy Carroll” in reference to the former England striker who struggled at Anfield after joining from Newcastle United.
Nunez, like Carroll, wears the number nine shirt, and both are record signings for the Reds. While Carroll only scored six goals in 44 league appearances after joining Liverpool for £35 million, Nunez has 33 goals in 96 games but is still under heavy scrutiny due to the number of opportunities he appears to pass up in front of goal.
March’s meeting was a prime example, as he missed four shots before sinking Nuno Espirito Santo’s team at the death, and in a new interview about his problems, he said his English was not good enough to let the City Ground crowd get to him.
“During that game, the Forest supporters sang to me, but I couldn’t understand anything. “Thank goodness I scored the [winning] goal,” he told ESPN Uruguay via Liverpool World.
Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool’s manager, spoke out about the chanting after the game, both publicly and with his players. Nunez continued: “Then the coach in the locker room said ‘screw them’.”
