During Liverpool’s crucial Premier League clash with Manchester City at Anfield, Darwin Nunez found himself caught offside an astonishing six times, highlighting a significant issue in his timing and positional awareness. Despite his recent improvements in front of goal, exemplified by his crucial contributions to Jurgen Klopp’s team, Nunez’s tendency to mistime his runs continues to hinder his effectiveness in attack.
In contrast, Erling Haaland, leading the line for the opposition, has only been flagged offside once throughout the entire Premier League campaign thus far, emphasizing Nunez’s struggles with offside positioning.
One particularly frustrating instance occurred in the first half when Nunez, offside yet again, provided a well-placed cross to Luis Diaz, whose subsequent goal was rightfully disallowed. This exemplifies the dichotomy between Nunez’s potential as a goal-scorer and his propensity to disrupt his own team’s momentum with ill-timed runs.
Nunez’s performance against Manchester City also saw him equal and then surpass an unwanted Premier League record for the most offsides in a single game this season, previously held by Nottingham Forest’s Anthony Elanga. His repeated offside calls, including one just after halftime as he sought to capitalize on a chance while Man City goalkeeper Ederson grappled with injury, underscored his struggles with maintaining an onside position.
Overall, Nunez has been flagged offside 26 times this season, surpassing all other Premier League players in this regard. In stark contrast, Manchester City’s entire squad has only been called offside 29 times collectively, highlighting the extent of Nunez’s individual offside woes.